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THE LIBRARY
OF
THE UNIVERSITY
OF CALIFORNIA
LOS ANGELES
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If—
SOM ERSETSH I RE.
PRINTED BV WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
LONDON AND BECCLES.
PREFACE
In offering this book to the consideration of the public, I desire
to preface it with a brief explanatory notice. I have attempted to
describe and illustrate a portion of Somersetshire. Photography
has in no case been employed, nor have I described any spot which
I have not personally visited. How rich the county is in
archaeological remains, ecclesiastical buildings, quaint old manor
houses, many may be aware, but for some unknown reason the
district has been but sparsely honoured by illustration. I purpose
to wander with my reader through village and town, or to linger
by some historic spot, making use of my pencil by the way.
At times the natural beauties of the grand old county may call
for a sketch, and such opportunities will not be neglected. But
though my wanderings may seem to be without plan, I hope to
show that there is some method therein, as it is my intention
to make certain epochs rather than certain roads or districts the
means of division into chapters. For instance, the wonderful camps
need to be visited, and how better than by making a pilgrimage
from Camelot to Avalon } Later on in history, Athelney, with its
1776866
VI PREFACE.
memories of Saxon Aelfred, claims attention. The Middle Ages
(scanty though the relics of castles may be) are yet rich in monastic
remains ; and where can Glastonbury be surpassed ? — that home of
piety and of legend — to say nothing of the many minor houses
which will be noted. At this period, too, the wonderful series of
manor houses of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries comes in.
Passing through the earlier years of the sixteenth century, the
Suppression and Reformation give ample scope — so rich are
the relics of those times. The Great Rebellion recalls the student-
soldier Blake, honest Strode, Wyndham the courteous foe, and
the honourable but persecuted Stawell ; with memories also of
Taunton, Bridgwater, and Dunster Castle. Finally the luckless
Monmouth and the fatal fight at Sedgmoor, to be followed by
Jeffreys and the Bloody Assize, claim attention.
Everywhere I cannot go, nor can I sketch everything I would ;
but I have endeavoured to select the subjects most interesting to
the general reader, and also, I hope, to the more serious student.
I should perhaps mention that minor antiquarian details will
not be neglected, record being made of many objects comparatively
unimportant in themselves, but which, if unrecorded, will probably
in time be lost sight of. Finally, though it is almost needless for
me to add, the State Papers will be consulted on matters of history.
I shall not neglect the Somersetshire worthies, and shall briefly
notice old Somersetshire families.
C. R. B. BARRETT.
TowYN, Wandsworth, S.W.,
1894.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I.
Cadbury Castle, Lvtescary, and Somerton i
I'AGK
CHAPTER n.
Glastonbury and Meare 24
CHAPTER in.
Shepton Mallet, Frome, Norton St. Philip, etc 68
CHAPTER IV.
Witham-Friary, Bruton, and Stavordale .... .96
CHAPTER V.
Sandford Orcas, Trent, and Brympton D'Evercv 118
CHAPTER VI.
Montacute, Stoke-sub-Hamdon, and Martock ...... 149
CHAPTER VII.
Ilchester, Barrington, and Ilminster . . . . . . .188
VUl CONTENTS.
CHAPTER VIII.
PACE
Chard and Whitest aunton 208
CHAPTER IX.
Athelney and Borougheridge, Langport and Muchelney . . . 233
CHAPTER X.
Bridgwater and Sedgmoor 253
CHAPTER XI.
Taunton 278
CHAPTER XII.
COTHELSTONE, ClEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MiNEHEAD 299
CHAPTER XIII.
Wells 341
LIST OF ETCHINGS
1. Market Cross, Somerton To face fa<rc 21
2. Refectorj', Cleeve Abbey „ , 320
3. Dunster Castle Gate ,,,
4. Chain Gate, Wells , „ 354
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Cadbury Castle
King Arthur's Well
Manor House, Lytescary
Chapel, l.ytescary .
Heraldic Finials, Lytescary
Hall, Lytescary
Large Parlour, Lytescary
Large Upper Room, Lytescary
Heraldic Carving, Lytescary
Glastonbury Tor from Wiiral Hill
The Blood Spring, or Spring of the Chalice
St. Mary's Chapel, Glastonbury
Norman Well, Glastonbury
Crypt and Galilee, Glastonbury
St. Mary's Chapel and Galilee (exterior)
Fragment of Chancel Arch
Gatehouse, Glastonbury
Carving at Almonry, Glastonbury
Abbot's Kitchen (interior)
Detail of Kitchen Fireplace
Abbey Barn, Glastonbury
View from Glastonbury Tor
George Hotel, Glastonbury
Tribunal, Glastonbury
" Camel " Monument
Carving in Market Place, Glastonbury
PAGE
I
6
lO
12
13
14
15
16
17
24
25
35
41
42
43
44
46
47
48
49
5°
55
57
59
60
6i
Xll
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
Fish House, Meare
Fireplace, Meare .
Detail of Fireplace, Meare
Hall Window, Meare
Pierced Mullion, Meare .
East Window, Meare Church
Parapet, Meare Church .
Market Cross, Shepton Mallet
Ruined Hall, Valiis
Nunney Castle
Nunney Castle (interior)
Nunney Village
Merchant's Mark, Beckington
Beckington Castle .
George Inn, Norton St. Philip (front)
George Inn, Norton St. Philip (back)
Doorway, LuUington Church
Body Stone, LuUington .
Font, LuUington
School Tower, Bruton
Bruton Bow .
Window, Bruton School .
Carvings on Prior's House, Bruton
Hugh Sexey's Hospital, Bruton
Stavordale Priory (roof of chapel)
Corbel, Stavordale .
Corbel and Panel, Stavordale .
Heraldic Panel and Fan Tracery, Stavordale
Doubtful Merchant's Mark, Stavordale
Chancel Roof, Stavordale
Beam and Boss, Stavordale
Sandford Orcas Manor House (exterior)
The Hall, Sandford Orcas (interior)
Trent Spire
Panelled Room, Trent .
Hiding-place, Trent
Chantry House, Trent
Castle Inn, Yeovil .
63
64
65
65
65
65
67
68
78
79
81
85
86
87
90
9'
94
95
95
97
104
no
HI
112
"3
114
114
"5
115
116
117
118
IZI
122
128
129
133
134
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
XllI
George Inn, Yeovil ....
Chimney, Preston-Bermondsey
Chapel and Tombs, Brympton D'Evercy
Old Manor House and Church, Brympton
West Front, Brympton ....
South Front, Brympton ....
Montacute Priory .....
Montacute House, Entrance and Screen
Montacute House, Garden Front
Garden House or Gazebo, Montacute
Carving, Fleur-de-Lis Inn, Stoke-sub-Hamdon
Bell Turret, Beaucharap College, Stoke-sub-Hamdon
Entrance, Beauchamp College
Window, Stoke-sub-Hamdon Church
Tympanum, Stoke-sub-Hamdon Church
Fragment of Canopy, Stoke-sub-Hamdon Church
Piscina, Stoke-sub-Hamdon Church
Font, Stoke-sub-Hamdon Church .
Hall, Manor House, Martock
Bracket in Hall, Martock
E.xterior of Manor House, Martock
Head of the Ilchester Mace
Barrington Court ....
Plaster Fireplace, Barrington Court
Exterior of Manor Court House, Chard
Waterloo House, Chard .
Interior of Manor Court House, Chard
Interior of Chough Inn, Chard
Door-head, Weston Farm
Whitestaunton ....
Chapel of Cruild of St. Mary, Whitestaunton
Heraldic Tiles from Whitestaunton
Well of St. Agnes, Whitestaunton .
Roman Villa, Whitestaunton .
Langport Hanging Chapel
Obelisk at Athelney
Hill and Chapel Ruins, Boroughbridge
Carving from Chapel, Boroughbridge
i'AGE
143
147
157
160
163
174
177
178
180
180
181
181
182
184
186
201
208
211
214
220
222
223
224
229
230
233
235
236
■237
XIV
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
View from Hill, Boroughbridge
Slough Farm, Stoke St. Gregory-
Fragment of Tabernacle Work, Slough Farm
The Hanging Chapel, Langport
Langport Church Tower
Carving at Muchelney ....
Muchelney Abbey (south front)
Cloisters, Muchelney Abbey .
Abbot's Room, Muchelney Abbey .
Knocker, Old Vicarage, Muchelney
Bridgwater Port .....
Bridgwater Castle .....
Quaint Carvings, Bridgwater .
Manor House, West Bower
Ancient Glass, West Bower
Sedgmoor from Weston Zoyland
Weston Zoyland Church ....
Lepers' Hospital (St. Margaret's), Taunton
Municipal Buildings, Taunton
Taunton Castle .....
Ornate Window Fastening, Taunton Castle
Merchant's Mark in Window, Taunton Churcli
Almshouses, St. James's Street, Taunton
Priory Barn, Taunton ....
Entrance to Court 3, North Street .
Half-timbered Gables, Taunton
Pope's and Gray's Almshouses, Taunton .
Fragment of Embroidery from an Altar Cloth
Bench-ends, Bishop's Lydeard Church
Gatehouse, Cothelstone ....
Cothelstone Manor House
Gatehouse, Cleeve Abbey
Entrance to Chapter House, Cleeve Abbey
Belfry and Refectory Window, Cleeve Abbey
Back of Seat in Cloister, Cleeve Abbey .
Market Cross or Yarn Market, Dunster .
Porch of Luttrell Arms, Dunster
Carved Timber-built Wing, Luttrell Arms
I'AGE
240
243
244
249
249
251
252
254
256
261
267
268
269
272
278
281
281
282
289
290
290
291
292
294
298
299
307
308
317
318
319
3'9
324
325
325
LIST OK ILLUSTRATIONS.
XV
Distant View of Blue Anchor
Entrance to Monks' Choir, Dunster Church
Ten Encaustic Tiles from Dunster Church
Gate House, Dunster Castle (inner view)
Gate House, Dunster Castle (side view from garden)
Knocker of the Castle Gate
Minehead
Minehead Church .
Crown Yard, Wells
Bracket from Crown Yard
Pargework from Crown Yard
Market Place, Wells
Gatehouse, Bastion, and Moat, Wells Palace
Chapel and Hall Ruins, Wells Palace
Domestic Buildings, Wells Palace .
Rebus of Gunthorp, Deanery, Wells
Part of Garden Front of the Deanery, Wells
Hall and Gateway, Vicars' Close
Chapel, Vicars' Close ....
Dean's Gate, Wells ....
Arms and Rebus from the Vicars' Close .
326
329
330
332
333
333
339
340
341
342
342
343
344
347
35°
352
353
355
356
357
358
CHAPTER I.
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON.
Cadlurv Castle, a most remarkable, quadruple series of entrench-
ments, crowns the summit of a small detached hill about two miles
distant from the village of Sparkford. In shape the stronghold
V -ii
may be roughly described as a trapezoid, of which the east and
west sides are parallel, and of which the area is over eighteen
acres. The defensive works consist of four concentric ramparts
and trenches, to which must be added a pair of outer detached
SOMERSETSHIRE.
works upon the north, and a similar pair, though of less extent,
on the north-east side. Upon the south side there appear to be
the relics of some six scarped terraces, or "linches;" but these
in my opinion are in no way to be considered as a part of the
defensive works, having been originally formed for the purposes
of cultivation. Terrace gardens have been in use for ages, and
are still in use in all parts of the world, and the southern position
of those at Cadbury in itself seems to point to this conclusion.
I have spoken of Cadbury Castle as being on a detached hill,
and it may be well to remember that in all probability the place
was once an island, being then unfortified. Later, when the waters
receded, it became a solid spot amid a waste of swamp and morass,
and naturally a stronghold. Who the builders may have been
remains yet to be discovered. Authorities have erroneously
attributed to it a Roman origin, possibly because numerous coins
have there been found, plentifully long before the days of Leland
and at the present time not infrequently. But the very plan of
the camp precludes this supposition, as it lacks all the characteristics
of the Roman fortress. Mr. Warre stated that when investi<jatingf
the ramparts he observed masonry used in their construction, rude
and unmortared, but still indubitable walling. This was denied
by Mr. Dymond, and it remained for the late Rev. J. A. Bennett
by excavation to establish the fact that masonry had been employed.
Mr. Bennett says that on making a section at a low place he
reached the natural soil at thirteen feet, the upper part being earth
retained by rough stone walling of a few courses, and that there
were two level layers of small rough stones in the outer face.
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. 3
Mr. Bennett found the remains of common black pottery, bones,
and burnt stones at the top, while lower down the fragments of
pottery were fewer in number and coarser in quality, till at the
bottom there were hardly any fragments found. This proves that
the work of raising the rampart must have occupied a very con-
siderable time. It was not the work of one generation, but of
successive generations and under different conditions of civilization.
He eoes on to mention that " from the differences in the remains
at different levels this may have happened more than once."
The question of the entrances to the fortress has been much
under discussion. In the days of Leland there appear to have
been two, viz. the main entrance at the north-east corner, where
the northern rampart turns inward so as to flank it, and a second
at the south-west corner. A pathway on the northern side was
professedly discovered by Mr. Warre leading to a well, though
its existence is strenuously denied by Mr. Dymond. I am, how-
ever, bound to confess that there did appear to me to be some
indications of an irregularity in the ramparts upon that side in
the neighbourhood of the spring, but whether these were original
or of modern date I am not prepared to say, Mr. Warre was,
however, right in the matter of walling, and he may be also right
in the matter of the spring path. Mr. Dymond, in his able paper,
shows that there was in his opinion an older path at the south-
west corner quite close to the present entrance, and gives good
reason for his view that it was of undoubted antiquity, hazarding
the suggestion that it may have been the one in use at the time
of Leland.
4 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Within the ramparts the plateau rises from the east and north-
east towards the highest point, which is near the western side,
and from which the ground slopes rapidly away. The highest
ground, called by believers in the Roman theory the " Prsetorium,"
by others " King Arthur's Palace," shows traces of a straight
embankment which extends for about fifty yards, but broken
througrh in the middle. Between this embankment and the western
rampart are a few mounds. These are the only remains within
the camp indicative of habitation, and cannot be held in these
days to represent either the " work ditched round called King
Arthur's Palace," or the praetorium of Stukely. The suggestion
of Mr. Phelps that this knoll might have been occupied by a
watchtower or look-out is rational, and may, I think, be accepted.
I will now consider the ramparts themselves. Of varying
height in some places, the crown of the bank is nearly fifty feet
above the bottom of the ditch beneath ; here and there one meets
with the natural rock scarped away to perpendicularity. The
second and third ramparts and ditches are of less size than the
first, so that from the crown of the second rampart to the bottom
of the third ditch averages not more than the depth of the first
rampart and ditch. The fourth rampart has no ditch, and is very
high, a fact specially noticeable on the eastern side, where the
fortifications in their entirety are bolder and stronger than else-
where. My sketch was taken at the most available spot upon
this side, and I stood on the crown of the second rampart.
Of Cadbury the enthusiastic Leland writes : " Dii boni quot
hie prof2indisswiar7ivi fossarum ? qnot htc egestcB terrcs valla ? quce
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. 5
demum prcBcipitia ? atqjie 7it paucis finiam, videtur niihi quidem
esse et Artis et Nahirce miraadum." And the ramparts, high
now, but doubtless higher in his day, may well excite surprise.
Probably when in perfect condition, with ditches deeper and ram-
parts more lofty, each rampart being crowned with a stockaded
breastwork, the old fortress was well-nigh impregnable.
I have mentioned a spring, and within the ramparts there
are two, stated never to fail. One of these is about the middle
of the north side, between the third and fourth ramparts ; the
other is near the entrance at the north-east corner, close by the
present keeper's cottage, and in the middle ditch. Round these
springs not a little tradition yet clings ; but on this head I shall
speak hereafter. Here I was met with a difficulty, and a search
in maps has not quite made the matter clear to me. To the
spring on the north side I was directed, and it was called " The
Wishing Well ; " elsewhere I find it named " King Arthur's Well,"
while the cottage spring is known as " Queen Anne's Well."
One authority, however, reverses the nomenclature, calling the
cottage spring " King Arthur's Well," and in the other case
adding to the complication by styling it " Queen Anne's Wishing
Well." That King Arthur should have a traditional well here
can be accounted for ; but why should Queen Anne ? Which
Queen Anne, if any queen ? Surely this must be a corruption
for St. Anne, to whom so many springs are dedicated. I found
my well in a sad condition of decay, and fallen from its high
estate. The wall once surrounding it is broken down, the little
pond hard by which is fed by its waters is trampled by cattle.
SOMERSETSHIRE.
In these prosaic days cattle are turned in to graze at will in
the plantations, which well-nigh cover a large portion of the
ramparts, and which render the task of inspection a matter of
TK)I WHSMDMs r'^glLLo
no little difficulty. Trees and cattle on the one side, and rabbits
everywhere, are fast completing the ruin of Cadbury.
The legendary interest of Cadbury Castle, or Camelot, which
I may now be permitted to call it, is centred in the person and
exploits of the British chieftain, Arthur ; and it is strange to find
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON, 7
how many traditions still cling to the country-side. That they are
not the growth of comparatively recent years, or the outcome of a
disease similar to the " Alfred mania," which afflicted the county
in the last century, is abundantly proved. Leland, Camden, Stow,
Drayton, and others, all allude to a belief current in their times ;
while Shakespeare seems also to hint at Cadbury in King Lear.
Leland in the sixteenth century wrote a defence of the Arthurian
fables, which was "Englished" by R. Robinson, in 15S2, under
the title of "Ancient Order and Societie and Unitie Laudable of
Prince Arthur and his Knightly Armorie of the Round Table."
With regard to Camelot, he specifically mentions it in connec-
tion with Cadbury, speaking of a silver horseshoe found there
in hoininum memorid. To this day the tradition remains that,
on the night of the full moon, Arthur and his knights ride round
the camp with silver-shod horses, watering their steeds at the
well which I have sketched. On Christmas Eve the excursion
is varied by a trip to the spring near the neighbouring church of
Sutton Montis. But not only are these traditions current ; there
actually exists (though in a most fragmentary state, it is true) an
old-world track leading from the south-western entrance to the
camp in a northern direction towards Glastonbury, and known by
the name of " King Arthur's Hunting Causeway." Wild tales are
even now told of wild rides along this track when stormy winds
tear tiles from roofs and boughs from trees. Then it seems the
British hero follows the chase with his knights and his hounds,
and thunders along the narrow way. One more belief is current,
which it may be worth while mentioning, and that is that the hill
8 SOMERSETSHIRE.
is hollow. This, however, is, as far as I can ascertain, unconnected
with any Arthurian tradition, and rests solely upon a notion that
the fairies once possessed the hill, and stored their gold within its
hollowed halls. But the fairies have now abandoned Cadbury,
driven away, it is said, by the church bells ; and their gold yet
remains safely stored beneath the old fortress, never, let us hope,
to be discovered.
This is not the place to enter into a controversy as to the
claims of Cadbury to be the Arthurian Camelot, nor to discuss the
variants of the Arthurian legend. Still, I may be excused from
pointing out that the number of districts claiming to have been the
scene of the legendary exploits of the prince and his knights is
somewhat large. Wales, Somersetshire, Cornwall, Winchester, and
Brittany all compete for the honour; while Mr. Stuart Glennie, in
his able book, transfers it to Scotland. Coming to documentary
mention of the real or fabulous prince, nearly all we possess that
is of historic value is to be found in the " Historia Britonum,"
which is ascribed to Nennius, and probably dates from the eighth
century. Arthur, if real, was born towards the close of the fifth
century, and probably in the south of England. A warrior, and
gifted with ability to command men, he succeeded to Ambrosius
Aurelianus, who had long waged a war of defence against the
Saxon invaders. Arthur was not the nephew of Ambrosius, nor
was he the son of Uther Pendragon. In such days the strong
man came to the front, was either elected to command, or assumed
the direction of affairs. Nennius distinctly states this fact, and
adds that Arthur was twelve times chosen as commander. From
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. 9
the same authority we learn the names of the twelve victories of
the British leader ; and, lastly, the fact of his death at the battle
of Camlan. This account, as given by Nennius, is the most trust-
worthy that we have, or can ever hope to have. Troubadour and
chronicler are responsible for the many additions to the meagre
story — additions, however, which are so beautiful that few would
be found to prefer a historic Arthur to the Arthur of legend
and romance.
Standing on the highest point of the camp then, I gaze
towards the north-west, where Glastonbury Tor stands sentinel
over the Avalon of old. Not easy is it to " restore " Camelot in
these days to its condition in the past. In the foreground the
old stronghold, now deprived of its stockades and half lost in
trees, is deserted by man, and daily going more and more to decay.
Beyond, instead of wild and, in the main, pathless forest or marsh,
here and there only crossed by some ancient British tracks and a
couple of Roman roads, we have sixteen miles of country fair to
see. On the left hand is the high ground where Somerton lies
and the eastern spur of the Polden Hills. Finally, beyond these
projects the lofty Tor at Avalon, backed in the distance by the
Mendips. The view from Cadbury may not be the finest in the
county, nay, is not, but it is assuredly well worth consideration,
specially when the traditions of the district are taken into account.
Quitting the camp by the south-western entrance, and descend-
ing the hill, I make my way towards Sparkford. Thanks to the
directions given me, I managed after some little difficulty to hit on
a short piece of "Arthur's Hunting Causeway," which debouches
c
10
SOMERSETSHIRE.
on to the road close by a cottage, to which the only clue is that it
possesses a water-butt nearly the whole of which is built into the
wall. The large-scale Ordnance map, however, clearly marks the
spot. This track is very narrow, bushes nearly meeting across it,
but it was a satisfaction to have identified the traditional pathway.
The villages clustered around the base of Cadbury present no
particular points of interest ; and, having in view a visit to Lytescary
on my way to Avalon, I did not tarry for the purpose of exploration.
!^ 'I' ^^ ^l
f=-i^iiif ' " 111 t
Sparkford itself is uninteresting, nor indeed does the road call for
any comment, except that, at one point, I crossed the old Roman
Fosse Way. Here I may mention that a few days later, and but
a short distance to the N.N.E., I again crossed the Fosse Way, or
what I believe to be the Fosse Way, and found the pavement
distinctly visible. Quite close to this old Roman Road stands the
small though charming manor house known as Lytescary — in old
days the home of the Lyte family of that ilk. By the occupier I
was most kindly received, and my warmest thanks are due to him
I
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. I I
for the facilities which he placed in my way to aid me in my
investigations.
Lytescary Manor House is a composite structure of several dates,
the oldest portion being the chapel, which is ascertained to have
been built in 1340. The present condition of the chapel will be
seen from my sketch, the seats and screen having been torn down,
the piscina ruined, the painted glass, if any, removed elsewhere or
broken, and the coat-armour painted on the walls allowed to decay.
Be it understood, however, that the present owner has done all in
his power to arrest further mischief and to keep the place from any
further damage. The windows, square-headed at the sides and
pointed at the east end (in reality the north-east), are worthy of
notice, specially in the case of the end window, where the tracery
is of a very good type.
Throughout the chapel there is a lack of uniformity in detail,
specially noticeable in the presence or absence of mouldings, and
in the widths and construction of the buttresses. I have been
informed that originally this was a detached building with a window
at both ends ; but that during the fifteenth century, through an
extension in the house, it became joined to the dwelling. By tradition,
and tradition apparently founded upon good grounds, the jDresent
chapel did but replace an earlier thirteenth-century building. To
a Thomas Lyte, in 1 631, is due a certain reparation and decoration
of the fabric. He it was who set up the two tablets, one on either
side of the sanctuary, and also caused the strange collection of coat-
armour to be most unheraldically blazoned on the cornice, adding
amongst other things the quaint and inexplicable devices of which
12
SOMERSETSHIRE,
the faded relics are yet visible on the window-jambs. One fact
more with regard to the chapel needs to be noted, viz. that origin-
ally the floor within and the ground outside were both on a
different level than at present.
The entrance to the house is by means of a porch, above
which is a small room with a projecting window and a gable
surmounted by a heraldic finial. This finial consists of the Lyte
Swan supporting a shield bearing the Lyte arms. On my sketch
another gable will be noticed similarly topped ; in this case, how-
ever, the arms are those of Horsey, and the supporter now by no
CADBURY CASTLE, LVTESCARY, AND SOMERTON.
13
[flMMflCILiS
means resembles the dragon it is stated to be. The porch, when
the manor house was perfect, opened directly into the hall, and a
beautiful little hall this must have been. I have
sketched one corner which shows a part of the fire-
place and the interior of the oriel. The roof is of
a type often to be found in Somersetshire manor
houses, and dates from the fifteenth century, but it
is of a more ornate character than most, the wind
braces as they are called being not only cusped but
pierced. A cornice of pierced quatrefoil tracery runs
between each of the principal rafters, being ended in
every case by a pinnacle ; while each main rafter
terminates in a half-winged figure bearing the Lyte
shield. Unfortunately the screen has vanished, to be replaced, alas,
by a modern wall. I think that the panelled arch communicating
with the oriel, the oriel itself, and a similar arch opposite to it,
leading to a circular stone stair, are evidently additions, and should
assign to them a sixteenth-century date, possibly when the Horsey
marriage took place and many building operations were undertaken.
Moreover, too, the Horsey finial above the oriel, evidently original,
corroborates my view.
I now come to the oriel itself, and here meet with a somewhat
uncommon arrangement. This oriel, of which the windows are now
walled up, communicates with a chamber at the west end of the
chapel, a chamber merely formed by partitioning off some eight feet
of a large room with oak panels. The exact use of this little room,
which was furnished with a window, is not quite apparent. I have
14
SOMERSETSHIRE.
been informed that other examples exist elsewhere, but must confess
that I have never met with them. It has been suggested that this
room was a sort of " family pew," but I have considerable doubts on
the subject. That, however, the oriel room or recess was used for
purposes of observation, as regards the chapel, seems reasonable ;
for I found a curious little spy-hole or loop upon its south side,
which had evidently never been glazed, and by means of which
the chapel door was completely commanded.
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARV, AND SOMERTON.
15
I now come to the "great parlour," as it is called, and I give
a sketch of it. This has been a very fine room, and, though now
in a dilapidated condition, presents a very picturesque appearance.
The panels which run round its walls are in a fair state of pre-
servation, though the carved oak Jacobean mantel has suffered
somewhat severely. The fireplace, of which the original stone
arch is now uncovered, appears to have been blocked up with a
semi-circular stone backing, at the time when the walls were lined
with panel, and the pilastered oak mantel placed in position. The
window of this room has its stone arch panelled in a manner pre-
cisely similar to that in the room above it ; and, as I sketched the
window in the upper chamber, I omitted the lower. By means of a
projecting stone circular stair the upper floor is reached, and the
staircase itself is worthy of careful study, particularly in the case
of its windows. Here one is to be found with a cusped head,
t6
SOMERSETSHIRE.
and this is the only example of a single cusped-headed window In
any part of the dwelling-house. By means of a small quatrefoil
opening at the end of the landing it is possible to look down into
the hall beneath.
The large upper room, to which I have already alluded, is
even more interesting than the "great parlour" beneath it. Here
Hr
yj& ILflfl&g wnreR l^tteM tVTIiSCWf
we have sad evidences of decay, the Hoor in holes, the fine
heraldic stamped plaster ceiling in a decidedly unhealthy condition,
and hardly any of the oak panelling remaining. But there is
one of those interesting entrance screen-doorways cut out from the
area of the room and panelled with linen-pattern panels. I have
not infrequently met with examples of this kind of screen door,
some indeed in Somersetshire, but the most notable in my experi-
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. fj
ence is in the upper room of the Star Hotel in Yarmouth. My
sketch will give some notion of the coved ceiling- of this room.
Its decorations consist of moulded ribs in geometric patterns,
interspersed with the coat armour of Lyte and Horsey. At one
end of the room, on the wall, is a solitary horse's head, of different
size from any in the coat armour ; one cannot but wonder where
this came from.
In the sketch of the exterior of the manor house the main
features of interest have been included, and I have noticed all
except the projecting bay window which lights the two large
rooms last described. This bay bears on
its central band the coat armour here
sketched and the reversed date 1533. The
initials are I. E., standing for John (Lyte)
and Edith (Horsey). The decorated
parapet gives some mterestmg badges and
rebuses, in all, eight. A billet charged with a human head in
profile for Fauntleroy ; the Wadham crest (a rose between two
branches) ; a billet, with the initials E. L. for Edith Lyte, who is
also represented in the next quatrefoil by a shield charged with
a horse's head. The initials of John Lyte then occur on a billet to
be followed by a swan charged on a shield. Finally, the Stourton
badge, a sledge, and the rebus of the same familj^, S, and a tun
complete this interesting series.
The family of Lyte, or, as it then was written, Le Lyt,
appears by documentary evidence to have been settled in the
next manor to Lytescary as long ago as 1255-56. A certain
D
1 8 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Peter le Lyt, during the earlier years of the fourteenth century,
was the founder of the house of Lytescary, and the property
remained in the possession of the family until the year 1755.
Brief mention ought here to be made of Henry Lyte, the
botanist and antiquary, who was born about 1529 and died in
1607. He was the second son of John Lyte and Edith Horsey.
The list of his books is a long one, and includes " The Light
of Britayne," a work a copy of which was presented to the
Queen by the author on November 24, 1588, when she was on
her way to the thanksgiving service at St. Paul's. The second
son of Henry Lyte, by name Thomas, was chiefly celebrated as a
genealogist, and found favour with good old Camden as a student
of history and antiquities. Another descendant of Henry Lyte,
who lived from 1793 to 1847, was well known as a writer of
hymns, and some of those most familiar to us were the work of
his pen. The present representative of the family is Mr. H.
Maxwell Lyte, C.B.
Two most remarkable pedigrees of the Lyte family are in
existence, both compiled by Thomas Lyte, the genealogist. The
first is headed, "A collection of myne Ancestors from the 14'^
of King Edward the first even to our tyme, with their wives and
several issues," etc. The second shows the descendants of what-
ever surname of John and Edith Lyte, the grandparents of the
compiler, and goes as far as " cosen germans thrice removed."
There appear to have been as many as 835 direct descendants
at that time of John and Edith, besides their respective hus-
bands and wives. A most interesting feature in this pedigree is
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARV, AND SOMERTON. 1 9
that it is illustrated by ten portraits beautifully executed in pen
and ink.
I must here express my obligations to Mr. Maxwell Lyte for
much information derived from his paper on the Lytes of Lytescary.
He also was so kind as to give me permission to make drawings
of the now recovered heraldic glass which formerly filled the hall
windows in the manor house. Unfortunately I was unable to
avail myself of the privilege, but those curious in such matters will
find, in vol. xxxviii. of the " Proceedings of the Somersetshire
Archa-'ological and Natural History Society," a complete list of
these shields as well as the coats painted on the chapel walls.
I here merely give the blazon of the arms of Lyte and Horsey.
Lyte. — Gules, a chevron between three swans argent.
Horsey. — Azure, three horses' heads couped or, bridled argent.
Proceeding on my way to Somerton, I passed through
Charlton Makrell, in the church and churchyard of which lie the
bones of many of the former dwellers at Lytescary, and it is
interesting to note that the now sadly decayed tablet on the north
side of the chapel at the manor house is a rude copy of the slab
of William le Lyt which still exists in the churchyard of Charlton
Makrell. The tomb in the churchyard originally stood in the
north aisle of the church, but was ruthlessly turned out at a
restoration some years ago. William le Lyt was a Sergeant -at-
Law in the time of Edward L The copy of the slab now in
the chapel was erected by Thomas Lyte in 1631.
To reach Somerton I was obliged to diverge slightly from
the direct road ; but the quaint old place so well deserves a
20 SOMERSETSHIRE.
visit that I felt bound so to do. No longer can Somerton claim
to be the capital of the county — a position which, according to
tradition, it formerly held. Gone is the ancient castle, not one
stone remaining thereof; gone, too, are the walls which, according
to one authority, once surrounded the place, a portion of which,
topfether with a round bastion tower, were standino- late in the
sixteenth century. With regard to the castle at Somerton, one
historic event at least is connected with its existence, viz. that it
was one of the places of confinement of the luckless King John
of France, who was removed thither from Hertford Castle. But
Somerton Castle was destroyed, its materials being used to
construct a gaol on its site — somewhere, by the way, in close
proximity to the present White Hart Inn. This brings me to
the chief inns of Somerton, two in number, and possessed of
fearful and wonderful signs, respectively representing a " White
Hart" and a "Red Lion." These signs would not be easily
matched for quaint eccentricity.
Somerton church, dedicated to St. Michael, is in its way a
fine building, though by mischance, on the occasion of my last
visit to the place, I was unable to obtain admission. It used
to have, and I believe still has, one of the most notable carved
roofs to its nave to be found in the county. Opinions differ as
to whether that at Martock excels that at Somerton or not.
Personally I prefer the noble roof at Martock ; but this is, as I
have said, merely a matter of opinion. From being unable to
obtain admission to the interior, I am not in the position to state
whether the eleventh^century female effigy is still to be seen, or
CADBURY CASTLE, LVTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. 2 I
whether the Overton brass yet remains. The effigy marked the
spot where one Edith, a well-born lady who had taken the vows,
was buried.
From a pictorial point of view the only sketchable material
in Somerton consists of the seventeenth-century market-cross, with
the town hall in the foreground, and the fine octagonal church
tower peeping up above the roofs on the other side of the square.
This is a subject of which I have ever been fond, and hence could
not resist the temptation of putting it on copper. Beyond this
there is nothing in this now far from prosperous little country town
which requires notice, unless indeed it be the Hext Almshouses
some distance down the street in the directon of Langport. These
almshouses were built by a certain Sir Edward Hext, in 1625,
and bear upon their front his arms, initials, and a brief inscription,
" He hath dispersed abroad and given to the poor, his benevolence
remaineth for ever." Behind these almshouses is an old well,
known as the " Ringer's Well," a name the origin of which seems
somewhat obscure.
During the time of the Great Rebellion Somerton suffered
not a little from the constant coming and going of detachments of
the rebel army. It happened to be the head-quarters of the Com-
missioners for raising militia ; at least, documentary evidence
points in this direction. This militia and the assessment made
for its support was a grievous burden on the inhabitants. On
one occasion William Strode, of Street (though himself a Republi-
can), ventured to object to the impost at a meeting of the Com-
missioners. An ultra-Parliamentarian, Colonel Richard Bovett,
22 SOMERSETSHIRE.
of Taunton, who was present, forthwith ordered his arrest on
a charge of high treason. Strode seems to have been lodged
in gaol for some time, and to have suffered no little inconveni-
ence and loss thereby. He, however, petitioned the Council for
his release, and with success, for we read that Colonel Bovett
received a most stinging reprimand from head-quarters. Bovett,
however, was a man who had deserved well of his party,
having in 1659-60 raised a band of militia amounting to 175 in
number, and paying them himself for some months. To raise
the needful funds he appears to have been compelled to borrow
money, and was for a time in great distress. Previously he had
raised an entire regiment, which mustered a thousand men on
parade. But at the time of his high-handed action against Strode
the political outlook was changed. The Restoration was immi-
nent, or rather was practically an accomplished fact. Hence the
zealous Bovett was sharply snybbed, being ordered to at once
release Strode, next to disband his militia, storing their arms in
Taunton Castle for safety, and finally, this being concluded, to
forthwith betake himself to Whitehall to be at the disposal of the
Government.
I do not in this place touch upon the Stawel family, pre-
ferring to wait until I reach Cothelstone Manor House and narrate
the incidents of its famous siege.
From Somerton I made my way towards Glastonbury, passing
the village of Compton on the left and then ascending the ridge
of the Polden Hills, not far from the spot occupied by Sir
Alexander Hood's monument — one of the many monuments which
CADBURY CASTLE, LYTESCARY, AND SOMERTON. 23
have been erected in comparatively recent times in various places
in the county. From this point my road was plain and easy.
Below me lay the flat country which is spread out between
the Polden Hills and legendary Avalon, broken only by the
village of Street. Wirrall Hill and Glastonbury Tor lay in my
front, with the smoke of the little town curling up amid the trees
which seem from the distance to compass it. Not a vestige of
the abbey ruins was to be discerned ; but the towers of the two
churches, St. Benedict's and St. John's, were even yet to be
seen in the quickly gathering twilight. My first journey was at
an end, and I had made my pilgrimage, by devious ways, it is
true, but still I had compassed the tramp from Camelot to
Avalon,
CHAPTER II.
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
According to the ancient chroniclers, the first religious building
at Glastonbury was erected a.d. 63, by certain missionaries (twelve
in number) sent to Britain by St. Philip. Among these missionaries,
and indeed their chief, was Joseph of Marmore, commonly called
' TKeiw^wfa^^ mub-ii..
Joseph of Arimathea, who, according to legend, landed with his
travel-worn companions at Wirrall Hill. Joseph carried with him,
it is stated, the chalice, known as the Holy Grail, and subsequently
buried it at a spot near the Tor Hill, whence to this day issues
the fountain known as the Blood Spring, or Spring of the Chalice.
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
25
It appears that the pagans in the district, though unwilHng
to receive Christianity as a creed, were yet sufficiently hospitable
to permit the missionaries to settle in the land. Hence it was
that the party took up its quarters on the Isle of Avalon, and
proceeded to erect a small wattle chapel there. Later it is stated
that two pagan kings, having become converted, bestowed on each
missionary a portion of land. Warned in a vision, a vision common
to all of them, to dedicate their chapel to the Blessed Virgin, it
is needless to add that such a dedication is duly recorded. But
the recluses on their island had seemingly made no provision
for the continuity of their society, or perhaps could not succeed
26 SOMERSETSHIRE.
in making suitable converts, hence, in the natural course of things,
upon the death of the last of them the settlement came to an end.
The chapel of the Virgin thus left desolate became " a solitude
and a resort for wild beasts." Matters remained in this state
until the year i66, when, according to tradition, Eleutherius, the
then Pope, at the request of Lucius, King of the Britons, sent
two saintly missionaries, by name Phaganus and Deruvianus, to
instruct and baptize his people.
Lucius, however, is but a legendary hero, whose existence
was not invented until three or four centuries after his supposed
death. The story of his letter to the Pope originated in the
fifth or sixth century, and is to be found in the " Catalogus
Pontificum Romanorum," dated 530. The original " Catalogus,"
written circa 353, makes no mention thereof. Bede and Nennius
allude to Lucius, the latter identifying him with a certain south
Welsh chieftain. To Geoffrey of Monmouth we are indebted
for the expanded form of this myth. The most remarkable feature
of the story is that by the fourteenth century a letter, purporting
to be the letter from Lucius to Eleutherius, had been forged,
and subsequently two coins made their appearance, one being of
gold and the other of silver, which professed to be the productions
of the mint of the mythical hero.
Phaganus and Deruvianus, in the course of their wanderings,
at length reached the Isle of Avalon, where they found the
miraculously preserved wattle chapel of the Virgin, though the
worthy men knew not to whom the sacred edifice might be
dedicated. This was revealed to them by the usual vision, and
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 27
they pursued their labours in peace for a space of nine years.
Being successful in making converts, and mindful of the need
for continuity, they selected twelve successors, who in due course
took up their residence on the spot as anchorites. In this manner
the little religious colony continued for some three hundred years,
when it was visited by the Irish apostle, St. Patrick. A fresh
oratory was then added, this time built of stone, and dedicated
to SS. Peter and Paul, and the wattle church, the " vetusta
ecclesia" of St. Mary, was repaired. As time went on the sanctity
of the place increased in reputation, settlers came from various
parts, Avalon was known as a fitting retreat for holy and pious
men, and the spot was esteemed of such holiness that frequent
pilgrimages were undertaken to the shrine. Histories of the
abbey state that Gildas (Badonicus), the historian of Britain, made
it his home, writing there his history, and on his death being
buried within the wattle church. This is an error. Gildas
(Badonicus) the historian crossed over to Brittany in his thirtieth
year, and commenced to write his book at the age of forty-three,
at the monastery which he founded at Ruys, near Vannes. It
is to Caradog that we owe the connection of the story of Gildas
the historian vi^ith Glastonbury. In all probability Caradog mistook
Gildas Badonicus for Gildas Albanius, a totally different person,
and in no way to be confounded with the historian and saint.
But St. Patrick did more than build a new chapel and restore
the old one ; he taught the anchorites the rules of conventual
life, formed them into a religious house, and himself became their
first abbot. As abbot he lived there for thirty-nine years, dying
28 SOMERSETSHIRE.
in 472, aged in. He was buried in the " vetusta ecclesia," on
the south side of the altar.
The next man of repute connected with Glastonbury was
St. David, or Dewi, the patron saint of Wales and Bishop of
Menevia, of whom it need only be said that by tradition he much
augmented the Glastonbury foundation, adding thereto another
church. The life of St. David is so involved, owing to the con-
tradictory legends related of him, that any attempt here to
disentangle the story would be hopeless, and I shall merely allude
hereafter to the jewelled " superaltare," known as " the sapphire of
Glastonbury," which, according to William of Malmesbury, came
down from heaven and was presented by the saint to the abbey.
Nearly a century later St. Paulinus, Archbishop of York, and
afterwards Bishop of Rochester, is stated to have entirely covered
in the wattle church with boards and lead, in order both to beautify
and to preserve it.
According to William of Malmesbury it is to Ine, the famed
king of the West Saxons, that the first church built to the eastward
of the "vetusta ecclesia" is due, and it seems probable that he
was at any rate a benefactor of the monastery. At this time
there would appear to have been a cluster of basilicas or small
churches surrounding the original wattle church. Malmesbury
o-ives a list of them and of their founders.
For a space of a century and a half Glastonbury flourished,
until the success of the Danish invaders brought evil days upon
it, and its desolation became almost as complete as at the time
when the first colonists had died out.
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 29
It should perhaps here be mentioned that the sojourn of
Aelfred at Athelney is by Simeon of Durham transferred to
Glastonbury, and is stated to have lasted for a space of three
years. In this statement there may be truth ; but it is quite
possible that Glastonbury in the west, being the best known place
in those parts, was adopted in consequence by Simeon as the
retreat of the Saxon king.
I now reach a most important period in the history of the
Abbey, viz. the times of St. Dunstan. St. Dunstan, born in 924,
was the son of Heorstan, a West-Saxon noble whose lands lay near
Glastonbury. His mother's name was Cynethryth. In childhood
the future saint and Archbishop of Canterbury was sent to Glaston-
bury to be educated. At the abbey monastic life was at that time
extinct, secular clerks taking the place of monks. There were,
however, certain Irish scholars who inhabited the spot, and instructed
such children as were intrusted to their care. The " vestuta ecclesia "
was still in existence, and also the Church of SS. Peter and Paul.
While quite young Dunstan received the tonsure, and served in the
wattle church of St. Mary. Shortly afterwards he was sent to the
court of Aethelstan, where, owing to the favour with which he was
received, the jealousy of the other noble youths attached to the
household was aroused. Young Dunstan was a nervous, morbid
boy, a dreamer of dreams and, moreover, a somnambulist. A story
of his perambulating the abbey roof while asleep is extant. Devoted
to reading, to the exclusion of manly sports, he was accused by
his comrades of studying incantations and other heathen arts.
The charge was believed, and Dunstan was banished from court.
30 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Wandering forth, he knew not whither, the poor lad was set upon
in a lonely place by his former comrades, seized, bound hand and
foot, and thrust into a morass. Escaping, Dunstan took refuge
with his kinsman, Bishop Aelfheah, at Winchester, where many
inducements were offered him to become a monk. For a time
these overtures were rejected, but eventually, on recovery from a
severe illness, Dunstan made his profession. He next appears at
Glastonbury, where he has erroneously been supposed to have
established the Benedictine rule. Dunstan occupied his time there
in study of all kinds, not omitting music and art. His way of life,
however, was that of an anchorite, as he dwelt in a small cell
measuring five feet by two and a half. This cell was the scene
of his many visions, and, among others, of the well-known story
of the devil and the tongs. Histories of Dunstan make much
mention of his skill in the working of metals, the manufacture
of church furniture and ornaments, casting of bells, construction
of organs, and playing on the harp.
When Aethelstan was succeeded by his brother Eadmund,
Dunstan was recalled to court, but again, owing to the jealousy
of others, was banished. Restored to favour about 945, he was
taken by the king to Glastonbury, where he was forthwith installed
as abbot. Dunstan immediately set about reforming the house,
raising buildings so that the monks should live in community
beneath one roof. He also laid the foundation of a new church,
which was to supersede the old church of SS. Peter and Paul.
But, as I have said before, he did not establish the Benedictine
rule, this being in fact unknown in England at that date. Under
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 31
Dunstan the abbey became a famous school, in which he himself
was the chief teacher. The Abbot of Glastonbury now appears
as a statesman ; he was also the custodian of the greater part
of the royal treasures, deeds, and charters — being, in fact, the
treasurer of the kingdom, an office in those days somewhat similar
to that of chancellor.
In 953 Dunstan was offered the see of Crediton, but declined
it on the score of his youth. Perhaps he aimed at nothing less
than the archbishopric of Canterbury ; at any rate, the interpretation
of a vision which appeared to him shortly afterwards points to some
such conclusion. The powers of administration of Dunstan must
have been great, for, despite his manifold duties and responsibilities
at court : — he in fact, in conjunction with the queen-mother
Aedgifu, ruled the realm ; yet he never neglected the regulation
of his abbey. But at no time in his life was he a popular man ;
and record remains of a serious assault committed on him while
engaged in burying his own brother.
In 955 Eadred died, and the opponents of Dunstan obtained
the upper hand, so much so that the whole of his property was
confiscated. Outlawry followed, and the Abbot of Glastonbury
became for a time an exile in Flanders. Here he was kindly
received, and found a refuge at Ghent, where he studied the
discipline of the Benedictines. Dunstan returned to England in
957, being consecrated bishop immediately. Shortly after this he
succeeded to the bishopric of Worcester, and in 959 was made
Bishop of London, a diocese which he held together with that of
Worcester for the space of two years. Dunstan then was elected
32 SOMERSETSHIRE.
to the archbishopric of Canterbury, and shortly after journeyed to
Rome to receive the pall. On his return he acted as chief adviser
of the King Eadgar, whom, in conjunction with Oswald, Archbishop
of York, and all the other bishops of England, he crowned in state
at Bath, Whit-Sunday, 973. Under the government of Dunstan
the power of the archbishopric greatly increased, and it was in his
day that the ealdorman of Kent disappears. It should be noted
that on his return from Rome he resigned the bishoprics of London
and Worcester, and also the abbacy of Glastonbury.
In 975 Eadgar died, being buried at Glastonbury. Dunstan
and Oswald declared for his eldest son, Eadward (the Martyr).
Eadward was slain in ]\Iarch, 97S, and Aethelred (the Unready)
was crowned by the two archbishops at Kingston (Surrey) on
April 1 4. The last years of the archbishop, according to the Saxon
priest B., were passed in prayer, reading, and the practice of those
arts for which in his youth he was so celebrated. On Ascension
Day, May 17, 988, Dunstan was taken ill at Canterbury, and died
on the Saturday following. He was buried in the cathedral church.
Of the dispute which occurred with regard to the possession of
the body of the archbishop I shall speak hereafter.
It is curious to note that there is in the Bodleian Library at
Oxford a book which almost certainly belonged to this celebrated
old Churchman. The book consists of a large part of the " Liber
Euticis Grammatici de discernendis Conjugationibus," some extracts
from the Scriptures in Greek and Latin, and certain miscellaneous
contents, among which there are some of the earliest written speci-
mens of Welsh. On the first page is a picture of the Saviour, with
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 33
a monk kneeling before him, and on a scroll issuing from the mouth
of the latter the lines —
" Dunstanum memet clemens rogo, Christe, tuere ;
Tenarias me non sinas sorbsisse procellas."
Leland in the sixteenth century, before the spoliation, was shown
this very book by the last abbot, Richard Whiting, at Glastonbury
(" Diet. Nat. Biog.," article on " Dunstan," by the Rev. William
Hunt).
When it was that the abbey of Glastonbury became abso-
lutely a Benedictine house does not clearly appear, but it certainly
was under that rule prior to the Norman Conquest. The first
Norman abbot was named Turstinus, and he was installed in
the year 1082. Turstinus commenced to build a new Norman
church, but dying before its completion, the walls were pulled
down, it is said, by his successor, Herlewin (otherwise Ethelmaer,
Elmer, or Aelmer). The only authority for this is, I believe, John
of Glastonbury, and I am inclined to reject the story entirely.
The next abbot was named Sigfrid, who reigned for six years, to
be followed in 1 126 by the celebrated Henry of Blois.
Henry of Blois was the fourth son of Stephen, Count of Blois,
and Adela, the daughter of William I. He appears to have been
educated at the monastery of Clugny, from which he was invited
by his uncle, Henry I., in 11 26, to become Abbot of Glastonbury.
Three years later, while still very young, he was elected Bishop
of Winchester, but received permission from both the king and
the pope to retain his abbacy, and did so till the day of his death,
in 1 171. As an abbot of Glastonbury, Henry of Blois was a
E
34 . SOMERSETSHIRE.
success. He maintained discipline, increased the power of the
house, and succeeded in recovering certain estates which had been
alienated. Nor was this all ; he added largely to the domestic
buildings, erecting a castle, gateway, cloister, and refectory, as
well as completing the new church by the addition of a bell tower.
Into the political life of Henry of Blois I need not here enter.
He died on August 8, 1171, having on his death-bed severely
rebuked Henry H. for the murder of Becket. Henry of Blois
was buried at Winchester, in front of the high altar.
Besides the memory of his works at Glastonbury and his
benefaction to Taunton, the noble old foundation of St. Cross at
Winchester remains to this day, a living testimony to this grand
old Churchman. According to the account given by Adam de
Domerham, Henry of Blois also built at Glastonbury the chapter-
house, dormitory, infirmary, and its chapel, besides a large
brewhouse and stables. It was during the reign of Abbot Henry
that the precious " superaltare " of sapphire, traditionally presented
to the abbey by St. David, and long hidden in a secret recess,
was recovered. The abbot caused this valuable treasure to be
decorated with silver and gold, and it remained in the possession
of the abbey till the Spoliation, when it was delivered up to
Henry VIII. Henry of Blois was succeeded by Abbot Robert,
on whose death the abbacy was not filled up for some time, till
at length Henry II. appointed his camerarius, a Clugniac monk,
named Peter de Marci, to the post.
And now a dreadful disaster occurred. On St. Urban's day,
May 25, 1 184, a fire consumed the whole monastery except
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
35
one small chamber, a chapel, and the bell tower of Henry of
Blois. Both the churches were destroyed ; plate, furniture, relics,
and tombs were lost for ever. Henry H., however, came to the
rescue, and decreed that, " God willing," the abbey should be
magnificently completed by either himself or his heirs. To his
camerarius, the son of King Stephen, by name Radulphus, he
committed the direction of the operations. Under the supervision
of Radulphus the first work undertaken was a new church of
St. Mary, which occupied the exact site of the " vetusta ecclesia,"
the wattle church of the earliest missionaries. The ruins of this
wonderfully beautiful building remain to this day, and comprise
the western half of the building, now vulgarly and wrongly styled
St. Joseph's Chapel. Sufficient documentary evidence remains to
assicrn the date of this grand edifice as circiter 1186.
36 SOMERSETSHIRE.
The next work of Radulphus was to superintend the founda-
tion of a new " major ecclesia," which, like its predecessors, was
situated to the east of St. Mary's Chapel. This new church
was four hundred feet in length and eighty feet in breadth.
Unfortunately, before the building was completed, the king died.
His successor, Richard I., caring little for church building in
comparison with war, stopped the supplies from the royal treasury
which had hitherto enabled the workmen to proceed. Now, at
the date of the fire, the abbot was Henry de Soliaco, nephew
of Henry H., and it would have been only reasonable to suppose
that, out of deference to his uncle's evident desire to aid the
monks in the reconstruction of the abbey church and the domestic
buildings, the abbot would have proved to be an enthusiastic
worker. This, however, was not the case, and I read that "he
lent not his hand to the work of rebuilding, but quarrelled with
the convent." Preachers were therefore sent out in all directions
to solicit contributions. With the building of the new chapel
and the new church an important question arose. Times had
changed and customs had altered. The fashion of the day was
to exhume the bones of saints from their graves, and to enclose
them in splendid shrines, there to be adored by the faithful, and,
under favourable circumstances, to attract crowds of worshippers
by miraculous cures and manifestations.
In the fire, as we read, the relics had perished, and hence
the sanctity of Glastonbury was in danger of considerable deprecia-
tion. To avoid such a misfortune recourse was had to the graves
beneath the floor or pavement of St. Mary's Chapel, the venerated
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 37
"vetusta ecclesia." The graves within the church, according to
testimony, were rifled, and the bones of St. Patrick, St. Idractus,
and others were exhumed and enclosed in gorgeous shrines. And
now it was that the relics of St. Dunstan, for ages believed to
have been buried at Canterbury, were produced at Glastonbury.
The story of the monks, told to account for this new departure,
was as follows. They asserted that after the Danes had sacked
Canterbury, and the church there was desolate, a deputation was
despatched from Avalon to obtain [i.e. steal) the body of their
once-famous abbot. The theft was (they said) successfully accom-
plished in IOI2, and the bones of the archbishop were joyfully
received at Glastonbury. Fearing, however, a day of reckoning,
it was considered prudent to keep the place secret where the
relics were deposited. Two monks were commissioned to bury
the venerated casket which held the bones, and only to reveal
the secret when they themselves were at the point of death.
The so-called secret was kept for one hundred and seventy-two
years, until the time when the exhumation was determined on.
Then, however, it was discovered to be no secret at all. The
whole convent, by tradition, knew of the existence of the relics,
or professed to. Many of the monks, in addition, were informed
of the place of their concealment, and duly pointed it out. This
is not to be wondered at, seeing that nearly a century before
letters had been received from Canterbury, written owing to the
boasts of certain Glastonbury monks that the abbey possessed
the cherished relics of the venerated saint. In these letters the
monks were roundly accused of dishonesty by Eadmer, who declared
38 SOMERSETSHIRE.
that tVieir pretension to the possession of the reHcs was a distinct
fraud. Neither side would give way when the bones were pubHcly
exhibited. The men of Canterbury declared the Glastonbury relics
to be spurious ; the Glastonbury monks, on the other hand, affirmed
their genuine character, enclosed them in a shrine, which also
contained the arm and forearm of St. Oswald, king and martyr,
and, removing the whole to the new great church, pointed triumph-
antly to the many miracles wrought on the worshippers thereat.
So the matter rested until 1508, when the grave of St. Dunstan at
Canterbury was formally opened and investigated, with the result
that, as far as evidence went, no previous opening thereof had
ever taken place. The Glastonbury shrine was manifestly a fraud ;
but in those days it really mattered little, both sides had their
partisans, and both shrines worked miraculous cures, etc.
Naturally the then abbot of Glastonbury, Richard Bere, took
up the matter strongly, and sent a rejoinder to the archbishop.
Richard Bere was installed as abbot in 1493, and is celebrated as
a great builder. He erected the greater part of the chapel of
King Edgar at the east end of the nave of the abbey church,
and by means of inverted arches, similar to those at Wells, saved
the vault of the abbey steeple from destruction. To the domestic
buildings he added a suite of chambers, where he entertained
Henry VH. in 1497 — chambers afterwards known as the " King's
Lodging." Besides these, he erected new lodgings for secular priests.
In the town of Glastonbury he founded almshouses for ten poor
women. St. Benedict's Church was also indebted to the worthy
abbot, and still bears his initials surmounted by a mitre. On the
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 39
Leper's Hospital at Monkton, near Taunton, the same carved
badge is apparent, but the R. B. on the tower of St. Mary's at
Taunton stands, not for Richard Bere, but for Reginald Bray.
Hard by Glastonbury, at Sharpham, is a manor house built by
the abbot Bere, and subsequently the scene of the arrest of the
last abbot, Richard Whiting. Sharpham had, in later times, another
cause for celebrity. It was the birthplace of Richard Fielding
the novelist.
In 1503 Bere was sent to Rome to congratulate Pius III. on
his election to the papacy, but arrived there only to find the new
pope dead. On his return he added two more chapels to his
abbey church ; viz. those of our Lady of Loretto, and the Holy
Sepulchre. The dispute with Canterbury now occupied his
attention, but remained unsettled at the time of his death, which
took place January 20, 1524. The spoliation of the monasteries,
a few years later, rendered the further investigation of the genuine-
ness of the relics unneedful. Bere seems to have been a scholar
of no little merit. He had a great love of learning, and showed
considerable liberality to scholars, a fact which is emphasized by
Erasmus in a letter still in existence.
Glastonbury Abbey had now obtained a store of relics of
saints, but desired relics of heroes or at least of a hero. To this
end the Arthurian legend was drawn upon, and after due search
the bodies of the British chief and his wife, the faulty Guinevere
or Ginevra, were unearthed. The story of their supposed finding
is well known, and need not here be repeated ; suffice it to
say that the relics were removed in the first instance to the new
40 SOMERSETSHIRE.
great church, and placed in a chapel in the south aisle, through
which there was a passage to the almery. This took place in 1 191.
Later they were transferred to a black marble tomb, divided just
as the original coffin had been, and set in the middle of the
presbytery. Lastly, in 1276, when Edward L and his queen
visited the famous abbey, the tomb was opened for their inspection.
By the king's command its position was changed to before the
high altar, the supposed skulls of Arthur and Ginevra being kept
outside to serve as " objects of devotion for the people." Leland,
at the end of the fifteenth centurv, saw both the tomb and the
skulls.
Meanwhile the great church had been gradually increasing
in size and in magnificence. It had been dedicated early in the
fourteenth century, during the abbacy of Galfridus Fromond. The
next abbot, Walter de Tantonia, ruled only for eleven days after
his consecration, but he had erected the pidpitum with ten images,
the great Rood with the Crucifixion, Mary and John, during the
years that he was prior. To Walter de Tantonia succeeded
Adam de Sodbury, who vaulted nearly the whole of the nave,
and decorated it with painting. He also bestowed on the abbey
the great clock, a restored edition of which may yet be seen in
Wells Cathedral. The name of the maker of this curious time-
piece was, according to Leland, Peter Lightfoot. Besides these
gifts the abbot gave a wonderful pair of organs, furnished an
endowment for four extra priests for the Lady Chapel, and also
decorated the hieh altar with a tabernacle of most delicate and
elaborate workmanship. With the exception of the additions
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
41
of Abbot Bere, already mentioned, there is but little more to record
architecturally of Glastonbury, save that Abbot Walter Monington,
between 1341 and 1374, vaulted the choir and presbytery, length-
ening the latter by two arches.
This, then, is briefly the history of the building of the grand
old abbey of Glastonbury, but a few other points call for notice.
Firstly, the well in the Norman chapel of St. Mary claims attention.
This well, which is surmounted by a fine and elaborate Norman
'i;';=<'3 ^l^c.s
arch with extremely rich mouldings, was discovered in 1825. It
can be approached in two ways, viz. either from the level of the
chapel floor, or from the floor of the fifteenth-century crypt or
undercroft beneath. As the building (excepting the arch) which
covers this beautiful little well does not belong to the original
chapel, but is an addition, it is reasonable to suppose that at first
the well was outside the building, and that its probable use was
42
SOMERSETSHIRE.
to supply the needful water for church functions. There does not
appear to be any trace of miraculous powers being attributed to
it, and the story that it communicates with the "Blood Spring"
beneath the Tor lacks confirmation. Secondly, in the fifteenth
c^ift^Ti&NBWB^r.
century, as I have said, a crypt or undercroft was added to the
entire length, not only of the Norman chapel but also of the Early
English Galilee which united the chapel to the west end of the
church. This crypt is very remarkable, being built of Norman
GLASTONBURY AND MEAUE.
43
hewn stones, in, as it were, a Norman manner. Unfortunately
but little of it remains, merely one section, and this is, like the
rest of the abbey, in a most precarious condition. Beneath this
vaulting some of the original hexagonal tiles are still in position
on the floor. They are rough and unornamental, but differ from
any other specimens which I have met with in the county.
I must here touch upon the Early English building which unites
the beautiful Norman chapel with the west end of the church, the
flat arched opening of which I
have shown in one of my sketches.
I here give another small sketch,
which shows the exterior at the
point of junction, and includes one
of the original turrets of the
Norman chapel. That this exten-
sion was a Galilee I have myself
not the slightest doubt, and this,
to my mind, is the only satisfactory
solution of the difficulty which for
so long exercised the minds of
both architects and antiquaries. The presence of the remains of
steps, which extended across the entire east end of this building,
proves its intention. In a book of this kind it is impossible to
discuss at length the intricacies of the ornaments which the architects
of old lavished on the walls of this wonderful chapel and Galilee.
I would willingly have passed weeks in executing careful drawings
of details, but such drawings are already in existence, hence I
44
SOMERSETSHTRE.
merely confined myself to taking a few sketches illustrative of my
letterpress. But, as in duty bound, I here give all due acknow-
ledgment of my indebtedness to "The Architectural History of
Glastonbury Abbey," by the Rev. R. Willis, F.R.S., to which
i\)»4l>ivv^tt'
work I would refer all who may desire further and more detailed
information.
The relics of the great church are sadly scanty. Gone is the
nave with its twenty columns, gone the central tower with its
reversed side arches, save that the wreck of the choir arch stands up,
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 45
a marvel in size. Still, from the fragments that remain, many
beautiful details in toothed moulding can be gleaned. Though
deprived of its east window, portions of the south walls of the choir
are yet left to us, so that from either east or west end of the ruins
an idea can be had of the enormous length of this mighty church.
And here I must note that the chapel of St. Mary and its extension,
the Galilee, are not in a right line with the axis of the great
church — a curious fact which will be at once observed on the spot.
I now come to a question which I take to be of vital importance,
viz. the present condition of these ruins and the chances of at least
the western portion speedily losing many of its most interestinfr
features and beautiful details. On the spot I was informed that
" not a cartload of stones had fallen from these ruins during the last
twenty-seven years." I can only say, on the occasion of my first
visit this year, three large ones fell down to the floor of the crypt.
Other visitors who were in the ruins at the same time can testify tc
my accuracy on this point. Two days later more fell, one indeed
narrowly missing me. At this rate the "cartload" will soon be an
accomplished fact. Without a doubt two causes have combined to
bring about this dangerous condition of things, viz. the growth of
bushes, etc., on and up the walls, and the abnormal weather of the
present year. But will no persuasion induce the owner to remove
the bushes and ivy, and thus to at least minimize the risk of
destruction to so grand a relic of antiquity ? It will hardly be
credited that, though relics of mural paintings are still to be discerned
in the Norman chapel, yet not even a few sheets of glass have been
devoted to prevent their complete effacement in time. To protect
46
SOMERSETSHIRE.
the projecting carved ornaments, the lower sides of which appear
still to retain their gilding, would be difficult, nay, even impossible ;
but I most earnestly hope that something will be done, both in
regard to the removal of the growth of vegetation on the walls, and
for the protection of the mural paintings, to prevent the sad fate
which most assuredly awaits them. At the risk of being considered
meddlesome I have written these lines, but they are written from
conviction, and will, I trust, at least be duly considered.
Of the domestic buildings of
the abbey, beyond the fragment of
the almonry and the wonderful old
stone kitchen, there is nothing left.
So altered is the porter's lodge and
gateway (now known as the Red
Lion Inn), that it can hardly be
looked upon as an abbey relic.
Still it is picturesque enough, with
the large seventeenth-century crenel-
lated bay window and the little
badge-surmounted gateway in the
distance beyond the still-remaining arched opening. It is behind
the bay window that the large arch of the gateway is concealed,
its area being thus utilized as a room.
The remains of the almonry are small and very fragmentary,
consisting of a much overhanging broken arch and a small flight of
steps. But in one corner will be found the beautiful piece of carving
shown on the next page. It is a curious architectural freak, and
1 mSgV ®>J^^f £ H®l!^§B(K)
HLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
47
remaining-, as it unfortunately does, a single example, I am rather
at a loss to explain its exact intention. I now come to the grand
kitchen, which, by the way, never was
the " abbey kitchen," though vulgarly now
so called, being the private kitchen of the
abbot himself. Of this type of kitchen
there are but three in existence in this
country, and all of them differ very con-
siderably. One is, I believe, at Durham,
and is, I understand, a complete ruin. The
second is at Stanton-Harcourt, near Oxford,
and varies most considerably from that at
Glastonbury. At Stanton-Harcourt the
structure was erected prior to the reign of Henry IV., for at that
date it was repaired. The fireplaces there are merely low shallow
party-walls, which project from the wall on one side, the ovens beino-
constructed in the thickness of the wall opposite. Weather-boards,
which work on hinges, surround the upper part of the building, and
afford the only means of egress for the smoke. On the outside
there is a parapet approached by a tiny circular stair, the orio-inal
door of which yet remains. Above the pyramidal roof an heraldic
vane carved in wood is yet in existence, though rather the worse for
wear. Now, at Glastonbury, we have a square stone building, with
stone-vaulted roof and curious double stone lantern. In each corner
large fireplaces exist which have arches and, apparently, chimneys,
though the chimney stacks have vanished from the outside. Two
of these fireplaces have the relics of what was once no doubt a stone
48
SOMERSETSHIRE.
partition or screen, traces of moulding appearing on them. From
my sketches it will be seen that these are fragments only, and
unfortunately, owing to the original floor having been removed, it
is now impossible to obtain further traces of the screen. My
theory is that this screen, which was low in its openings, was erected
to divide the kitchen into two portions, one for absolute roasting, etc.,
the other for " dishing up " and preparing pastry. It must be
remembered that elaborate cookery would have needed an absence
of steam and blacks ; such a screen, as I take it, would have well
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
49
answered this purpose. One curious point is the excessive smallness
of the oven, and this can only be accounted for by the supposition
that there was elsewhere a separate bakehouse, the tiny oven
serving merely for special work. Built into the kitchen wall is
a bodystone, bearing the efifigy of one of the old abbots — a cruel
mockery to place the worthy man's presentment in such a place.
Still the memorial is in safety, which is at least something.
From the abbot's kitchen I make my way towards Wirrall
Hill, passing one of the old almshouses with its ancient gable end
on my right. Wirrall Hill, corrupted now into Weary-all-Hill,
was, as I have already mentioned, the scene of the legendary
landing of Joseph of Arimathea, and upon its summit he, by
tradition, planted his staff, which forthwith grew and flourished,
F
50
SOMERSETSHIRE.
becoming in later days the twin-trunked " Holy Thorn " of
Glastonbury. The story of the uprooting of this aged tree by
fanatics is well known, and need not be repeated. I cannot,
however, help asking why the site is now marked by a species
of oak ? From Wirrall Hill the view of Glastonbury Tor is very
fine, and I there took the sketch which stands at the beeinnine of
this chapter. Thence I wandered towards the steep ascent of the
Tor Hill, passing the old abbey barn, and tarrying to sketch its
picturesque buttresses and gables. The barn, which is cruciform,
is not of large size, and can hardly compete in interest with the
celebrated barn at Bradford-on-Avon. Still the presence of carved
statues and decorated panels upon its gables gives it a sure claim
to be sketched.
Not far from the barn is the Catholic Seminary, within whose
precincts is the once-famous " Blood Spring." With great courtesy
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 5 I
my application to sketch it was acceded to, and I here duly tender
my thanks to the authorities for their kindness. This is the
originally holy spring which after years of neglect during the last
century became again of repute as a healing fountain through
the instrumentality of one Matthew Chancellor. The waters,
without doubt, have medicinal properties, but failed to work the
marvellous cures pretended for them. Their credit soon vanished,
though for a brief time crowds of patients were attracted to the
spring.
I now climb the steep, smooth, grassy hill known as the
Tor, a hill upon the evidently artificially levelled summit of which
stands like a sentinel a solitary tower. This tower is the sole
relic of the chapel dedicated to St. Michael, which with monastic
and other buildings long ages ago covered the plateau. My sketch
at the beginning of this chapter shows the general appearance
of this hill, and a few words must needs be written as to the
terraces visible upon its side, seeing that they have been the
subject of not a little debate. Three theories have been pro-
pounded as to their origin. One, that the place in prehistoric
times was a fortified stronghold, and in connection with this view
some have held that the long earthwork known as " Ponters Ball "
formed a portion of the same scheme of defence. Another
theory is that these terraces, like those at Cadbury Castle, were
constructed for purposes of cultivation, and it may here be remarked
that the district round Avalon, like the district round Cadbury,
was in days of yore a vast morass. Round Avalon the moors
still exist, and the times when the place could only be approached
52 SOMERSETSHIRE.
by water are almost within the range of history. The third view
is that the lines on the hillside were the result of a landslip,
traditionally an earthquake.
Now, as far as can be ascertained, the history of this hill
is as follows. In the time of Henry I., before which date
there is no documentary record of the place, a charter was
granted for an annual fair, apnd Monasteriiim S. Michaclis
de Torre, and bearing date April i, 1127, the king being at
the time at Bordeaux. This points to some occupation of the
hill prior to that date, and it may be assumed that there was
then existing a religious house with a chapel on the summit, and
in all probability a small village as well. On September 11, 1274,
when John de Taunton was Abbot of Glastonbury, the little
church or chapel on the hill was destroyed by an earthquake,
at least so says John of Glastonbury. Geologists, however, affirm
that this earthquake was merely a landslip, and give good reasons
for their assertion. Within twenty years after this disaster efforts
were made to rebuild the chapel, though there is no mention of
rebuilding the monastery ; and apparently the work was soon after-
wards taken in hand. Documentary evidence remains of indul-
gences being promised to those who would assist in the meritorious
work of reconstruction. Of this rebuilding the tower is the sole
relic. Architecturally it is, in the main, assuredly fourteenth-century
work, though here and there additions of a rather later date are
to be observed. The quaint carvings on the western face are
well worth notice. One represents St. Michael weighing the
devil against a missal, a fiend hanging on to the scale to add to
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE. 53
the weight of his satanic majesty. I have said a missal, though
the ordinary description of this carved book is a Bible, and cannot
but fancy that my interpretation is more consonant with the methods
of those days. The other carving represents a cow being milked,
but the illusion intended to be conveyed thereby is hardly apparent.
Seven handsome niches adorn this face of the tower, all with one
exception being denuded of the statues which in past time they
contained. But apart from the interest that the architecture of
this desolate tower cannot fail to arouse, there are memories, and
sad ones, connected with the spot. Here, on November 15, 1539,
the aged and sickly Richard Whiting, the last abbot of Glastonbury,
in company with the treasurer of the abbey, John Thorne, and
Roger James, the sub-treasurer, was done to death. An unlooked-
for fulfilment of the old prophecy which put a term to the existence
of the abbey when a Whiting should swim on the Tor Hill.
Richard Whiting, or Whyting, was probably a Somersetshire
man. I incline to this supposition from the fact that his niece
married one of the Strodes of Somerton, and his sisters lived
and died in the county. He was educated at Cambridge, taking
his M.A. in 1483, and proceeding to D.D. in 1505. Later he
became Chamberlain of Glastonbury Abbey, and held that post
until, by the favour of Wolsey, he was named abbot, on March 3,
1524-25. It appears that the monks of Glastonbury for that
turn surrendered their riijht of election to the ereat cardinal.
Wolsey, it may be remembered, was rector of Lymington, a few
miles distant, from 1500 to 1503, and perhaps then became
acquainted with the Whiting family. It appears that Abbot
54 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Whiting acquiesced both in the divorce of Queen Katherine and
also in the declaration of Supremacy, but whether reluctantly or
not is uncertain. Viewed by the light of his subsequent refusal
to resign his abbey, I should fancy him in reality hostile to both
measures. When the surrender was demanded, Whiting was
" visited " by Thomas Legh (afterwards knighted) and his priest
companion, Richard Layton. The latter was specially hostile to
the abbot ; and though compelled to own that the discipline of the
abbey was quite as it should be, nevertheless speedily trumped
up a case against his victim. Whiting was arrested at Sharpham,
his manor house, taken to Wells forthwith, and placed on his
trial November 14, 1539. The charges laid against him were that
he had furnished money and plate to the rebels in the north.
This, of course, involved the treasurer and sub-treasurer. All
were condemned ; the actual verdict being that they had robbed
their abbey church. Whiting was conveyed back to Glastonbury
in his litter, taking up a priest "by the waj^ who shrived him.
On the following morning, together with his two companions, he
was hung on the Tor Hill. His head was fi.xed to the abbey
gate, and his four quarters distributed between Wells, Bridgwater,
Ilchester, and Bath. As a man Whiting was much beloved ; as
an abbot he fully sustained the traditions of his abbey in the
best sense. He was a scholar and the patron of scholars, a fact
to which his friend Leland gives ample testimony. Under his
rule the abbey school flourished to a greater extent than it ever
had before, more than three hundred sons of noblemen and
gentlemen being educated within its walls. That as abbot, Richard
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
55
Whiting kept up great state is undoubted — the memory of his
hospitality has not yet faded ; but it was for his boundless charity
to the poor that he was most beloved. Unlike the Abbot of
Colchester, whose unpopularity was great and whose death was
unlamented, Richard Whiting went to his end amid the most
profound expressions of grief from all classes of the community.
From the Tor Hill in every direction there is a most grand
view over the county. I felt compelled to attempt at least one
sketch, and selected the prospect to the south-west. By this
means I was able to give some idea of the aspect of the country
^^i^Ci^--
over which I had travelled from Cadbury. But it is not only
in broad daylight that the view from the summit of the Tor Hill
is worth seeing. By way of experiment I wandered thither late
on a bright moonlight night, and well was I repaid for my
climb. Overhead all was clear, while beneath my feet, stretching
away to the distant hills, partial mists, winding and wreathing
their wavy lines into an inexplicable pattern, suggested the idea
that a priceless veil of lace cut me off from the rest of the world
below. Here and there a light twinkled but faintly. The Polden
Hills on the one side, and comparatively near, broke the illusion :
56 SOMERSETSHIRE.
but upon the other, far away, I could discern the Mendips fading
gradually and almost imperceptibly, till the distance closed in a
haze, which for aught I know to the contrary may have shrouded
Brent Knoll, and brooded on the waters of the Bristol Channel.
It was a weird scene, solitary to the last degree, but one to be
treasured indeed as a reminiscence of the beautiful.
Glastonbury possesses two sets of almshouses, one in Magdalen
Street, originally a thirteenth-century foundation, the other, which
stands behind the old gateway and porter's lodge of the abbey,
the work of Abbot Richard Bere. The Magdalen Street alms-
houses have suffered not a little from alteration and curtailment.
Record remains that as far back as the fourteenth century, during
the abbacy of Adam de Sodbury, the buildings underwent modi-
fication. Possibly the endowment was insufficient both to support
the inmates and to keep the fabric in repair. It is stated that
the hall here once communicated with the chapel, but that it
was long since converted into dwelling houses. Abbot Bere's
hospital is not very interesting, or at least I somehow failed to
be interested therein. Perhaps after the grandeur of the abbey
I could not at once descend to the level of the almshouse.
Two houses, both of antiquity, and both standing in the
High Street, next require notice, and well are they worthy of
close attention. The first is now known as the George Hotel,
and was originally built during the time of Abbot Selwood, to
act as a hostel for pilgrims. Abbot Selwood ruled over the abbey
during the reign of Edward IV. Now it appears that this
pilgrims' hostel was either built to supersede or to supplement
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
57
an earlier hostel, which formerly stood just within the abbey
precincts, upon the site subsequently occupied by the White Hart
Inn. In all probability the new hostel was intended for the use
of ordinary pilgrims, crowds of whom were wont to throng to
the abbey, while the older house was reserved for visitors of a
eS>UMST@>0%
superior class. Be this as it may, we nevertheless have in the
George Hotel a singular example of an original inn, and one of
the most interesting pieces of domestic architecture in the county.
This remark, however, applies mainly to the facade, for, unfor-
tunately, though no important structural alterations have taken
place within the house, yet plaster and modern wall-papers
58 SOMERSETSHIRE.
effectually conceal the carvings and other adornments, which I
cannot but strongly suspect are still in existence. One very small
room is still entered by an arched doorway. The cellars, which
are vaulted, appear to be nearly in their original state. To these
there of course attaches the common story of a secret passage to
the abbey ; the story, as usual, being totally devoid of truth.
With regard to the front of this interesting house, it should be
noted that the lower windows are of more modern date than
those above. Over the arched doorway the carving is well
worth notice. It is divided into three panels or compartments,
the central one bearing the arms of Edward IV., with the " sun
in splendour " and a groundwork of branching roses. On the left
there is a shield charged with a cross, on the right a blank
shield, or rather a shield from which the charges have been
chiselled. Some years ago these three compartments were painted,
and the erroneous painting of former times has recently been
renewed. It would not be a difficult matter to correct the
mistakes, they are sufficiently manifest. The same may also be
said for the colouring of the shields Avhich decorate the fine old
projecting stone bracket. Formerly it is said that a figure existed
between each of the crenellated battlements. Warner states that
there were twelve of them, but in his plate does not show one.
Nowadays one is still to be seen entire, and I found the remains
of the hand of another on the middle crenellation above the
gateway.
A few doors higher up the street, and on the same side, stands
a very quaint old house known by the name of the Tribunal. Here,
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
59
above the door, we have two scutcheons, one bearing the royal
arms — also, possibly, temp. Edward IV., the other charged with a
rose. This house is said to have derived its name from being the
court house where all small causes
connected with the Glastonbury
Twelve Hides were tried. The
interior of the house is old-
fashioned, and within it a few
panels of linen pattern have
escaped destruction. By tradition,
a tradition not as yet investigated,
dungeons and cells exist beneath
the ground floor. Probably there
are large cellars there which from
the name " Tribunal," have been
magnified into dungeons. One
point on the outside of the house
needs notice, viz. the curious way
in which the side windows of the bay are splayed. I cannot
recall any other instance of this in stone, but have some
recollection of seeing a similar case in wood either in Tewkesbury
or at Sudbury.
Only a short distance from the Tribunal is the church of St.
John the Baptist, a late fifteenth-century building with a noble
tower. To Abbot Selwood belongs the credit of erecting this grand
ecclesiastical edifice, and I most devoutly wish that it had been
rather less given over to the spoilers than it has been. With that
6o
SOMERSETSHIRE.
mania for making old work look new which has been so prevalent
in past days, and which even yet has not passed away, the interior
of this church has been so treated as to deprive it of almost every
sign of antiquity.
To all intents and purposes the church within might as well
have been built but yesterday. Perhaps it is by very contrast that
the two altar tombs, plain though they be, at the east end, and the
(THs "e'MH's.C ^lifipjifruaMf^
"Camel" monument in the south-west corner of the church, strike
one as the only objects therein worth studying. Of the " Camel "
monument I give a sketch. It was erected, it is said, to the memory
of a certain purse-bearer of the Abbot of Glastonbury. The name
of the worthy purse-bearer was Camel, hence the rebus or badge
which decorates the alternate panels of the tomb. The other panels
consist of half angels holding shields charged with a cross. The
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
6i
whole tomb was once elaborately painted, and traces of faded colour
are yet visible. Unfortunately the inscriptions, which were painted
on the uncommon ribands which surround the camels, have been
effaced. On the slab of the tomb is an effigy still in very good
preservation. One other object in the church is worth notice, viz.
an ancient parish chest decorated with painted shields. Two of the
shields once bore the abbey arms (first coat) and, like the shield at
the pilgrims' hostel, have been coloured, argent a cross gules.
In the churchyard at the north-east end will be found a very
weather-beaten altar tomb. It is the
only tomb of any pretension to antiquity
in the churchyard, but, though hand-
some, is not by any means of an
uncommon type.
With the exception of an old
chapel, originally dedicated to St.
James, but now converted into cot-
tages, there are no other buildings
in the town of Glastonbury which
merit consideration. The church of St.
Benedict in the lower part of the town
can hardly be esteemed of interest, and I pass it by. One piece of
carving, now built into the corner of a house in the market-place,
must be mentioned. Locally I was told that it was the last relic of
the old Glastonbury Cross, and I sketched it as such. The carving
evidently represents the ceremony of marriage, and, even for the
costume of the figures, is worth study. Upon investigation, however,
62 SOMERSETSHIRE.
I could not find any trace in old prints of this special piece of
carving, nor could I glean from any description of the now-vanished
Cross the slightest clue to its identity.
Leaving Glastonbury, virith its grand old ruins, I made my way
towards Meare, to visit the old Fish House and the abbey Manor
House. A short distance outside the town I diverged slightly from
my direct path, for the purpose of visiting the site of the singularly
interesting prehistoric village which is now being excavated under
the auspices of my friends Mr. BuUeid and his son. Here I met
with somewhat of a disappointment, for the excavations were flooded,
and it was impossible to sketch under the circumstances. Careful
inspection, however, enabled me to make out fairly well the line of
the habitations. Portions of the pile and wattle foundation were
visible, and the artificially raised fireplace mounds luckily were still
above water, though quite out of reach. I hope that shortly some
means will be found to overcome this untoward leakage in the peat,
and that the excavations, especially of the village moat or ditch, will
be capable of being resumed. Already a considerable number of
objects have been obtained on this spot, which are to be seen at
the Glastonbury Museum.
Not far from this village, not long since, a dug-out canoe or
boat was unearthed, rough in manufacture and, I should fancy,
very heavy to propel, but singularly curious from the fact that the
modern eel-fishers' boats now used round about Athelney are almost
the exact model of this prehistoric dug-out.
Returning to the road, I resumed my way towards Meare. On
either side the marshy grazing fields are low and perfectly flat, and
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
63
are intersected by frequent dykes, here and there fringed with
pollard willow or stunted bushes. Little groups of red cattle are
dotted about, and give variety to the scene, while an occasional
flock of plover flies overhead with plaintive cry. In the distance,
amid trees as it appears, the towers of Wells Cathedral stand out
white in a sudden and fleeting gleam of sunshine. Beyond Wells,
and forming a background, is the long range of the Mendip Hills.
Not a landscape of great beauty, perhaps, but pleasant withal ; and
the cloud effects witnessed at times on these flat lands are simply
marvellous.
I soon arrived at Meare, where I at once made my way to the
ruins of the ancient Fish House. Would that my visit had been
paid a few months earlier, for I have with regret to record that
Meare Fish House has become a ruin through the recent act of an
incendiary. This interesting relic, of which the fine timber roof has
now of course vanished, dates from the first half of the fourteenth
century, and was probably the dwelling of the official appointed by
the abbot to preserve and control the fishery of the great Meare
64
SOMERSETSHIRE.
lake. This lake, after an existence of several centuries as a fishing
place, was finally drained nearly a hundred years ago. From the
swampy nature of the surrounding land the wide divergence in
the statements as to the area of this lake is to be accounted for.
Probably in winter, or after a wet season, it would be swollen to
twice its normal size.
Hardly more than a bow-shot from the old Fish House stands
the Manor House, close to which again is the church. This manor
house is a most interesting relic of antiquity, though fallen far
from its former high estate. It probably was erected by the builder-
abbot, Adam de Sodbury, to replace an earlier and smaller house
on the same site. That such a house existed is known, for it is
an ascertained fact that one of the
abbots, Michael of Ambresbury,
retired thither in 1252, retaining
as well a room at the abbey.
This manor house contains the
uncommon feature of an upstairs
hall or grand chamber. In this
room there is an extremely fine
fireplace which has a pentagonal
hood, and, what is even more
rare, a fine pair of corbel brac-
kets, one on either side, to carry
lamps or candles. Both of these I have taken as subjects for
sketches, deeming them to be well worthy. The windows of this
room are handsome, the inner cusped and pierced canopy with
iFOK&Pt^SS , MSWRs".
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
65
its hood being specially noticeable. In the muUions are the old
hooks from which the wooden shutters were suspended in the
1 0^^.
m
days when glass was either absent or rarely present. The centre
of each mullion has a projection through which a hole is cut,
doubtless for the purpose of securely fastening
both shutters with one bolt or peg. In its fiisgggigiW^'iisld'X
palmiest days this room, which originally vyswvfgR \i»i Ix
measured sixty feet in length, must have been j.,^^''^'^" /wSfy
a very fine one.
Having come so far, I would not willingly have missed seeing
the interior of the church, especially as I believed
the chancel roof and also an almsbox there to be
both worth examination ; but by ill-luck I was
compelled to forego my intention. I, however,
managed to take two small sketches, one the
east window, of which the tracery struck me as
somewhat uncommon, the other a fragment of
pierced parapet on the south aisle, and which I here utilize as
G
66 SOMERSETSHIRE.
a tail-piece. The church of Meare is mixed in style, the chancel
dating from the time of Edward II., while the nave was built
in the fifteenth century. According to record, the chancel was
dedicated during the time that Adam de Sodbury was abbot.
The cross which stands close by the churchyard is of no parti-
cular interest.
Some years ago, and indeed at intervals ever since, a curious
track over the moor has been uncovered at various depths, at
times as deep down as seven feet, at others as near the surface
as two. Tradition names this track " The Abbot's Way," but where
it started or whither it directed its course is still, and I fear must
remain, a matter for conjecture. The most reasonable assumption
is that the track joined the rising ground of Meare to the rising
ground near the village of Burtle. This track was constructed, in
a most curious way, entirely of timber. Slabs of wood split off
irregularly and in the roughest manner were laid side by side.
Over these at each end as an edging was laid a bonding rod.
This rod was probably wattled to posts at intervals in order to
keep the whole track firm. Considering the swampy nature of
the soil, the cleverness with which the difficulties of the situation
were overcome and a passable road constructed is most marked.
And now I turned my steps back towards Glastonbury, thinking
over the many interesting things I had seen during the day, and
wishing that relics had been left of many others which seem now
to have vanished for ever. For instance, how little do we know
of guild life in Glastonbury, save that something akin to a guild
was started there during the reign of Edward VI. For then we
GLASTONBURY AND MEARE.
67
find a small band of Flemish weavers invited thither by the
Protector Somerset, and settled in the place under certain rules
and regulations. But Somerset was attainted and perished on
the scaffold, leaving his colony quite unprovided for. Later on
a petition was sent to the king for assistance, and a commission
of inquiry was issued. Eventually, after not a little trouble, the
strangers were settled, of all things, in the buildings of the then-
deserted abbey. When Edward VI. died, and was succeeded by
his sister Mary, the weavers, being Protestants, shortly afterwards
left the country. Several papers in the Record Office refer to
this interesting little episode in the history of the town, but they
are quite too lengthy to give in cxtcnso.
■lii- . .J • 1 Jtl- i"
CHAPTER III.
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC.
From Glastonbury I proceeded to Shepton Mallet and Frome,
leaving out for the time being any consideration of the cathedral
city of Wells. My reason for this hardly obvious course was as
follows. The main interest
of Wells, like that of
Glastonbury, is ecclesiast-
ical, for the domestic build-
ings there which have any
pretensions to antiquity are
almost all connected with
the dean and chapter. From
a historical point of view
also the associations of the
city are of a similar cha-
racter. Hence I determined
(being unfettered in my
wanderings) to take this rather arbitrary route, but I feel bound
to furnish this slight explanation.
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. 69
Shepton Mallet is a singularly irregularly built town of
undoubted antiquity, but yet lacking in the outward and visible
signs thereof. Here and there in the lower portions of the town,
chiefly at Longbridge, houses of antique appearance are to be
met with, but otherwise, with the exception of the fine old market-
cross and the church tower, there is but little to appeal to one's
pencil. Like many other towns in the kingdom, Shepton Mallet was
once the seat of an important branch of the cloth trade, an industry
which prospered there at the end of the last century. It is the
old houses of the clothiers in the Longbridge district which furnish
a certain amount of picturesqueness to that part. Built without
any apparent plan upon the sides of the hilly streets — as it were
dropped at haphazard from the skies — these old dwellings have
sufficient merit to require at least a passing word. One many-
gabled house, which adjoins another of almost equally quaint
appearance, is certainly the wreck of a fine mansion. But its
glories are departed, it is no longer the home of some wealthy
clothier, but is cut up into tenements. Not far from this house
is another, which by tradition has claims to historic association.
Here, in 1685, the rebel Monmouth is said to have stopped when
with his levies he paid two visits to the town. Not so long since
this house, which goes by the name of Longbridge House, possessed
a handsomely carved room. This, alas, has vanished, its lining
having been sold to a dealer in antiquities. Evidences of age,
however, still exist within its walls in the shape of an old well-
stair with oaken balusters and carved post. One tiny room, too,
still has its ceiling stamped with fleur-de-lis and rose,
70 SOMERSETSHIRE.
But after all it is the market-cross of Shepton Mallet which
necessarily attracts the greatest amount of attention, and indeed,
backed as it is by the quaint wooden market booths and the
curious church tower, the whole scene has quite a foreign air.
As far back as the reign of Henry III. I find that a market
was granted for Shepton, the right being vested in Hugh de Vivon,
the lord of the manor. To this privilege was added that of
holding a fair on the eve, day, and morrow of St. Peter ad
Vincula. Ecclesiastical rights were, however, interfered with by
this grant, and the bishop on petition obtained an order of pro-
hibition. The following year Hugh de Vivon, though deprived
of his market, obtained leave to hold a fair, this time the date
being the eve, day, and morrow of the feast of St. Peter and
St. Paul. Again the bishop opposed the grant, and with success.
Four and twenty years later a weekly market and a three days'
fair, on the feast of the Decollation of St. John Baptist, was
granted to Robert de Bello Campo and his heirs. In the eleventh
year of Edward II. a certain Reginald Fitz-Reginald obtained a
similar grant, the market-day being Wednesday and the fair time
being changed to Ascensiontide, while at the same date Cecilia
Bello Campo and her heirs had the grant of a Monday market
at Shepton, and a three days' fair at the feast of St. Barnabas.
With regard to the privileges of the market and its tolls not a
few disputes took place, of which the most important was in the
time of Charles I., the contending parties being William Strode
and two stall-keepers, Thomas Millard and William Wilmington.
The fine old market-cross, of which I give a sketch, was originally
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. yi
erected in the year 1500. In appearance it does not seem to
liave suffered from the restoration it underwent in 1841. From
a brass plate thereon I derived the inscription which I here give —
" Of your charitye pray for
the soules of Walter Buckland and Agnys hys wyff
wh whoys goods this cross was made
in the yere of our Lord God MD.
whoys obytt shal be kepte for ever
in the parishe church of Shepton Mallet
ye xxvm day of November
on whoys soules Jhu pardon."
Seeing that Shepton Mallet held eminently Parliamentarian
principles during the Great Rebellion, it is wonderful that this
plate escaped destruction.
The church of Shepton Mallet, which is dedicated to SS. Peter
and Paul, is not without interest, despite the fact that chancel
and aisles are nineteenth-century work, and that the nave is
disfigured by those abominations called galleries. The roof of
the nave, which is divided into three hundred and fifty compart-
ments, all elaborately carved and all different, rivals those well-
known examples at Martock and at Somerton. From age the
ancient woodwork here has faded to an indescribable grey, and
the rare spectacle of a genuine unstained, undoctored roof may
in Shepton Mallet be enjoyed. The piers of the nave, which
are massive and, I think, of an unusual character, give me an
impression that either a previous church existed on the same
site, or else that a considerable extension or enlargement took
place several centuries ago.
Two cross-legged recumbent figures, traditionally representing
72 SOMERSETSHIRE.
members of the Malet family, are now placed on the window
ledges. These figures are clad in chain mail, and in addition
have oblong shields on their left arms. From their general
appearance, I should assign to them a late twelfth-century date.
Before the alterations took place, and the aisles were rebuilt, the
Strode and Barnard families had a mortuary chapel on the north
side of the church. Whether all the monuments therein were
preserved or not I cannot tell ; but those which are now to be
seen beneath the tower came from this chapel. These monuments
are interesting, both in connection with Shepton Mallet and also
with Barrington, a village near Ilminster, at which the mansion
once belonged to the Strodes. One in particular is a brass with
a curious engraved representation of William Strode, of Barrington,
Joan Strode (Barnard), his wife, their six sons, and three daughters.
A shield with eight quarterings is blazoned as follows: i. Ermine,
on a canton sable a crescent argent (Strode). 2. Ermine, a fesse
gules. 3. Gules, a bend between six cross crosslets or. 4. Gules,
a lion rampant or, over all a bend ermine. 5. Ermine, a chevron
sable. 6. Gules, a wyvern argent. 7. Ermine, on a chevron three
mullets. 8. Sable, a cross moline argent. The arms of the Barnard
family were : Argent, a bear salient sable, bridled of the field.
It appears that there are traces of two guilds in Shepton
Mallet, connected on their religious side with the parish church,
and dedicated, the one to the Holy Trinity, the other to St. John
Baptist. These guilds were wealthy, possessing lands in Shepton,
Stoke-St.-Michael, Ilchester, and several other places. On the
robbery of guild property, which took place in the reign of
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. J T,
Edward VI., the guild lands were granted to a certain John Horner,
the incumbents of the guilds being pensioned off, one at £^, the
other at £/^ 13^-. 2d., while the minister (.'' warden) received an
annuity of ^4.
In 1520, by his will, Richard Raynon gave certain lands to
the guilds of the church of Stoke-St- Michael, a village about
four miles from Shepton Mallet, on condition that the guild
wardens of the Holy Trinity and St. John Baptist guilds kept
a dirge and two masses yearly on the anniversary of his funeral,
for which he fixed payments to the priests and a dole in bread
to the poor. There was a further covenant, that after his wife's
death the lease of Smaldon (Smalldown) should go to the church
of St. Michael, to secure obits for himself and his wife. Strangely
enough the lease mentioned in this bequest was sold, first to
Elizabeth Fitzjames and her husband, and afterwards, in 1545,
to the John Horner who in the next reign obtained all the property
of the Shepton guilds. Whether these guilds possessed halls in the
town is not known.
The Horner family held lands at Cloford and Mells, both in
Somersetshire, having purchased the Mells property at the time
of the spoliation of the monasteries, that being one of the manors
belonging to Glastonbury. I find that coat armour was granted
to Sir John Horner in 1584, the blazon of which is: Sable, three
talbots passant argent. Several members of the family were
knighted, one, a Sir George, being dubbed in June, 1660. A
curious country tradition has always connected the Horner family
with the Jack Horner of Christmas-pie fame, and it would appear
74 SOMERSETSHIRE.
that in the local mind an impression has ever prevailed that the
Church and guild lands were obtained through some sharp practice.
This is, however, incorrect, for documents and deeds still in
existence show that a very considerable sum of money was paid
for them, and that the transaction was in every way legally carried
out. With regard to the familiar nursery rhyme, it appears that
it is merely a modified version of a chap-book ballad, entitled
"The Pleasant History of Jack Horner, containing the witty
pranks he play'd from his Youth to his riper years. Being pleasant
for Winter Evenings." This ballad, which begins, " Jack Horner
was a pretty lad. Near London he did dwell," etc., is founded on
a still earlier one, called " The Basyn," a fourteenth-century
manuscript copy of which is to be found in the Cambridge
Library.
I have already mentioned an interesting monument to one ot
the Strodes, which still remains in the church, and will here give
a brief note as to this old Somersetshire family. In this county the
Strodes seem to have been first established at Somerton, and, as I
have already mentioned, a descendant, one Edward Strode, married
Alice, the daughter of Robert Whiting, brother to the last abbot of
Glastonbury. This Edward was the second son of Thomas Strode
of Shepton Mallet, to which place his great grandfather had
migrated. I have already noted the arrest of a Strode of Street
by the Roundhead colonel of militia, Bovett. The property at
Street came into the possession of the family in 1628. At this time
William Strode, the father, and William, the son, were settled at
Bgrrington Court and at Street. It would seem that the wealth of
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. 75
the family was derived from a grandfather who had prospered as a
clothier at Shepton Mallet, and who married Joan Barnard, an
heiress. But there was also some connection with Spain, for record
remains that one member of the family had established a flourishing
house of business there. When the troublous times of the Great
Rebellion arrived, William Strode of Shepton is found to be a violent
Republican, and in his capacity of deputy-lieutenant went through
various adventures while opposing the Royalist party. He obtained
the rank of Colonel, and seemingly took part in whatever fighting
there was in his neighbourhood. In 1645 he resigned his
commission in accordance with the Self-renouncing Ordinance.
Strode was now proposed as a candidate for Parliament, but was
opposed. The story of this extraordinary election is, unfortunately,
too long to insert here, and it must suffice to say that he was
unsuccessful. He offered himself a second time in 1646, and was
elected, though his seat was subsequently assailed by a petition.
The petition failed, and Strode was declared M.P. for Ilchester.
Strode had taken the Solemn League and Covenant in 1643, and
was therefore a Presbyterian, hence, when the Independents came
into power, he fell into disfavour, owing to his refusal to withdraw
from the League and sign the Engagement. He was ordered to
attend the House on an information which had been laid against
him, but appears to have cleared himself When Colonel Pride
"purged" the House, Colonel Strode was one of those excluded
thereby. On the Restoration, a charge against him was preferred
to the Privy Council, and he was ordered to attend to answer it.
A petition which he forwarded at the time details the story of .his
76 SOMERSETSHIRE.
political life, and is most interesting reading. Eventually, after a
short confinement in Ilchester, he was, on making humble sub-
mission, released. He died in 1666 at the age of ']•], and was buried
at Barrington. This is, I believe, the life of Colonel William Strode
in brief, and it is to be remarked that he must not be identified
with the William Strode, one of the " Five Members " who belonged
to the Devonshire family of that name. A free school and alms-
houses in Shepton Mallet, both founded by this family, remain to
perpetuate the memory of the Strodes.
From Shepton Mallet I proceeded to Frome, hoping, rather
against hope, I must confess, that I should find some subjects there
of interest. But I was doomed to be disappointed, for nearly every
relic of antiquity has been removed from the town. One block of
cottages on the road from the station is somewhat picturesque, and
here and there in the narrow streets an old gable or two appears,
but pictorially the place is a blank. Cheep Street, a narrow and
steep flagged lane, down which a channel of water is always running,
might perhaps have been pressed into the service, but its gabled
houses lacked any ornament, and many of them bore not the
slightest token of antiquity. The parish church was, I believe, once
old, but in recent years so many thousands of pounds have been
expended — lavished on it, I may say — that for antiquity one looks
in vain. All is modern, from the statues at the west end to the
Rood, Mary and John on the screen.
This Rood and its accompanying statues, together with the
screen, furnish a terrible example of modern paint and gilding.
Time may modify the effect, but I personally have doubts on the
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. TJ
subject. Of the other decorations in the church I need not speak
in detail — they are mostly explained on new brass plates which stud
the walls. On the occasion of my visit a clerical "dress-stand"
reposed in one of the seats in the north aisle, and I could not but
remark this example of modern church furniture before I passed
sadly out of the building. Nor is the churchyard one whit better ;
even the grave of good old Bishop Ken has escaped neither the
paint-pot nor a border of encaustic tiles — red, white, and blue. The
statuary, monumental and otherwise, in the graveyard can best be
summed up in one word — expensive. Frome church is the "show"
of the town and the district ; it will probably continue so. To even
hint at disapproval in the locality is hardly short of high treason.
But there are nevertheless many who will be found to hold the
opinion that whatever else money can do, in matters of church
" restoration " and decoration, its effect is not always in proportion
to the sum expended, and to point to Frome church as an instance
of great profusion but greater failure.
Quite close to Frome, in a retired little valley, are the remains
of an old manor house. The name of the spot is Vallis, and it was
once the home of a Somersetshire family called Leversedge. The
chief relic here is the old hall of the house which, in a terribly
mutilated condition, has been converted into a carpenter and
wheelwright's shop. My sketch shows the present condition of the
outside, with its shattered windows and its door arches knocked out
of shape. The state of the interior is hardly better, but luckily the
old roof has escaped destruction. In the "Visitation of Somerset-
shire" the arms of the Leversedge family are given as: i. Sable,
78
SOMERSETSHIRE.
a chevron or between three dolphins naiant argent. 2. Sable, three
bends sinister argent. 3. Sable, a leopard's head jessant a fleur de
lys or (Branch). 4. Argent, a wyvern vert. 5. Argent, three bars
sable. 6. Gules a chief indented or. 7. Sable, three lions passant
argent. The pedigree which follows shows that the first of the
name heard of at Vallis was one Edmond, who married the daughter
and heiress of Stephen Wynslade. For six generations the names
of Edmond, Robert, and William occur in succession, and in the
remaining five generations the head of the family always bore one
of these names. The fourth quartering on the shield is that of the
Roynons, introduced on the marriage of one of the Liversedges to
Grace Roynon somewhere in the last years of the sixteenth or early
in the seventeenth century. But the arms should be : Argent, a
wyvern erect, tail nowed sable.
From Vallis I returned to Frome, and then, turning off to
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC.
79
the right, made my way to the village of Nunney and the ruins
of Nunney Castle. The walk is a most pleasant one, though
not a little hilly ; and one hill in particular, just outside Frome,
is remarkably steep. After a while the round towers of the old
place were visible among the trees which now fringe the still
perfect moat, and a few minutes later I found myself in possession
of the castle key and crossing the single plank, which, in lieu of
8o SOMERSETSHIRE.
the drawbridge of old, gives admission to this fortified manor
house, usually designated a castle.
The first notice of Nunney is a grant of Henry III., dated
October 23, 1259, giving Henry de Monteforti and his heirs the
right to hold a Wednesday market at his manor of Nuny, and
also an annual three days' fair. Twenty years later Nicholas
Braunche, lord of the hundred of Frome, endeavoured to stop
this market, alleging that it injured the market at Frome. At
this date it would seem that there was a Delamare at Nunney,
and to the Delamares the fortification of the house is due, for
the license to embattle and fortify a building (manse) at Nunney
was granted to Sir John Delamare in 1373. From this it would
appear that the Delamares were not then lords of the manor, for
manse is not manor house. But four years later we find Sir
John Delamare sheriff of the county, and holding his manor in
capite from the king. Sir John died about 1389, and was succeeded
by his son Philip, who in the next year founded a chantry. In
two generations the male line failed, and the estate passed to
Sir John Poulet, Kt, in right of his wife, Constantia Delamare.
Constantia Poulet died in 1443, being already a widow. The
Poulets retained Nunney till the death, in 1572, of William Poulet,
Marquis of Winchester, who some twelve years before had obtained
a grant of the Delamare chantry. In the nineteenth year of
Elizabeth the manor of Nunney was sold to a certain Richard
Prater, gentleman.
Nunney Castle is most remarkable in its plan, which takes
the form of an oblong, flanked at each corner by circular projecting
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. 8 1
towers. In length the oblong is as nearly as possible double its
width. The walls vary in thickness from seven to eight and a
half feet, except where a stone staircase occurs in the wall near
the entrance, and in another place where the large kitchen fire-
place makes a weak spot. When perfect there were four stories
to the castle, of which the
floors were of wood, a fact
proved by the absence of
vaulting ; and the partitions
must have been of a similar
material, as there are no
traces of party walls. I had
heard that there were the
remains of a chapel at
Nunney, at the top of one
of the towers, and after some
little trouble managed to
identify the place. As I
make it, the window of the
chapel is on the upper story
of the south tower, and
looking nearly towards the
east. Beneath this window the altar slab can be discerned, and
there is a piscina. I should much have liked to have obtained
a sketch, but it was impossible ; still I think that my idea of the
interior will sufficiently show the general condition of the place.
A very curious little pen-and-ink drawing of Nunney, and a
H
82 SOMERSETSHIRE.
written description, preserved in the note-book of a Royalist, and
now to be seen in the British Museum Library (Add. MSS.,
No. 17062), gives one or two more particulars which are worth
attention. The towers, from the sketch, seem to have conical
tops, and the general roof of the place to have been not flat,
as one would have expected, but high-pitched. It has been needful
to describe the castle at this period, because during the Great
Rebellion the place was besieged, battered by cannon, and forced
to surrender.
It appears that in 1642 Colonel Prater, the then owner,
garrisoned it for the king. It, as a matter of fact, was more of
a storehouse and rendezvous for Royalists than a fortress. Whether
its position rendered it unimportant or not, for some cause Nunney
was left unmolested for three years, till the successes of the " new
model " army caused some apprehension, and the garrison was
forthwith strengthened. On September 15, 1645, Fairfax and
Cromwell, after success at Sherborne, marched through Castle Cary
and Shepton Mallet. Three days later two regiments and three
guns were detached to secure Nunney. Fairfax himself rode
over on the morrow to inspect the place, but, leaving his troops
to besiege the castle, returned to Shepton. On the following
day the castle wall was breached, and after a parley Colonel
Prater, the owner and governor, surrendered, but on condition
that he, by changing his allegiance from King to Parliament, should
be permitted still to hold his property and command. The castle
was but poorly furnished with munitions of war, having only
two barrels of powder. In number the garrison amounted to
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. 8
O
eighty, mostly Irish, who were commanded by Captain Turberville.
From an account published at the time it would seem that certain
"papists," who were among the prisoners, fared very badly at
the hands of the victors. The castle banner is quoted as " red,
and in the midst thereof a fair crucifix cross." I have endeavoured
to trace the design of this banner, but without success. That it
was considered important seems to be shown from the fact that
it was sent to London and exhibited to Parliament. Despite the
terms of the surrender, immediately after the execution of Charles I.
the Parliament sequestrated Nunney, and it was ordered to be
sold. Colonel Prater, however, died before the sale took place,
and his son George, who succeeded, petitioned to save his estate,
but petitioned in vain. The sale took place in 1652, when the
purchasers were Samuel Foxley and Robert Colby.
It is stated, I know not on what authority, that through a
deserter the troops of Fairfax w-ere informed of the weak spot
in the castle wall, and that in consequence they directed their shot
thither. Evidently the wall between the doorway and the western
tower is the scene of the breach ; but in this case the cannon
must first have demolished a lofty wall, which is said to have
surrounded the castle on all sides except the east. Another point
which seems to involve difficulty is with regard to the toji of
the wall and towers. How were these defended ? The pen-and-
ink sketch shows crenellations, but no machicolations. This is
probably due to the omission of detail by the artist, and it is
reasonable to suppose that the machicolations supported a crenel-
lated parapet, which surrounded the entire building.
84 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Nunney church contains some interesting tombs, mostly of
dead and gone Delamares. The effigy belonging to the earliest of
these is now on the sill of one of the windows. The figure is fully
armed with the exception of the shield, and apparently bears the
approximate date of the year 1 300. Another tomb, with the effigies
of a man and woman, dates about a century later, if the details of the
costume are any guide. This is probably the monument of Philip
Delamare, the founder of the chantry, and his wife. The costumes
of both these effigies are worth the closest study. The arms of the
Delamare family have the following blazon : Gules, two lions passant
guardant in pale argent, collared azure. Besides these, there are
the figures of two of the Praters, probably those of Richard Prater
and his wife, for the costumes are certainly Elizabethan, and it is
not easy to see to whom otherwise these effigies could belong. The
arms of the Prater family were : Sable, three wolves' heads erased
argent, on a chief or, a lion passant of the first.
Of the other manor house of Nunney, which used to be called
the Court House, and which stands near the castle, the remains
which are left are of comparatively little interest. Formerly it was
an important mansion, with a hall possessing a minstrels' gallery,
and I have heard that it contained a considerable amount of carving
and painted heraldic glass. The hall, I understand, still exists, and
a part of it is used as a shed ; but I must confess that I did not,
owing to the waning light, personally inspect the Court House.
The village itself does not furnish much for the pencil, except the
ruins of the castle. But I selected one subject for a sketch which
shows the church tower behind the irrecjular and tumbledown
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. THILIP, ETC. 85
cottages which fringe the muddy and shallow brook on which the
village is built.
Proceeding from Frome on the following morning, I took the
road for the village of Beckington. This is a most interesting place
for many reasons. The church, which is dedicated to St. Gregory,
was originally Norman, as the work in the tower manifestly shows.
1"
but was in the days of Perpendicular architecture considerably
enlarged, and the church is in fact a Perpendicular one. It would
seem as if the addition of a clerestory was an afterthought, as the
roofing of the aisles is different from that usually to be found in a
clerestoried church, that is to say, it is high-pitched instead of lean-to
or flat. The effigies and brasses within are of very great interest.
One brass is that of Sir John St. Maur, who died in 1485, with his
wife Elizabeth (Darrell). On the south pier of the chancel arch will
S6
SOMERSETSHIRE.
©M BRASS, Ss^kW*.
be found a small circular brass plate bearing a curious merchants'
mark. This belonged to the brass of John Compton, merchant, and
Edith his wife. Upon the north pier a small brass shield has also
been fixed, which bears, I believe, the coat
armour of the St. Maurs. On the wall of the
north aisle is the monument with a half effigy
which was erected by the Lady Anne Clifford,
Countess Dowager of Pembroke, Dorset, and
Montgomery, to the memory of her old tutor,
"that excellent poet and historian, Samuell
Danyell." Samuel Daniel was born near Taunton in 1562, his
father being a music-master. At the age of seventeen the boy was
entered as a commoner at Magdalen Hall, Oxford, where he resided
for three years, but did not take his degree. About the year 1603
Daniel took up his residence at Ridge, near Beckington, where
he, according to Fuller, "turned husbandman and rented a farm."
He died September 4, 1619, and was buried in the north aisle
of Beckington church. Space will not permit me to give a list of
Daniel's works in poetry and prose, but it ought to be mentioned
that the tradition that he succeeded Spenser as Poet Laureate in
1599 lacks documentary evidence. Moreover, too, the inscription
on his monument makes no mention of the fact, an omission which
is seemingly conclusive under the circumstances.
In the village street there are not a few old houses, two of
which are of considerable interest, and I sketched one of them which
bears the rather exalted title of " Beckington Castle." It is a square,
many-gabled stone house, whose ivy-clad sides are lighted by rows
(tS<«\HA-r«^ £^?TWfc
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. I'll I LIP, ETC. 87
of mullioned windows. The porch, which projects, is crenellated,
and alongside the porch is a built-out turret stair. Very interesting,
too, is the interior of this quaint old place, for the rooms, winding
stairs, and passages are for the most part in
their original condition. Here and there,
however, modern additions and insertions
of a decorative character could be at once
detected, such as woodwork, panelling, etc.
But in its main features Beckington Castle
is an extremely old-fashioned and well-
cherished dwelling.
The other house specially worth noting is a long, low building
chiefly remarkable for its extensive mullioned windows and stamped
plaster ceilings. Like Beckington Castle, its walls are nearly com-
pletely concealed by creeping plants. Elsewhere in the village there
are, as I have already said, other quaint old houses, but beyond their
age they have no particular features to entitle them to special notice.
Two other spots close to Beckington require passing mention,
chiefly on account of their associations. One of these, formerly
called Cliffords, and now Clifford's Farm, is stated to have been
the residence of the Somersetshire family of that name. The
second house is called Seymour's Court, and was once the home of
Thomas Lord Seymour of Sudeley, who married Queen Catherine
Parr, and was subsequently executed, March, 1548-9. But to the
fact that Beckington was the birthplace of the celebrated builder-
bishop of Wells it owes its chief interest, and I feel bound to briefly
touch upon his career.
88 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Thomas Beckington or Bekynton was born about the year
1390 at this village, though of what parentage there are no records.
He went to Winchester in 1404, and two years later entered at New
College, Oxford, where he seems to have obtained a fellowship in
the short space of two years. Beckington took holy orders, and on
resigning his fellowship in 1420 was, probably through the patronage
of Humphrey Duke of Gloucester, the recipient of several clerical
preferments. In 1423 he was Dean of Arches, and his name occurs
in various prosecutions of heretics which took place at that period.
In February, 1432, Beckington, in conjunction with Langdon, Bishop
of Rochester, and Sir Henry Bromflete, was sent on an embassy to
France for the purpose of negotiating a peace. The embassy did
not start till December, when the celebrated Sir John Fastolf was
joined to the commission in lieu of Bromflete. Beckington did not
CTo to the Congress at Arras in 1435, but he did proceed to Calais
in 1439 as a member of an embassy. To the diary kept on this
occasion by the ambassador we are indebted for many particulars,
and in a journal written by one of his followers the details of his
journey to the Court of Armagnac in 1422-3 are related with
considerable minuteness. Early in 1423 Beckington was made
Lord Privy Seal. Twenty years later he was nominated to the see
of Salisbury, which it was thought that Bishop Ascough would vacate
in his favour, to be himself rewarded by the primacy — a course
which that prelate declined to take. The story how Beckington
obtained papal favour by a present of scarlet cloth to the pontiff is
very amusing, and, being based on absolute documents, can be at
once accepted. Beckington, however, became Bishop of Bath and
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PIIILIP, ETC. 89
Wells, succeeding Bishop Stafford, who was promoted to Canterbury.
The new bishoja was consecrated on October 13, 1443, in the old
Collegiate Church of Eton. I need not recall his controversy with
Abbot Frome of Glastonbury. On June iS, 1452, being very
infirm, he obtained leave of exemption from attending Parliament.
He died at Wells, on January 14, 1465, and was buried beneath a
beautiful canopy in a tomb which he had prepared for himself.
About forty years ago the cathedral authorities had the bad taste
to open the tomb of their builder-bishop. It is also much to be
regretted that the splendid canopy of the tomb no longer stands
where it should, but is poked away inside the iron gates of one of
the smaller chapels.
From Beckington I followed the road until I reached the
" pratie market towne " of Norton St. Philip, or Phillipps North-
town, as Leland has it. Norton St. Philip is celebrated for the
charming old inn known as The George, which stands in its
main street. This building is rather a puzzle, for though possibly
it may have been built for a manor house, yet the more I examined
the place I came to the conclusion that, like its Glastonbury name-
sake, it Avas an original hostel. Another peculiarity is that at
the outset the whole of the front was of stone, just as the back
and sides are to this day ; but, for some remarkable reason, the
front of the first and second floors has been removed, and replaced
by projecting half-timbered work. In my sketch of the front I dis-
covered, to my great regret, and unfortunately too late to remedy
it, that I had omitted a small window which looks out just above
the swinging sign. My second sketch shows the rear of the house
90
SOMERSETSHIRE.
with an outside stone-capped turret-stair, and, what is even more
interesting, the remains of a galleried yard. I had the pleasure
of thoroughly exploring the whole of the house and its outbuildings,
and curious, though totally unadorned, I found them. The rooms
on the first floor are dilapidated, though weather-tight. It was at
the window of one of these that Monmouth was standing when
an attempt on his life was made. A tradition, based upon no sure
'"^"' TMrs feti@ii^(Sg,K],j,
foundation, makes Cromwell a visitor at this old house. The
upper story of this remarkable old place has one of the original
plaster floors now so uncommon. With regard to the half-timber
front, it is worth while observing how very few half-timber houses
there now are in the county. Probably there never were many,
but, alas, in these days the total of notable examples can be almost
numbered on one's fingers. The two ornamental chimneys which
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC.
91
terminate the gable ends are small but elegant. One of these,
that on the right, has been restored, but the other is original.
In support of the theory that The George at Norton St. Philip
was built as a hostel, it should be mentioned that originally the
place formed part of the Hinton Abbey lands. This abbey had
license, as early as the reign of Henry III., to hold a fair on the
vigil, feast, and morrow of the festival of SS. Philip and James.
Later on, in 1284, a charter was given to the same abbey to
hold a market at " Norton Charterhouse " every Friday. This
market before that time was held at Hinton. In 1345 license
for a fair to be held on the vigil and feast of the Decollation of
St. John Baptist was granted, and this fair was held at Norton
until quite recently. In the locality it was known by the name
of " Norton Dog Fair," the origin of which term is not quite
92 SOMERSETSHIRE.
ascertained. It has been ascribed to the fact that the date,
August 28 and 29, was near the " dog days," but personally I can
hardly accept this explanation. Of one thing, however, there can
be no doubt, viz. that the cloth and linen fairs held at Norton
were formerly very important, and that they were held under the
auspices of the monks of Hinton. The conclusion justly arrived
at is, I think, that the old George Inn was built, as a hostel for
the convenience of the traders and others attending the fairs, by
the monks in whose interests the fairs were held.
Norton St. Philip was the scene of one of the skirmishes
between Monmouth and the royal army, in which the king's advance
guard was repulsed. Monmouth with his troops was at Norton,
and his outposts were surprised by the advance guard of Fever-
sham's army under the Duke of Grafton. Grafton and his men
got entangled in a lane, the sides of which were lined with rebel
musketeers. Many of the royal troops fell, but the remainder
managed to fight their way to the entrance of the town of Norton
St. Philip to find the roadway barricaded. There was nothing
for it but to retreat, which they accordingly did ; but before being
able to rejoin the main body of the army more than one hundred
men were either killed or wounded. The rebel cavalry endeavoured
to cut off the retreat of the duke, but were charged, and failed in
their object. Feversham was awaiting his artillery, and therefore
did not desire a general engagement, so he fell back towards
Bradford, while Monmouth proceeded towards Frome the same
night.
The church of Norton St. Philip is dedicated to SS. Philip
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC. 93
and James. It is a small building, but possessed of a very singular
tower — a tower which has been the subject of many uncompli-
mentary remarks. It is certainly of very irregular form, but I
venture to think that its effect is not altogether unpleasing. That
the church towers of Somersetshire are as a whole remarkable,
and that some of them are of superlative excellence, is undoubted.
But has there not been rather too much written about them ?
Have they not been discussed and over-investigated, to the neglect
of other portions of the churches ? Is it not rather sad than other-
wise to hear the work of the grand old architects verbally pulled
to pieces in order to frame a table of precedence for Somersetshire
church towers ? In these remarks I do not in the least desire
either to decry the beauty of the architecture of Somersetshire
towers, nor do I in any way depreciate them. I admire these
towers as much as anybody, but I can see other things in the
county worthy of quite as much admiration, and decline to limit
my vision to these particularly well-known e.xamples.
In the south aisle of Norton St. Philip church is a curious
tomb beneath a canopy. The effigy is that of a man clad in a
long and singularly well-cut robe, the shape of the straight collar
being specially noticeable. At his side is a short ornamental
dagger, and on his head a hat. There is not any inscription to
enable one to ascertain the identity of the effigy ; but from the
costume I should incline to consider it that of a merchant, perhaps
a clothier, who lived during the reign of Richard II.
By a pleasant road I made my way to Lullington, where I
desired to inspect the curious Norman doorway on the outside of
94
SOMERSETSHIRE.
the north wall, and also the fine font. The doorway is in every
way remarkable, as my sketch shows. The arch is threefold, as
will be seen, the inner portion being flat, but decorated by rosettes,
and containing a tympan of quaint character. Next to this is a
bold chevron moulding, and finally, on the outside, an arch of
horned or long-eared heads, edged with a dotted moulding. The
^^ ^ -. pillars are six in number, the two inner
ones being flat and plain, the middle
ones twisted, but unlike, while the
outer columns are circular and unorna-
mented, the two outer sets of columns
alone having ornamental capitals. But
above the arch is a niche containing
a figure, a nimbus round its head, and
in the act of benediction. The whole
of this is enclosed in a curved drip-
stone restingf on corbels. Within the
church there are some good arches,
pointed and partly decorated with dog-
tooth mouldings. The pillars, some
of which are twisted, and capitals are
distinctly good. In the vestry I found, built into the wall, the
curious body-stone of which I give a sketch. It is certainly of
great age ; but though I have heard a date assigned for it, I have
been as yet unable to come to a satisfactory decision on the
subject. The Norman font, which is assuredly of very early
date, was the last thing to which I gave my attention. Formerly
SHEPTON MALLET, FROME, NORTON ST. PHILIP, ETC.
95
an inscription ran round the edge of the top, but it has now
become illegible. The inscription round the font band runs as
follows : —
" HOC FONTIS SACRO PEREUNT DELICTA LAVACRO."
Marks on the font itself indicate that its lid was once fixed to the
stone by a hinge. The faces on the upper band of ornament are of
most primitive workmanship, but have suffered not a little mutilation.
Another curious feature in the font is the bevel to the interior of
each of the intersecting circular arches which form the lower band
of decoration.
From Lullington I made my way back to Beckington by means
of a field path, passing the sham antique gateway of Orchardleigh
Park, and descending into the valley. There I crossed the river
Frome by a little bridge newly erected, and ascending the opposite
hill, I soon found myself back again in Beckington, and an hour
later had reached my starting-point, the Market-place at Frome.
CHAPTER IV.
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE.
From Frome I proceeded to Witham, otherwise known as Witham-
Friary, a distance of about six miles, finding, however, nothing on
the way to cause me to tarry and sketch. The church at Witham,
plain in exterior though it undoubtedly is, merits description at some
length, for among other things it is the relic of the first monastery
of the Carthusian Order which was established in Ens^land. Of this
Order it is to be noted that it never became popular in this country,
the total number of houses established being but nine, and of these
two were in the county of Somerset, viz. at Hinton and at Witham.
To St. Bruno, who was born at Cologne, is due the foundation of
the Carthusians in 1080. A century later Henry H. resolved to
establish the house at Witham, the dedication being to the honour
of the Blessed Virgin, St. John Baptist, and All Saints. It however
appears that the buildings were not begun, and many difficulties
cropped up which seemed likely to jeopardize the success of the
scheme. Of the two first priors one resigned and the second died.
A third appointment was more successful when, after considerable
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE.
97
negotiation, Hugh of Avalon, the Procurator of the Grande
Chartreuse, was induced to come to England as Prior of Witham.
Hugh was born at Avalon, near Pontcharra, in Burgundy, close
to the frontier of Savoy, in or about 1 135. He was of noble blood,
his father being William, Lord of Avalon. At eight years of age
Hugh chose the priory of Regular Canons at Villarbenoit as the
place of his education, and remained there till he was nineteen, when
he was ordained deacon by the Bishop of Grenoble. Yearning for
a more rigidly ascetic life, he paid a visit to the monastery of the
98 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Grande Chartreuse, and was immediately desirous of joining the
fraternity. It is stated that, on announcing his desire, Hugh was
bound by oath by his prior not to enter the Carthusian Order, but
nevertheless escaped to the Grande Chartreuse, and took the vows
there in 11 60. Ten years later he became Procurator or Bursar of
the monastery, and as such obtained a high character outside its
walls. Henry H. heard of the talents of Hugh from a nobleman of
Maurienne, and sent an embassy to Grenoble to endeavour to obtain
his services as Prior of Witham. After much deliberation, the
request was granted, and either in 11 75 or 11 76 Hugh arrived in
England. On arrival at Witham the monastery and probably one
of the churches were found to be non-existent, though a few monks
were living on the spot in a most miserable condition. Hugh soon
obtained influence over the king, from whom he obtained an
extended measure of assistance. The local inhabitants were
deported to provide seclusion for the Carthusians, the buildings and
the churches were built. In 1186 Hugh was consecrated Bishop of
Lincoln, but not until considerable opposition on the part of the
canons there had been overcome. They hated the idea of the
foreigner bishop " Hugh the Burgundian." Hugh himself refused
election until leave from his prior at the Grande Chartreuse had
been obtained. Henceforth, except on the occasion of an annual
visit to Witham at harvest-tide, where he in retreat practised the
strict rule of his Order, the connection of Hugh Avith the priory
ceased. He died, November 16, 1200, in the old Temple in
London, on his return from a long-projected visit to Grenoble and
the Grande Chartreuse. Twenty years later Hugh was canonized,
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE. 99
and the number of worshippers at his gorgeous shrine at Lincoln
was only equalled by the crowds which were wont to do honour to
that of St. Thomas of Canterbury.
The church at Witham, and the alleged remains of the priory
domestic buildings at the farm close by, present one or two
difficulties. That the church is mainly the work of St. Hugh
is indubitable, but the question as to which church it is remains
somewhat in doubt. For at Witham Priory, according to Carthu-
sian rule, there were two churches, the major for the monks in
holy orders, and the minor for the lay brethren. There were
likewise two separate sets of domestic buildings. Now, from an
old life of St. Hugh, in the mention of the major church which
he built at Witham, we are led to infer that the edifice had piers
and aisles, a condition of things absent from the present church.
Consequently I can but assume it to be the minor church or
church of the lay brethren. A suggestion has been made that
Witham church was merely a parish church which St. Hugh found
there, and of which he vaulted the roof. Another theory is that
the church is merely the chancel of the major church, and that
it escaped destruction because its roof was vaulted with stone.
This theory is incapable of being sustained, from the discoveries
which were made when a third bay was added to the church
about the year 1876. It was then found that the walls had at
some time been increased in thickness, to render them strono-
enough to bear the vaulting. Internal evidence of a difference
in date exists in the side windows, which are circular headed, and
which, though they have been modified, have yet not been
lOO
SOMERSETSHIRE.
materially changed in form, while the vaulting of the roof is
pointed. It should also be noted that in lieu of vaulting shafts
there are corbels. Now in 1828 a stone tower was erected at
the west end of the then short church, and before building this
tower the w^est wall was removed. In 1876 the tower was pulled
down, and a half corbel disclosed in its original position, thereby
showing that the building had never extended further to the west.
An additional proof that the church was complete, though small,
is given by the discovery of the relics of a sanctus bell turret at
the commencement of the apse and not at the west end of the
chancel. During the alterations the original font was found
buried beneath the tower. This font dates from 1458, when the
prior, John Porter, obtained license to use a font in the chapel,
and at the same time to make a graveyard round the priory
chapel in which to bury the inhabitants of the neighbourhood.
The monastery was likewise to provide the requisite chaplain.
Collinson mentions the discovery of the rood stair, of the use
and intention of which he seems to have been quite ignorant.
A doorway was also uncovered in 1876 upon the north side of
the church, which was completely hidden in the wall, and which,
from the fact of a double plinth crossing its aperture, would seem
to have been the church door in the days before the walls were
thickened and the vaulted roof built. The discovery of this door
seems to confirm the notion that the vaulted roof of St. Hueh
replaced another of wood, and that despite the accounts given of
the churchless condition of the monastery a building of some kind,
devoted to ecclesiastical purposes, must have existed. It should
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE. 10 1
in conclusion be noted that the flying buttresses on the exterior of
the church were only erected in 1876.
With reeard to the buildinsrs near the church, which are
alleged to be a portion of the monastery, I have grave doubts.
I looked with care, but looked in vain, for traces of a possible
conventual house, and it may be remarked that Collinson states
that the ruins were removed in 1 764, " excepting a small part
connected with the east end of the church." He adds that " a
farmhouse and another building have been erected on the site,
by which it appears to have been an extensive edifice." I confess
that this is a little confusing- ; but if we read " the church " for
"connected with the east end of the church," the matter becomes
plain. All vanished in 1764 but the present parish church. It
would be interesting, could the information be obtained, to know
somewhat of the two chantries at Witham of which the endowment
is recorded, one in the reign of Richard II., the other in that
of Henry VI.
At the Spoliation the manor of Witham, together with the
site of the priory, were granted by Henry VIII. to Robert Hopton,
the ancestor of the famous Sir Ralph Hopton, the Royalist whose
eminent services were rewarded by a peerage. Ralph Hopton
was born about 1601, and is stated to have been educated at
Lincoln College, Oxford, where he was a gentleman-commoner.
As a young man he saw military service abroad, and is said to
have escorted the Queen of Bohemia in her flight after the battle
of Prague. At the coronation of Charles I. Hopton was made a
K.C.B. In 1628 he was appointed one of the commissioners for
102 SOMERSETSHIRE.
the draining of Sedgmoor. Hopton had already entered parliament,
being M.P. for Bath in the first jDarliament, and for the county
in that which lasted only a few months. In 1628 he was elected
for Wells, and continued member for that city during the Long
Parliament. His political principles appear to have been contrary
to those of the court at first, and he voted for the attainder of
Strafford, besides being on the committee chosen to present the
" Remonstrance" to the king. But by 1642 his views had changed,
and in consequence of his opposition to parliament on the question
of the " Five Members " and other burning questions, he found
himself committed to the tower, where he remained for ten days.
His military career in England began in the west, where he served
under the unsuccessful Marquis of Hertford. Next he worked
hard for the king in Cornwall, where he gained considerable
renown. How he routed the parliamentarian forces there, and
followed up his success by joining Prince Maurice at Chard, and
marching to Landsdown, near Bath, to give battle to Waller, are
matters of history. At Landsdown, Hopton was severely wounded,
and in that condition was carried to Devizes, where, from his bed,
he conducted the defence during the siege. The jealousy of Prince
Rupert, who insisted on obtaining for himself the post of governor
of Bristol, to which the Marquis of Hertford had appointed Hopton,
was allayed by Hopton's withdrawal. Charles wrote a most hand-
some letter to Hopton on the occasion, and on September 4, 1643,
created him a baron, by the title of Lord Hopton of Stratton.
After this the military career of Hopton consisted more in avoiding
defeats than in gaining victories. He had not only to fight the
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDAI.E. IO3
enemy, and in a falling cause, but he had to endeavour to counteract
the intrigues of his own party — intrigues mainly directed towards
depriving him of command. Finally he withdrew beyond the seas,
and died in exile at Bruges, on September 4, 1652. Being childless,
his estate at Witham passed to his nephew, Hop ton Wyndham,
who lies buried in the church. The arms of the Hopton family
are : Ermine, on two bars sable six mullets or, three and three.
Those of the Wyndhams are : Azure, a chevron between three
lions' heads erased or.
Sir Ralph Hopton's house at Witham having vanished, I
Avill but just mention the fact that it was in 1642 the scene of a
curious episode. It appears that Sir Edward Rodney, Sir Edward
Berkeley, and Master Dugdale, the chaplain of the Marquis of
Hertford, had established themselves there, and were raising the
country on behalf of the king, besides arming the tenants and
fortifying the place. Captain Pym, the son of John Pym, hearing
of this, determined to clear them out, and suddenly assaulted the
place, where, to his surprise, he met with resistance. Curiously
enough, the two knights and the chaplain were none of them at
home, but were presently descried approaching on horseback. To
meet them, out rode the lieutenant of the Roundheads, by name
Hayward, or Howard, and demanded their surrender, a summons
which they declined to obey. After a harmless flashing in the
pan of the Royalists' pistols and the Roundhead's carbine, the trio,
for some unaccountable reason, did surrender. Meanwhile the
assault on the house had succeeded, and the garrison there had
also yielded. Lieutenant Howard, despite his brilliant commence-
104
SOMERSETSHIRE.
ment as a Parliamentarian, nevertheless, later on, deserted his
party and turned Royalist. Being taken prisoner at Barnstaple
in 1644, he was forthwith court-martialled and executed.
From Witham I made my way to the interesting little town
of Bruton — a pleasant rural walk of about six miles. On my
left extended the ridge of hills forming the boundary between
Somersetshire and Wilts,
hills which are in places
very extensively wooded,
and where on the highest
point the triangular tur-
reted monument, known
as Alfred's Tower, domi-
nates the landscape.
Alfred's Tower was
erected by Henry Hoare,
the builder of Stourhead
House, in Wiltshire,
during the last century.
Bruton is a quaint old
town, which in Leland's
time was one of the
homes of the cloth industry. The observant old antiquary twice
mentions a stone three-arch bridge at the south-west corner of the
town, but does not name the elegant little footbridge, now called
Bruton Bow, which I have selected for a sketch. This bridge is
in close proximity to the spot where once the abbey stood, and
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE. IO5
furnishes the most direct communication between the abbey and
the town itself. It is very narrow, wide enough at most to
admit the passage of a single packhorse. Far away in the fields
beyond Ilchester I remember seeing a similar single-arched bridge
some thirty or more years ago.
From coins in existence the fact that Bruton possessed a
mint from the time of Cnut to that of Edward the Confessor is
established, and the names of three of the then moneyers are
even ascertained. At the time of the Survey the manor belonged
to Roger de Courcelles, while the larger manor of Brewham is
assigned to William de Mohun. Whether the priory of Bruton
was founded by the Mohuns, or whether they merely greatly
increased its possessions, is at present an unsolved point. The
first known charter of the priory, however, is one of William de
Mohun, from the internal evidence of which I incline to the belief
that De Courcelles was founder and Mohun a ijreat benefactor.
Another version makes Algar, Earl of Cornwall, the founder of
Bruton in 1055, and states that Mohun refounded the priory in
1 142. The house at Bruton was of the Benedictine Order, and
a priory, but in 1525 it was converted into an abbey of Augustinian
canons. The priors, a somewhat incomplete list of whose names
is extant, do not seem to have included among them any men
of mark. On the Surrender, in 1539, the name of the abbot, the
second only, was John Ely. At Bruton I was informed that a
tomb just within the churchyard gates is traditionally that of the
abbot. On the Surrender, the site of the abbey was granted to
Sir Maurice Berkeley, Kt., who, making it his residence, pulled
I06 SOMERSETSHIRE.
down the church, we must suppose. It is to be remarked that
in almost every case' where the church of an abbey was retained,
the domestic buildings vanished, and vice versa. This is to be
explained as follows : it was held possible that the Catholic Church
might come to its own again, and therefore, in order to render
the resumption of conventual life in England as remote as possible,
either the ecclesiastical or the domestic buildinofs were demolished.
If the monks did return, it would only be to find a church to
worship in and no house in which to dwell, or else the dwelling
preserved but minus its necessary ecclesiastical adjunct, a church.
Bruton remained in the Berkeley family till 1668, when it seems
to have been sold, and remained alienated till 171 5, when it was
purchased by William Lord Berkeley, of Stratton. On the death
of John Lord Berkeley, of Stratton, without children, in 1773
the barony became extinct and the estates were sold. Of the
Berkeley family the most celebrated was the cavalier, Sir John,
who afterwards became the first Lord Berkeley, of Stratton.
John Berkeley was the youngest son of Sir Maurice Berkeley.
His mother was Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Henry Killegrew.
Berkeley was first employed as ambassador to Sweden in 1636-7.
On his return he was knighted. In 1640, being elected member
for both Heytesbury and Reading, he sat for the former con-
stituency. The following year, being accused by parliament of
complicity in an attempt to corrupt the army in the royal interest,
he was expelled the house and committed to the Tower, whence
he was bailed by Lords Dorset and Stamford for ^i 0,000. When
war broke out, he served under Lord Hertford in Somersetshire,
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE. IO7
and in Cornwall under Ralph Hopton. Berkeley greatly dis-
tinguished himself at Stratton, where Lord Stamford's forces were
defeated and pursued to Wells. As commander-in-chief of the
king's troops in Devon, he there besieged Exeter, where he
compelled Stamford to surrender. The next year, in conjunction
with Hopton, he was defeated at Alresford. On April 13, 1645-6,
he was compelled to surrender Exeter to Fairfax, and then retired
to Paris. His actions in connection with the negotiation between
Charles and the Parliament, which culminated in the flight to
Lymington and the subsequent imprisonment of Charles at Caris-
brook, are well known. Again Berkeley retired to Paris, and
was employed about the court. Later on he fought under Turenne
against Conde and the Spaniards, but subsequently, with the Duke
of York, he espoused the Spanish side. Berkeley was made a
peer by patent on May 19, 1658. On the Restoration he obtained
a post at the Admiralty, and in the following year was made
Lord President of Connaught, but the duties were carried on by
deputy. In 1670 he was appointed Viceroy of Ireland, and
continued to hold the office for two years. Three years later
he was appointed Ambassador Extraordinary to the Congress of
Nimeguen. He returned to England in June, 1677, suffering from
ill health, and died on the following 28th of August. Pepys and
Evelyn, in their diaries, give much information with regard to
Berkeley, who appears not to have been popular with the former,
but to have been on terms of the closest intimacy with the latter.
The arms of the Berkeley family are : Gules, a chevron ermine
between ten crosses pattee argent.
I08 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Of the domestic buildings of the abbey, the home of the
Berkeley's, hardly a trace remains. The great hall was burnt on
Michaelmas Day, 1763, and twenty-three years afterwards the rest
of the house was demolished. Against the old abbey wall, a long
wall supported by fourteen buttresses, the present vicarage was
built some time since. Recently, in the paddock of the vicarage,
the arched cellars of the destroyed house were reopened. They
are, however, of comparatively late date with the exception of
one narrow passage, which may possibly be a relic of the
abbey.
Quite close to the vicarage stands Bruton Church, a church
which, though restored in recent times, and possessing a 1770
chancel, has got many points of interest, and moreover a tower
of great beauty. Perhaps the most uncommon portion of the
church is the north porch, which has above it two rooms, reached
by a turret-stair. It will be easily understood that this arrange-
ment converts the north porch into a fair-sized tower. Originally
the church of Bruton was a much smaller one, and the present
building dates from the end of the fifteenth century, when it
replaced the more ancient structure. It is dedicated to St. Mary.
Buried within the church, in a vault, lie many members of the
Berkeley family, but none of their tombs date back earlier than
1559- Of brasses or more ancient monuments there are none.
Here, as elsewhere, the carved roof of the church is a great
feature, and on the outside it is impossible not to admire the
pierced parapet both of the tower and on the south side of
the nave and aisle. Now it is to be noted that though this church
WITIIAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE. IO9
Stood almost as it were touching the abbey walls, yet it never
had any connection with the abbey, but was totally distinct and
in every sense a parish church. A ruined four-gabled tower of
two stories on the top of a rising ground near naturally attracts
attention. It is the remains of the columbarium of the abbey,
peculiar from the fact that the lower part thereof had evidently
been intended as a habitation for the keeper. I had seen at
Norton St. Philip, a few days before, another dovecot, attached
to Norton Grange there, but the Bruton e.xample is of far greater
interest, though not perhaps quite so peculiar as the mud-built
columbarium at West Bower, near Bridgwater. These dovecots
are common all over England and Scotland. Notable examples
exist at Haddon Hall, and at White Hall, near Shrewsbury. The
White Hall dovecot is decorated with a frieze of most beautiful
brickwork.
Opposite to the vicarage stands Bruton School, founded
originally, in 1520, by Richard Fitz-James, Bishop of London,
his nephew. Sir John Fitz-James, Kt, Lord Chief Justice of
England, and a certain John Edmondes, clerk. Sir John Fitz-
James, as a judge, is chiefly memorable for his participation in
the trials of the Carthusians, Robert Fearon, John Hale, and
others, for treason, in April, 1535, and in June and July of the
same year in the proceedings against More and Fisher. It seems
fairly well ascertained that he secretly sympathized with the
prisoners. One is more inclined to believe this from the fact
that he wrote, on September 2, 1535, to Cromwell, to intercede
on behalf of Richard Whiting, Abbot of Glastonbury, whom, he
no
SOMERSETSHIRE.
States, he believes to be harshly dealt with by the visitors
Layton and Co. Sir John died before May 12, 1542, and was
buried in the parish church of Bruton. Richard Fitz-James,
Bishop of London, was born at Redlynch, in Somersetshire. He
was educated at Oxford, and subsequently obtained a Fellowship
at Merton. In 1477 he was made Prebendary of Taunton in the
cathedral of Wells. In 1495 he became almoner to Henry VII.,
and was, two years later, consecrated Bishop of Rochester. Nine
years later he was translated to Chichester, and on March 14,
1506, was again translated, this time to
London. He died in 1522, and was buried
in the old cathedral of St. Paul's. It is
worthy of note that Bishop Fitz-James built
Fulham Palace. The arms of Fitz-James
are : Azure, a dolphin naiant embowed
arcjent. At the Reformation the school was
suppressed, but was, by the advisers of
Edward VI., restored in 1549, and now goes
by the name of King Edward the Sixth's Grammar School. Some
of the buildings are ancient, and I particularly admired some
windows of small size, but of delicate work, which face the road.
Of one of these windows I insert a fragmentary sketch. In the
school grounds, and overhanging the river Brue, stands the pic-
turesque little tower of which a drawing appears at the beginning
of this chapter.
Passing over Bruton Bow, I made my way up into the town,
and found there plenty to interest me. I noticed particularly that
fill
mm
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE.
I I I
inn signs of hammered iron were rather more numerous here than
in other places in the district. Two of those at Bruton are
extremely good in design, one in particular being noteworthy.
In the wall of a public-house, called the Crown, is a small oblong
opening with a shutter-grove round it, and cut slantwise, so as
to command the maximum range of view up the street. This
Is one of the now rare spy-holes through which a look-out used
to be kept for the coach in old coaching days. A fine example
of these is to be seen at the Sun Inn, at Dedham, Essex, where
the bow window of the kitchen-
coffee-room or bar has a glazed
spy-hole on either side. To
improve the view at Dedham,
the wall and door-post moulding
have been grooved.
In the High Street at
Bruton there is still a house
which, before the Spoliation,
was the dwelling of the prior. This is a rather remarkable instance
of a detached house in such close proximity to the monastery.
On the outside, and built into the wall, are some carvings. Of
two of these I give a sketch. The rebus and initials are those
of John Henton, Prior of Bruton in 1448, but the shield beneath
I have not identified. The other shield bears the arms of Mohun :
Gules, in a maunch ermine a hand proper holding erect a fleur-
de-lis or. The other piece of carving bears a shield or, charged
with a cross engrailed sable. Both these shields are those of
I 12
SOMERSETSHIRE.
Mohun, the latter being the older coat. Bruton Abbey had no arms
of its own, but used those of the family above named.
One spot more in Bruton needed to be visited, viz. the
hospital of Hugh Sexey. Bruton Hospital, compared with Abbot's
Hospital of Guildford, is only of small size, but it is still far from
uninteresting, having been erected in 1638. As a specimen of
late Jacobean work it is quite worthy of notice. The half effigy
of the founder within a frame surmounts the door, and beneath
this there is a dedicatory inscription, while at the top a small
oval bears the arms of Sexey, or what purport to be the arms of
Sexey. The triple windows of this old building are a refreshing
change from the ordinary mullion of the district. The chapel of
the hospital is of no particular interest, nor could I hear that
there was anything either curious or antique remaining among
the possessions of the charity. Nothing like the plate, mazers,
platters, Bible, and manuscript register of the Whitgift Hospital
in Croydon is to be found at Bruton.
WITIIAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE.
I I
Leaving Bruton, I turned my back on the railway station
and started up the hill, which leads in due course to Stavordale
Priory. The road thither was not too easy to find, but at length
I obtained specific directions which at once removed my difficulties.
r^^^^^'
Stavordale Priory was never of large dimensions. It was a house
of canons regular of St. Augustine, and was founded in the reign
of Henry III., according to one view, by a member of the Lovel
family. During the reign of Edward III. another Lovel added
a chantry. In the reign of Edward VL, 1443, the present
K
114
SOMERSETSHIRE.
conventual church, the sole relic of the priory and now the farm
house, was built by John Stourton. Ninety years later the priory
was attached to that at Taunton. At the present date the nave
of the church is used as a barn, while the chancel and north chapel
have been fitted up as a dwelling house. The chief interest lies
in the north chapel, which has been divided by a floor. The
lower portion contains some very curious corbels, of which I give
sketches of two. There is besides a beautiful cornice with rosettes,
and a small but elegant door. The panelling of the large arch
r. I/A^i
is very handsome, and my sketch of the upper floor shows how
the decoration is worked out above in a more elaborate manner
than beneath. It will be observed that the quatrefoil which is
present above is absent below. The upper part of this chapel,
now used as a bedroom, is most beautifully roofed with fan tracery,
the finials of which, though the semi-angels with which they were
once terminated are sadly damaged, nevertheless are still very
remarkable. Of such a degree of fineness is the work that the
finials are absolutely pierced towards the end, and it is possible
to put the hand quite through the opening. The heraldry of this
WITHAM-FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE.
115
sri5n/4%&K,)Li
roof is full of interest, showing the coats of Zouche, who had
married a descendant of the founder, Cantelo, or Cantelupe, Roos,
St. Maur, and Lovel. But besides the coat-armour, I found on
one of the smaller shields a curious
mark or badge, the which, upon re- ""
flection, I am inclined to consider a
merchant's mark, but how this mer-
chant's mark came among the coat-
armour of Zouch, Roos, and Lovel it
is hard to say. The question of
merchants' marks is so wide, that I
may be excused from discussing it
here ; still, I may say that in Somer-
setshire I enriched my collection
of marks by three, all different in type, and all of most uncommon
character. But, to return to Stavordale Priory, it is quite sad to
see how the heads of the angels, large and small, suffered at
the hands of an iconoclastic tenant, who not so
many years ago used to vent his spleen thereon.
Would that he had spared them, for the sculptor
or stonemason had placed all in rather unwonted
attitudes, the hands above instead of below the
shields.
Now there is one other portion of the building
which needs notice, and that is the roof of the chancel. This, of
which I give a sketch, has extremely handsomely carved beams and
brackets ; the corbels, too, are both elaborate and rather uncommon
ii6
SOMERSETSHIRE.
in their plan. The roof is very flat ; still there is a slight arch
to the beams, and at the point of each is a curious boss. Of
one of these bosses I give the sketch, which I have placed as the
tailpiece to this chapter. Architecturally, outside, there is but little
to see at Stavordale. The nave, now the barn, was much blocked
on the occasion of my visit, so that I could not carefully e.xamine
it, still I noted the fine arch therein, and that there were the
Tw»ac L.
remains of a handsome roof with central bosses to the beams.
All the windows of the nave have been blocked, and the place
is therefore dark, so that if I nearly missed the piscina and
aumbrey, it is not to be wondered at ; and, by the way, there is
another piscina close by the present entrance into the house. In
the farmyard, which lies to the north of the church, there are
traces of the foundations of buildings, which may possibly have
WITHAM- FRIARY, BRUTON, AND STAVORDALE. I I 7
once been the cloisters. It is a matter, however, of pure speculation
on my part, but I fancied that I could detect the enclosure, and
under all reservation express my opinion.
By the time I had finished my investigations at Stavordale
the day had nearly closed in, and I had to make my way back
to Bruton. This I did with all available speed, pausing only in
the field close by the priory to examine the stumpy fragment of
the ancient cross, round which for generations, on the 5th of
August, the annual Stavordale fair used to take place. But times
are changed, the cross is ruined, and the place knows its fair
no more.
CHAPTER V.
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D'EVERCY.
From Stavordale I returned to Bruton, and thence passed by rail
to Yeovil, in order to visit Sandford Orcas, Trent, and Brympton.
Naturally I had opportunities for exploring Yeovil itself during my
s«MD>s'«wii ajtias-
stay, and I shall, in the course of this chapter, touch upon such
antiquities there as came under my notice. Sandford Orcas has
a curious name, the second portion of which is stated to be a
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY. It9
corruption of a Norman family name. It would appear that the
manor was the property in those times of the Orescuiltzes, or
Orskoys. It is but fair to state that on one of the tombs in the
church the word Orcas appears as Areas ; the spelHng in this case,
however, is merely phonetic. In the reign of Edward III. I find
that a family, by name Knoyle, was in possession of the manor.
The year 1492 gives one of the same family as sheriff of Dorset-
shire and Somersetshire, and the present most interesting manor
house was built by one of his descendants, in all probability about
the middle of the sixteenth century. At Sandford Orcas, just as
at Whitestaunton, near Chard, we find the manor house and
church in close proximity, and, indeed, viewed from the top of the
opposite hill, there is a striking similarity between the two groups
of buildings. But Sandford Orcas has a gatehouse, which White-
staunton has not. This gatehouse forms a projection or small
wing on the north side of the dwelling, and does not lead directly
to the main entrance, to which access is obtained through a small
archway in the terraced garden wall. I have a theory that at
Lytescary there may have been a similar arrangement, and,
indeed, the relics of a small arch are still to be seen there in the
garden wall.
The porch, by which ultimately you enter the house, is
original, and has above its arch the coat armour of the Knoyles
in an ornamental lozenge frame. My sketch, taken from the
bowling-green in front, shows the general appearance of this old
manor house ; the gatehouse is the building half hidden on the
right hand, while the hall, with the drawing-room over it, stands
120 SOMERSETSHIRE.
on the left. Before entering the house, I could not help being
struck with the evidently loving care which had been expended,
not in restoring the exterior, but in preserving it. This seemed
to promise well for the interior, and that promise was amply
fulfilled. A few additions have doubtless been made to the
internal fittings, but whatever has been inserted has been in
character with its surroundings — of appropriate date, and, more-
over, genuine. A contrast indeed to Trent, which is to all intents
and purposes a very new house with two or three old and historic
rooms.
The hall at Sandford Orcas is a beautiful room, lighted by
the lower part of the great oriel window — a window which contains
some good heraldic glass. A fine oak screen cuts off the lower
end of the hall, and the fireplace has a very ornate carved oak
mantel. Round the room runs a narrow frieze of stamped plaster,
almost exactly similar in pattern to the frieze in the hall (now the
bar) of the Star Hotel, Yarmouth. Unfortunately the ornamental
ceiling, which was, I suspect, once to be seen at Sandford, is there
no longer. This is merely conjecture on my part ; but I must
aver that I never saw a room with a frieze of that date which had
not once possessed a decorated ceiling. In the upper rooms,
which are reached by two circular stone stairs, there are several
points well worthy of notice. In one bedroom the Royal Arms
stand out from the wall above a fine fireplace. Here it may be
remarked, that an interesting passage lobby-screen admits to this
room, while the bed is an extremely good example of the furni-
ture of its date. Another room also has a good bed, and likewise
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY.
12 I
a panelled lobby-screen. In one little room there are panels of
at least three different dates. It is no part of my purpose to
write of the collections with which the house is stored, still I
may note their great interest and beauty. In the Visitation of
Somersetshire, 1623, the pedigree of the Knoyle family is given
for seven generations. The name is spelt Knoell, and their arms
are : i and 4, gules, on a bend argent, three escallops sable (Knoell),
2 and 3, gules, three pears or [Orchard ?]. The Knoyles inter-
married with some well-known Somersetshire families, such as the
Portmans and Pophams ; but for the most part sought alliances
beyond the borders of the county. Sandford Orcas manor and
the advowson of the church were purchased rather more than a
century and a half ago by an ancestor of the present owner, Mr.
Hubert Hutchings.
The church of St. Nicholas, Sandford Orcas, is mainly Per-
pendicular in style ; and the oldest thing about it is its font, which
122
SOMERSETSHIRE.
appears to be Early English. In the south aisle, which has a good
roof, there is a curious tomb to one of the Knoyles, William by
name, who married " Fillip," daughter of Robert Morgane, of
Maperton, Dorset, by whom he had four children, " and bee dead."
This must refer to " Fillip," for William Knoyle married a second
time, the inscription tells us, viz. to Grace Clavell, daughter of
John Clavell, of Barstone, Dorset, by whom he had issue three
sons and four daughters. William
Knoyle died January 21, 1607, aged
forty-nine. The arms of Knoyle,
Morgane, and Clavell are on this
tomb. On the south side of the
chancel, which, unlike the rest of
the church, is not Perpendicular in
style, but Decorated, there is a squint
or hagioscope.
Climbing the hill opposite to
the manor house, from which I
obtained the view I have already
mentioned, but which I regret I
did not tarry to sketch, I made
my way to Trent. The village
of Trent is most Interesting, and, though I was considerably
impeded in my outdoor investigations by torrents of rain, yet so
rich is the place in relics of the past that it was a matter of no
great difficulty to obtain a sufficient number of sketches. Besides
the church, which is most noteworthy, there are two, if not three,
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY. I 23
manor houses, and also a fine example of a chantry house adjoin-
ing the churchyard. In the days of WilHam I. the Lord of
Trent was Robert, Earl of Moreton, and in the Survey, Ansger is
named as holding the place of " the Earl," of whom, besides other
estates, he also held Preston- Bermondsey, to which I shall draw
attention later. The descent of the manor subsequently is rather
involved, but is so interesting that, as an example, it may well
be set down in brief. It is an established fact that in the reign
of Henry II. Walter Brito was in possession of Trent. In the
first year of King John, Walter Croc, a nephew of Brito, paid a
fine of two hundred marks on being acknowledged heir of a moiety
of the estates of his uncle. This moiety he granted to the king
the next year in order that it might be transferred to Richard
Briewere and his heirs. Another nephew of Walter Brito, by
name Richard de Hasecumb, and probably coheir with Walter
Croc, two years afterwards surrendered the other moiety for the
same purpose. In the thirteenth year of King John, Richard
Briewere was possessed of the whole. He died without issue
during his father's lifetime. His father, William Lord Briewere,
died in the eleventh year of Henry III., and was succeeded by
his surviving son, also named William. This son, dying likewise
without issue, the estates passed to his sisters, Alice de Mohun,
Margaret de la Ferte ; his nieces, the daughters of Joan de Percy
and Griselda de Braos ; and his nephew, Hugh Wake.
Part of the rents of the manor of Trent were divided between
Alice de Mohun and the daughters of Joan de Percy, in the pro-
portions of 4^. ■jld. and 395. 2]^. ; but how long this arrangement
124 SOMERSETSHIRE.
lasted is uncertain, as later Trent is found in possession of the
De Braos branch. Some confusion now appears through the
introduction of the name of a Hawis Wat in the nineteenth year
of Henry III.; but it is not probable that the Trent lands he
held were the manor lands. In the reign of Edward I. there was
a dispute as to the right of possession of the manor. Now the
granddaughters of Griselda de Braos were four in number, Eva,
Maud, Eleanor, and Isabel, of which the first three succeeded to
Trent ; Isabel, according to Dugdale, having been wrongfully
deprived of her inheritance by Humphrey de Bohun, the husband
of her sister Eleanor. Eva bestowed one-third of the manor on
Studley Priory, in Warwickshire. The third of Eleanor was
probably sold during the reign of Edward I., for it is then found
in the possession of Robert de Seford and Matilda his wife.
The remaining third share was alienated by Maud to Henry
de Wollavington. Studley Priory retained its portion till the
Spoliation. The De Sefords sold theirs to the Le Chasteleyns,
of Suffolk, of which family in the Harleian Manuscript, 6152,
there is an interesting account. In the reign of Edward III. the
Chasteleyn portion of Trent descended to an heiress, Joan, who
was the wife of Roger Wyke, of Bindon, Devonshire. The
inquisition held on the death of her father is curious from the
fact that the date of her baptism was fixed by one of the Avitnesses,
who remembered going on that day with her father, Thomas
Chasteleyn, to shoot deer in Donyat Park. Two deer were killed
by the father, who presented the witness with the skin of one of
them to make a waistcoat, thereby to fix his daughter's age in his
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY. I 25
memory. Roger Wyke pre-deceased his wife, who married John
Manyngford. The Manyngfords had a daughter, EHzabeth, who
married one Thomas Affleton. Again this third of Trent passed
away to another family, for the issue of the Affletons was a
daughter, Katherine, who married Hugh Stukeley, sheriff of
Devon. In the thirty-sixth year of Henry VHI. the descendant
of Hugh Stukeley (a grandson also named Hugh) sold his property
at Trent to a certain John Young. This disposes of two-thirds of
the manor up to the date of the Spoliation, for Studley Priory, as
I have said, retained its possessions till then.
The third of Trent, which fell to the share of Maud, the
wife of Roger de Mortimer, having been alienated to Henry de
Wollavington, remained with them till the reign of Edward HI.,
when it appears to have become the possession of a Sir Thomas
West, whose son parted with the property to John de Terstwode.
In the reign of Henry VII., till which time the history of this
portion of the manor is wanting, we find it held by a member of
the Storke family, in the person of Tristram Storke. The Storkes
were west-country gentry, and had possessed lands in the neighbour-
hood in the days of Henry VI. Tristram Storke died in 1532,
leaving his property to four co-heiresses, and Trent fell to Mary,
the wife of William Gerard. The Gerards were then resident
in Dorsetshire, but claimed to be of the same family as the Gerards
of Bryn, in Lancashire.
At Sandford Orcas, though not at the manor house, as early
as the reign of Henry IV., there was also a Gerard, or Jerard,
family, who used different arms, viz. Argent, a chevron gules
I 26 SOMERSETSHIRE.
between three ermine spots sable. In the Visitation of Somerset-
shire the pedigree of this family is given, starting from Ricardus
Jerard, forty-fourth Edward III., and continuing down to 1623.
In 1618 a Thomas Gerard married Ann Coker, of Mappowder,
and had issue one daughter, Ann. Ann Gerard married Sir
Francis Wyndham. The manor house of the Wyndhams is that
on the north-west side of the church ; the manor house of the
Youngs lies on the south-west, and is now known as Church
Farm.
The heiress of the Wyndhams, a sister of Sir Francis, the
third baronet, married a Henry Bromley, of Horseheath Hall
and Holt Castle, Cambridgeshire. He was raised to the peerage
on May 9, 1741, with the title of Lord Montford, Baron of Horse-
heath. This title became extinct on the death of Henry, the
third baron, in 1851. The estate was sold to a Mr. Colliton, who
in turn sold it to a Mr. Francis Seymour, in whose family it still
remains.
Mr. Francis Seymour also acquired the remainder of the
manor, thus reuniting the thirds, which had been separated since
the sixteenth year of Henry III. The old manor house of the
Wyndhams is celebrated as having been one of the places of
concealment of Charles II. after the battle of Worcester, fought
and lost on September 3, 165 1.
The romantic adventures of the fugitive prince are matters
of history, and need not be here recounted, save so far as they
concern Trent. It will be remembered that Charles reached
Abbots Leigh, near Bristol, in company with Miss Jane Lane,
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMTTON D EVERCY. 1 27
and disguised as her servant. Finding it impossible to get a ship
there, they left under pretence of returning to Bentley, near
Walsall, in Staffordshire, the home of Miss Lane's father ; but
instead of going thither, on September i6, the fugitive and his
supposed mistress made their way to Castle Gary. On the
following day they arrived at Trent, where Miss Lane remained
for a brief period, until she returned with a cousin to Bentley.
The well-known quotation that the Wyndhams adhered to the
crown, even though "it should hang upon a bush," is derived
from the words of welcome addressed to Charles IL by Colonel
VVyndham on the occasion of his arrival at Trent. The colonel
repeated them as the commands of his late father, who, foreseeing
at the time of his death (1636) the troubles which were impending,
called his sons together and bade them be ever loyal.
Three rooms in the manor house have traditions of this royal
visit. The former kitchen, from the huge fireplace of which com-
munication was kept up with the room above, by means of a
string. This kitchen, now devoted to other purposes, has lost
all appearance of antiquity. The room above it, of which I o-ive
a sketch on the next page, with its heavy beams and dark panels,
is by no means cheerful. Behind the panels, two of which open
on hinges, a place of concealment easily discoverable, it is stated
that documents were hidden by the fugitive. In the panellino-
which lines the oriel of the hall at Ockwell's Manor House,
Berkshire, I have seen a panel of precisely the same kind.
According to the traditions of the house, the entrance to this
room, which is in one corner, was blocked by the bed of Mrs.
128
SOMERSETSHIRE.
Wyndham in the next room ; but this I doubt, as the height of
the wall is not nearly sufficient to admit of a bedstead of those
days being placed there. Moreover, the prince would have been
caught like a rat in a trap had such an arrangement been carried
out, for the other entrance to this part of the house was hidden, it
is said, by a load of hay. In all probability the small hiding-place
in the roof, of which I give a sketch on the opposite page, was the
TK.S.WY"
place used for concealment during the major portion of the prince's
stay, brief and hasty visits alone being paid to the larger room,
and these only when the absence of search parties from the
neighbourhood was assured. But as hiding-places, neither rooms
would have availed to baffle for five minutes the experienced
searchers of the Parliament.
Church Farm, close by the church, shows several signs of
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON d'eVERCY.
129
antiquity in exterior, and at a glance, looking up between the
massive stone gate-posts, one recognizes that these are but relics
of glories departed. The windows on one side are of various
dates, and you enter the house by a flat-headed arched door.
Two rooms on the ground floor are interesting, one for its beautifully
carved oak door and heavily moulded beam, the other for a fine
€'?lei&%, TTRSM-'r W^M®fe-K10l!!l3g<.
Stamped plaster ceiling, beam, and cornice. The pattern is in the
main geometrical, with some heraldic badges. But I was delighted
in the top story to find the manor house chapel, and what was,
above all things, a few fragments of glass in the tracery of one
of its windows — a window in which the ancient shutter-hinees of
pre-glazing days were yet apparent. The glass was heraldic, and
showed the coat of the Youngs : Or, three roses gules, a canton
L
SOMERSETSHIRE.
of the second. A part of the helmet remained, but the crest
had gone. The mantHng was gules and argent, while beneath
the shield was the date 1615. This date was reversed, and, as
a matter of fact, a part of the glass in mending the leading had
been placed inside out. From the farmyard I took the sketch
of the spire of the church which is given on page 122.
Trent Church is dedicated to St. Andrew. It is irregular
in plan, but picturesque withal. Specially to be noticed are the
tower and spire, which last, from the comparative rarity of spires
in the county, impresses the most casual observer at the outset.
The only answer to the rather natural query of how this spire
came to be in the place it is will be in the fact that Studley
Priory presented to the living. I am informed that the priory
presented the oldest of the bells, a view inferred from the inscription
thereon. The tower has a pierced quatrefoil parapet with corner
pinnacles, from which the spire rises. Beneath the parapet is some
delicate bracket work. The church cannot be called cruciform in
the literal sense, for though the south transept exists as a transept,
yet on the north side there is an unmistakable chapel. Here
there are two ancient stone effigies, one in plate armour, with
bascinet on head and helm for a pillow, in all probability the
memorial of Roger Wyke ; another, the figure of a younger man,
is clad in a long tunic and hood, with a sword. There is a third
effigy in the chapel, that of a late rector. The entrance arch to
this chapel is remarkable for the heraldic trees which are painted
on the soffit of the arch. These trees have blazoned thereon some
forty shields, belonging to the Gerards and the Cokers. It appears
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY. 1 3 1
that in 1 792 they were correctly repainted under the supervision
of Windsor Herald, as time had dulled their colours and effaced
some of their charges. It was a judicious act, and well performed.
Would that in other places similar care had been taken to preserve
monuments. I will not here enumerate the coats blazoned, as
they may all be found engraved in Collinson, suffice it to say that
they comprise a most interesting and valuable record of the
alliances of both families. In this chapel there yet remain two
helms, two gauntlets, and a much corroded gorget. How rare it is
in Somersetshire to find in a church any armour, either funeral or
otherwise ! Ilminster, with its four helmets, is quite wealthy ! The
chancel screen is rather remarkable, not so good as either Dunster,
Minehead, or Norton Fitzwarren, but still a screen to be noticed.
Of benches and bench-ends Trent can make some boast, especially
in the case of those inscribed " Ave Maria," four in number. The
bench-end with the " Flight into Egypt " carved thereon is an
extremely good specimen, though hardly equal to the " Judgment
Day" at Bishops Hull, or the "Ship" and the "Windmill" at
Bishops Lydeard. Still it is almost a vain task to analyze the
bench-ends of Somersetshire, seeing that all those preserved are
good, while some are superb.
In the chancel at Trent is a curious monument, that of
Tristram Stork, of whom I have made mention before. On this
monument the coat armour is very quaint but very interesting,
dating from 1532 ; and it records that Tristram left four daughters,
his heirs, the fourth of whom, Mary, married William Gerard.
One other monument (also a mural one) needs notice. It is that
132 SOMERSETSHIRE.
of a Dorsetshire man, by name Thomas Hussey, who died in
1630, aged " neere 32." Thomas Hussey had married Bridget,
the daughter of Robert Coker, of Mappowder, Dorset. Above
this monument arc two crests, one (Coker), a moor's head couped
at the shoulders full-faced proper, wreathed about the temples,
argent and gules ; the other (Hussey), a boot sable, spurred or,
topped ermine, and bearing a crescent for a difference. A shield
on this monument has eight quarterings, the first and fifth being
themselves quartered. In the south porch there is a genuine
bier, dated 1757. These biers are now rare, but I regret to say
that, to make this one agree in height with the trestles usually
employed at funerals, some person or persons in authority have
attached legs to it. It would be well to have this at once
remedied.
I wandered out of the church and took my way to the
chantry house close by, pausing only to inspect the ancient but
mutilated churchyard cross. This chantry house was the residence
in former times of the chaplain or priest who served in the
chantry within Trent church. This chantry was founded by John
Frank, a Trent man, who became Master of the Rolls in the reign
of Henry VI. The site of the chantry chapel is not absolutely
known, but conjecturally it was the north chapel of the church — a
chapel afterwards annexed by the Gerards as a burial-place, and
subsequently used in a similar way by the Wyndhams. The
chantry house, as my sketch shows, is a quaint old building.
It has tiny windows at the ends, and one pierced quatrefoil
opening, which is centred by a shield. Inside there is a fine
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY.
fireplace, the top of which is decorated by three quatrefoil panels,
those on the outside bearing blank shields, while the central one
bears a conventional flower.
In a house just across the road I noticed an ornamental
window of good design, and this may possibly be a relic of the
second chantry house of which there are traditions. At but a short
distance higher up the village street, on the left-hand side, stands
"TTRS-sfiT CM^WYJ^V mM^i'w
a fine old house, now occupied as a farm house, but presumably
in former days of far greater importance. Here I was informed
that stamped plaster ceilings and carved beams, like those at
Church Farm, were to be seen. But a prolonged course of heavy
rain had somewhat damped my ardour. I felt that I had every
reason to be satisfied with my day's work, and so, turning my
back on Trent, I made the best of my miry way to Yeovil.
134
SOMERSETSHIRE.
On a visit to Yeovil, and after an exploration of its streets,
the question which naturally suggests itself is : How is it that
the borough contains fewer vestiges of antiquity than are to be
found in almost any other place in Somersetshire ? When the
size of Yeovil is taken into account the deficiency is even more
manifest, since, beyond the fine church, dedicated to St. John
Baptist, the old chantry house in Middle Street, now known as the
Castle Inn, and the half-timbered George Inn, nearly opposite to
it, there is nothing. An answer
to the query is to be found in
the record of a disastrous fire.
This conflagration occurred in
1449, when a hundred and
seventeen houses were burnt,
among them being fifteen houses
belonging to the chantry of the
Holy Trinity, founded in the
parish church, eleven belonging to
the chantry of the Virgin Mary, and two belonging to the alms-
house. These hundred and seventeen houses were doubtless the
chief and most important dwellings in the town, and the escape
of the church was probably entirely due to its isolated position.
The church of St. John Baptist is in every way a noble
building — restored, no doubt, but in my opinion well restored. It
was built towards the latter end of the fourteenth century, appa-
rentlv on the site of a more ancient church, for beneath the chancel
is a crypt or undercroft, of undoubtedly early thirteenth-century
iTMll SflSTti.lfi^'iCilItc;
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY. I35
work. This crypt has had the exact date of 1226 assigned to
it, a date which I have without success endeavoured to substantiate.
Why not 1225 or 1227?
And here I should Hke to insert a few Hnes on the subject
of assigning dates to buildings. It is so often found that a church,
of the building of which no record whatever remains, has an
exact date assigned to it without even the margin of a few years.
I have met architects who will positively declare that they can
name on inspection the absolute date of a building, and they
claim for their professional opinion absolute infallibility. A half-
century margin, or even a quarter-century, I can comprehend, but
to the reduction of that margin to twelve months I must object.
To me it appears that by this assumed exactitude much harm
is done, and I venture to assert here that without good documentary
evidence no precise date should be assigned.
To return to the crypt or undercroft. This interesting portion
of the church is entered by a vaulted passage, and is itself
vaulted from a central pier. It is now used as a species of vestry.
The nave roof is a fine one, and the unusual size of the windows
in the aisles is a feature in the church which differentiates it from
other Somersetshire churches. Viewed from the outside the edifice
appears to even greater advantage. The tower, with its elegant
parapet of narrow-pierced cusped-headed panels and charming
windows, stands proudly up. The same parapet, it should be
remarked, runs round the transepts. Another feature in the
building is the great height of the aisles. But to its position, no
less than to the harmony and uniformity of its style, the church
Ijfe 'SOMETRSETSHIRE.
of Yeovil owes much, for it stands nearly on tlie edge of a sharp
'declivity, with a spacious tree-planted yard around it — a church
site not easily to be matched in Somersetshire. In monuments
the church is sadly lacking. There is a fifteenth-century brass to
an ecclesiastic, another of sixteenth-century date to a man and
his wife, and a third — a deeply-cut mural tablet — to Thomas
Hawker and his wife, the daughter of Richard Duke, of Otterton,
Devon. This tablet bears the arms of Hawker: Sable, a hawk
standing on a perch argent beaked and legged or ; impaling Duke, —
per fess, argent and azure, three chaplets counterchanged. One
object of church furniture is well worth notice, viz. the fine
inscribed brass lectern.
In ancient times, according to Collinson, there were six
chantries, viz. those of St. John Baptist, Holy Cross, Holy Trinity,
Virgin Mary (2), and Samborne's. Of these the second, third,
and last appear to have been amply endowed with lands and
houses. It would be interesting to know to which the old
chantry house, now used as the Castle Inn, belonged. Much
mutilated though the old place is, as a relic of antiquity it is not
without interest. The half-timbered house nearly opposite, which
is now the George Inn, from the comparative rarity of half-
timbered houses in this stone county, should be most religiously
preserved. That the front has suffered not a little from altera-
tion is manifest, but the alteration is not of recent date. The
wing at the back of the house is of the same age as the house
itself, and is approached through the old gateway. On the left
hand side of the gateway as you enter, a door up two steps gives
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY.
137
admission to an old room, in which the cracked stone arched fire-
place is still to be seen.
Rather over a mile from Yeovil is the village of Preston, a
place which, in former times, was divided into two tithings,
respectively known as Preston-Plucknett and Preston-Bermondsey.
Nowadays it appears to be the feshion to drop the distinctive titles,
and to the majority the place is simply Preston — so much so that
an inquiry for Preston-Bermondsey elicits either a stare of astonish-
ment or a confession of ignorance. Yet Preston-Bermondsey owes
its addition to its connection with the mighty abbey of Bermondsey,
on the south side of the Thames. An abbey, like that of Barking,
the refuge for distressed royalty — for did not more than one
widowed queen die there in poverty and distress .'' Of Barkino-,
the place of education for ladies nobly born, as Glastonbury was
138 SOMERSETSHIRE.
for youths, what remains ? Nothing but the abbey gateway. Of
Bermondsey even less, for here the two huge hooks, deeply
embedded in a fragment of wall, and on which one of the heavy
iron abbey gates used once to swing, alone serve to identify the
spot. To the Thames-side abbey, at that time a Clugniac priory,
as far back as the year 11 26, Ansger gave two hides of land at
Preston to provide two chaplains at the priory to say masses for
his soul, the souls of his ancestors, and of all faithful departed. Of
this grant a confirmation by his son occurs, and before the end
of the twelfth century we read that the value of Preston to the
monks was £8 ^s. ^d.
There seems to be a difference of opinion as to the building
now called the Abbey Farm. Some assert that it had a monastic
origin, and was, in fact, the grange belonging to the abbey manor.
Others hold that it was merely a manor house. With the latter
view I entirely disagree. On consulting the Proceedings of the
Somersetshire Archcsological and Nattcral History Society, vol. xii.
(New Series), I find it under the heading of " The Mediaeval
House." Surely, however, the fifteenth-century barn at right angles
to the main house is of ecclesiastical origin, i.e. was built by
ecclesiastics for storing the dues so often paid in kind. The barn
is by no means a large one, and has a roof of a character which,
I venture to say, would not have been erected by a non-ecclesiastical
builder as a storehouse for agricultural produce. The entrance-
porch of the house has a good arch and stone seat, while the
inner arch is also of interest. On the right hand, as I take it, was
a room, with a small dormitory above, while a pleasant little
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AXD BRYMPTOX D EVF.RCY.
139
^^^••^qkei..
chamber looks out from above the porch. Externally, however,
the greatest beauty in the place is the chimney, which is octagonal,
and formerly consisted of a double tier of pierced panels. These
pierced panels have been bricked up, perhaps necessarily in order
to preserve the chimney from complete destruction. 1 had the
pleasure once of examining the fireplace belonging to this chimney,
and found it very interesting.
Altosfcther, thousfh of course de-
prived of not a few of its internal
features, the old fourteenth-century
monastic grange of Preston-
Bermondseyis better worth visiting
than many other far more belauded
places in the county.
From Preston- Bermondsey I
made my way to Brympton
D'Evercy, or Brympton, as it is
now generally called. Here I
found a wealth of material to
study. A small and curious, but in
many respects beautiful church, adjoining the churchyard of which
stands the old manor house of the D'Evercy family — for I entirely
repudiate the chantry house theory. At right angles to this, and
almost touching it, is the present manor house — a house of mixed
styles, ranging from the reign of Henry VII. to the days of Queen
Anne. I will first consider the church.
Brympton Church is dedicated to St. Andrew, and was
140 SOMERSETSHIRE.
originally cruciform. Unlike the " celebrated " churches of
Somersetshire, it never had a tower, and except for a few addi-
tions, is either Early English or Decorated, in lieu of Perpendicular,
in its architecture. The south transept remains fairly in its original
condition, with an interesting arch and a fine window. The north
transept has, however, been subject to a curious extension or
alteration, for when a third chantry was founded, this transept was
prolonged eastwards, the roof being gabled east and west. This
makes what is really an extended transept appear like a chancel
aisle. Internally, this part of the building was used as two chantry
chapels ; it is therefore reasonable to sujopose that the south transept
formed the third, the presence of a piscina there lending support
to this view. Brympton Church boasts of a stone rood-screen, in
this part of the country a rarity. This screen is of Perpendicular
date, and though it has been somewhat mutilated, is nevertheless
in fair preservation. There are four open panels on each side of
the central door, with carved spandrels. On the west side of the
screen there is a stone bench-table — another rarity, and a feature
which in itself entitles the structure to more than ordinary con-
sideration. The north transept contains the tombs and font of
which I give an illustration. Here the evil effects of restoration
are very manifest. The carving above the effigy of the ecclesiastic
holding a chalice is original, but the head of the effigy is modern.
The figure of the lady in the other tomb is original, while the
carving representing the Crucifixion above it is modern. This
carving of the Crucifixion has absolutely been purposely but half
finished, and left in that condition, to give it the air of antiquity !
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND DRYMPTON D EVERCY.
141
In both cases the crenellations above the canopies are of later
date than the canopies themselves. Apologists for this Flint-
Jacquesque freak may possibly be forthcoming. Nero has been
excused, and even Henry VIII. whitewashed, but I trust that
the experimental "faking" at Brympton may never be taken as
a precedent for elsewhere placing young " restoration " heads on
old mediaeval shoulders.
"'""""''WgWWF'TOM (?«
In the north chancel chapel are two more effigies, a fourteenth-
century knight and a lady of rather later date. These effigies,
as well as those in the other chapel, according to Collinson, had
been turned out of the church in his day, and were then lying
nearly buried beneath the turf of the churchyard. He records
that the ecclesiastic then possessed a head and a shaven crown.
Between the chancel and this chapel is the curious tomb of one
of the Sydenhams. The tomb consists of a canopy supported
142 SOMERSETSHIRE.
by four columns, a central block, intended to represent a sarco-
phagus, and a lower tier, sculptured with skulls and bones lying
in confusion. The upper part is a mass of heraldic decoration.
One, the chief shield, has twelve quarterings, of which the first
is : Argent, three rams passant sable, horned or — the coat of the
Sydenhams. A strange inscription informs the reader that —
" My founder Sydenham, matcht to Hobye's Heyr,
Badde me informe the (Gentle Passenger)
That what he hath donne in mee is onlie meant
To memorixe his fathers and 's discent
Without vayne glorye but he doth intreat
That if thou coms't his legende to repeate
Thou speake him truly as he was and than
Report it (S'), he dyed an honest man."
Besides the monuments which I have mentioned, there are the
worn relics of several slabs, bearing nearly vanished crosses
and inscriptions, probably the memorials of thirteenth-century
D'Evercys. The exterior of the church is chiefly noteworthy for
the uncommon little square bell turret at the west end, an addition
dating either from the reign of Elizabeth or James I.
The history of the manor of Brympton D'Evercy is briefly
as follows. In early times it was held by the family of D'Evercy,
and so continued till Peter D'Evercy died temp. Edward II.,
leaving a daughter and heiress, by name Anne. Anne D'Evercy
married Sir John Glamorgan, Kt., and died, leaving five daughters
co-heiresses. For a brief period the manor seems to have reverted
to a certain Dame Isabel D'Evercy, who was possibly the mother
of Dame Glamorgan. By Dame Isabel the estate was entailed
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY.
H2
on the Glamorgans, and continued in them till the third year
of Edward III. Some little confusion has arisen as to the
identity of the next owners, but it appears that during the earlier
part of the reign of Edward IV. Brympton was in the possession
of a certain John Stourton, who settled it on his only daughter
Joan, the wife of John Sydenham, of Combe Sydenham. The
Sydenhams retained the property till it was sold early in the
eighteenth century. Brympton then changed hands more than
fi;s^?:rr«i)F*-
once, till in 1 730 it was purchased by an ancestor of the present
owner. It should be noted that there was a baronetcy in the
Sydenham family, which became e.xtinct on the death of Sir
Philip, in 1739.
I shall now consider the old manor house, which is sometimes
called the chantry house. This building, as my sketch shows,
stands at the north-east corner of the churchyard. The grounds
upon which it has been assumed that this most interesting
144
SOMERSETSHIRE.
fourteenth-century house is a chantry house are as follows : Firstly,
in the reign of Edward I. a certain Peter D'Evercy gave land
in the parish to found a chantry within the church. The land
amounted to forty acres. Secondly, it is averred that the archi-
tecture of two of the chantry chapels in the church corresponds
with the architecture of the so-called chantry house. On the
other hand, I would point out that chantry houses were not
usually built with an external turret stair to the first floor, a stair,
by the way, loopholed for purposes of defence. And it should
be observed that another arrow-loop exists in another part of
the building. Very unlike the peaceful abode of chantry priests
is this ! Remains of that which was once the hall show that
it formerly occupied the greater part of the first floor on the
right of the stair turret, with another large room on the left.
The hall roof, with unpierced cusped wind-braces, is plain but
original, and certainly not an apartment likely to be built
for a chantry priest. The fireplaces on this floor, one of which
has four handsome decorated stone panels, and dates from the
days of Henry VII., are still to be seen. On the ground floor, in
a room of which the ceiling is heavily beamed, I found, though
off its hinges, a very finely carved arch-topped oak door, but
whether belonging to the house or not I am unable to state. To
the room on the left of the stair on the first floor a Jacobean
stamped plaster ceiling has been added. As the building has long
since been uninhabited and used for a species of lumber store,
it may not surprise the reader when I state that on exploration
I found a fragmentary sedan chair forgotten in a corner, and
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY. I45
various hatchments, which had been discarded from the church in
days gone by. The more I have considered the question of this
old building the less able am I to entertain the opinion that it
ever had a nearer connection with the chantry than to have
been the residence of its founder. And I will go farther, and say
that in probability this house did but replace an earlier manor
house, the real home of the D'Evercys, whose last representative
»<wiff
(certainly a wealthy man) built the new hall for his heiress, and
then founded the chantry for the good of his soul.
The west front of the present manor house presents a curious
complexity of style. On the extreme left there is the handsome
Tudor work of John Sydenham, enriched with its armorial panels,
crenellated parapet, fine window, and half-projecting turret. I
say half-projecting turret, because the west wall of the remainder
M
146 SOMERSETSHIRE.
of the house was, for some inconceivable reason, advanced many
years ago, when the original windows were taken out. At that
date (1722) the projecting porch was, I understand, added, but
as an oriel window to the hall, of which the door was by its
side. The present doorway in the porch was pierced and decorated
at a later date. Remains of the vanished Tudor house still exist
on the present front, in the shape of twisted pinnacles topped with
Sydenham " Rams," supporting one of the family coats. The
other heraldic decorations which ornament the carved panel band
on the left of the house consist of a fleur-de-lis, a Prince of Wales
feather and coronet, the arms of Henry VIII., as I believe, though
by some held to be those of Henry VII.— a crowned rose and
a portcullis. I am willing to admit that the crowned rose and
portcullis point to Henry VII., but the supporters to the royal
arms, as at present visible, and which may have been inserted
later or "restored," certainly belong to Henry VIII.
On the north side of the house the curiously irregular line
of the windows marks the place where the singular staircase runs
up inside. If it were not for the evidence of the external stone-
work, I should have believed these windows to be insertions, but
they are certainly original. The south front of the house comes
on one rather in the nature of a surprise, for, after the ancient
church, the ancient manor house, and the semi-Tudor front of
the present house, an immense Inigo Jones terraced garden-front
is hardly to be expected. Still, there it is in all its regularity, and,
be it known, with all the picturesqueness peculiar to the elevations
of that now rather unfairly depreciated architect. Believe me or
SANDFORD ORCAS, TRENT, AND BRYMPTON D EVERCY.
'47
not, the garden-front at Brympton has its points quite as much
as the west front, and whether it is seen from a distance or
nearer from the flower-decked terrace, where the due alternation
of vase and ornament is broken only by a many-gnomoned cubical
dial, the place is beautiful.
Of the interior structurally there is not very much to tell.
The hall has been altered in days long gone, so that in lieu of
"■'■t'n'fliinjBim MBA ««l^ai»>i'*<te« ^aB^i^aiS^ ^ v«:W>fif^
the roof or ceiling, which might be expected, flat plaster prevails.
The staircase I have already noticed. From differences in the
levels of the flooring of various rooms and passages, it is fairly
easy to make out the internal communications between the houses
of divers dates, thus getting an idea of the extent of the alterations
at different times. Naturally the larger and more lofty rooms in
the house, with the exception of the hall, are those of the Inigo
148 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Jones wing. These are chiefly decorated in the style of the date
of their erection, viz. the reign of Queen Anne ; and to prevent
misapprehension on this point, I ought to state that it is on the
authority of Horace Walpole that the designing of Brympton is
credited to Inigo Jones. As all know, that architect lived from
1573 to 1652, and consequently could not have executed the work
in the reign of Queen Anne, though he did design it. Of the
collections and works of art with which Brympton is stored it is
not my purpose to write, though a good anecdotal chapter could
well written be on the pictures here, at Montacute House, Dunster
Castle, and elsewhere in the county. I must, however, in a brief
concluding sentence, express my grateful acknowledgments to Lady
Fane for the great kindness shown to me on the occasion of my
visit to this most interesting old English home.
CHAPTER VI.
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK.
On the following day I proceeded to Montacute, a village situated
about four miles from Yeovil. This interesting spot I had pre-
viously visited on more than one occasion, and had explored the
streets, the priory, and the church. But hitherto I had not had
the pleasure of inspecting the interior of Montacute House.
Thanks, however, to the kindness and courtesy of the owner, I
shall be now able to insert into my chapter a description of the
inside of the mansion. Montacute is now a pretty village, but the
wide though rather desolate looking market-square tells us at once
that in former times the place was one of far greater importance.
Good old Leland calls it a " town," and mentions that its market
was even then " poore." The place is somewhat curiously situated
at the foot of a steep conical hill, which stands detached from the
ridge, known as Hamdon Hill — Hamdon, famous among anti-
quaries for its camp, and hardly less renowned for its quarries.
The original name of the village in Saxon times was Leodgares-
burh, a name which was subsequently changed to Bishopston ; in
the Survey, " Biscopestone." After the Conquest, Robert of
1 50 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Mortain obtained the manor, it is stated, in exchange with the
Abbot of Athelney. Here on the summit of the conical hill he
erected a Norman castle, to which he gave the name of Montacute,
and this name was eventually applied to the village also.
But long before the time of the Conquest this little Somerset-
shire hill had acquired a celebrity of its own. In the days of Cnut,
upon its summit was discovered (miraculously, of course) the
celebrated Rood, which afterwards became the most treasured
relic of the mighty abbey of Waltham Holy Cross. The legend
is briefly as follows: The village blacksmith at Montacute, who
is also stated to have been sexton, was on three separate occasions
troubled by the same vision while sleeping. He dreamed that
Christ appeared to him, and commanded him to go at dawn to
the priest. The priest was to be enjoined to call together his
flock, and after prayer, fasting, etc., to climb the hill and dig.
Twice the blacksmith disregarded the vision, but on the third
occasion the figure, instead of being mild, was very stern, rebuking
the doubter, who in vain tried to excuse himself. At length the
figure seized him by the arm, leaving thereon the prints of his
nails. In fear and trembling the blacksmith sought out the priest
at dawn. The commands of the phantom were obeyed ; the flock
was collected, prayings and fastings were instituted, and finally, a
few days later, a move was made for the hill. Arrived at the
top, digging at once commenced, with the result that a large and
immovable stone soon barred further progress. While occupied
in laying bare this stone, the legend states that suddenly a cleft
appeared in it, and that within the cleft was seen a large crucifix
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 151
wonderfully carved out of black flint. But this find was not enough.
Lo and behold ! there was another crucifix, a small one, of wood,
as well as an ancient bell and an ancient book. In those days
Tofig, the standard-bearer of Cnut, was lord of the soil, and he
appears to have been dutifully informed by the priest of this
miraculous treasure-trove. Down to Montacute hurried Tofig
to take possession, and found that the excellent cleric had in his
zeal erected a booth or tent over the spot to keep these valuable
treasures protected from the weather. The pious Tofig was highly
delighted to find that the discovery was an absolute fact, and
speedily made up his mind what to do. Having placed the large
crucifix, the bell, and the book in a wain, he harnessed thereto
no less than twelve red oxen and as many white cows, but being
undecided upon what church or abbey he should bestow his
treasures, ordered a start to be made in an indefinite direction,
possibly intending to make up his mind later on. But the relics
had a will of their own, and objected to be carried where they
were not destined to go. So the wain, despite the efforts of the
team, could not be got to move. Tofig then tried cunning — he
was certainly a man of resource. With many pious ejaculations
he ran over a list of holy spots, in the hope that some indication
might be vouchsafed of the destined future home of the miraculously
found treasures. Still the wain moved not, till by chance he men-
tioned Waltham, in Essex, a place where he was building a cottage
or hunting-lodge. Immediately the wain rumbled off, seeming to
drive the twelve oxen and the twelve cows rather than to be
dragged along by them.
152 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Such is the legend of the finding of the Rood of Montacute
and the foundation of the Abbey of the Holy Cross at Waltham.
The most amusing portion of which is, that it was needful to find
two crucifixes, in order that one might be left behind at Montacute.
But the effects of this cunningly contrived and executed fraud on
the part of the priest and the sexton produced wonderful results,
when we consider how Waltham Holy Cross furnished, or was
said to furnish, a warning of misfortune to Harold, and how it
indubitably originated the English war-cry.
Robert of Mortain, as I have said, erected a castle on the
summit of the hill, and was therein attacked by the men of
Somersetshire and Dorsetshire, who revolted against their Norman
tyrants. This was the last struggle for freedom, and terminated
in disaster. The accounts of the tortures inflicted by the victors
on the vanquished are very terrible. By William, the son of
Robert Mortain, in 1091, a small priory of Clugniac monks was
founded at Montacute, and dedicated to .SS. Peter and Paul. As
an endowment the founder conveyed to the priory the borough
and market of Montacute, together with exemption from tolls.
He also gave the castle and chapel the orchards and a vineyard.
In the time of Henry I., through the confiscation of the Montacute
estates, according to Leland, the priory was in great monetary
difficulties, and it was not until Reginald, the Chancellor of
Henry I., became prior that the monastery prospered. The castle
on the top of the mount was now in ruins, and Reginald utilized
these to make on this commanding site a beautiful chapel, which
was " rofed all wyth stone, covered verye artyfycyallye, dedicated
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 53
to St. Mychell, vawted within, with stayres made of stone from
the fote of the hyll to the toppe." The account which I have
here quoted, if it could be substantiated, would point to a vaulted
roof of far earlier date than that at Witham Friary. Leland tells
us that a chapel of St. Michael was at the top of the hill when
he visited the place. Now every vestige of ancient building has
disappeared from the summit, a small modern tower occupying
the top of St. Michael's Hill. Round the sides of the hill there
are traces of earthworks, which may possibly be remains of the
Norman fortress ; but of the stone steps of later times there is
not the faintest vestige.
A fairly complete list of priors of Montacute exists, but,
with the exception of Thomas Chard, the last prior but two, none
of them were men of mark. In 1207 the conventual church was
burned down, and it is curious to note that not even tradition
assigns a site for the new church of Montacute Priory which
succeeded it. Like the chapel on the hill, the church has vanished ;
but though we know where the former was built, the position
and size of the latter is merely matter for conjecture. To Thomas
Chard, whom I have already mentioned, we are indebted for the
beautiful gatehouse which still exists. Thomas Chard, so called
from his birthplace, was the son of one Tybbes. He was educated
at Oxford, where he was admitted B.Can.L. on January i8, 1505-6,
and in the following year took his D.D. In 1508 he was con-
secrated Bishop of Selymbria, in Thrace. Dr. Chard became Prior
of Montacute June 18, 1514, an office which he held until June
or July, 1532. In 151 7 he was also Abbot of Ford, and this
154
SOMERSETSHIRE.
position he held until March 8, 1538, when, in company with
thirteen other monks, he surrendered Ford Abbey, receiving a
pension of ;i^8o and forty wain-loads of firewood. Abbot Chard
died in March, 1544.
The gatehouse of Montacute Priory, as my sketch beneath
shows, is both interesting and picturesque. Above the oriel
l?lilf'X';jit.i'S-e
window, but now concealed by a Virginian creeper, are the initials
T. C, probably for Thomas Chard, beneath a rose and a mitre.
The oriel on the outer side of the gate is nearly, if not quite, as
good as that on the inner, but the absence of the unequal turrets
deprives that side of much of its quaintness. The details of the
carvings which decorate the panels of the windows, and also fill
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. I 55
in the crenellations, are chiefly heraldic. One feature more requires
notice, viz. the interior of the gateway. This, by means of
partitions, is now used as a room. The vaulting is of very good
type, and in one wall there is a curious fireplace, certainly of
very late date. The presence of this fireplace is somewhat of a
puzzle, as fireplaces in gateways are by no means common. To the
best of my remembrance, one in St. John's Gate at Colchester, and
one doubtful specimen in a hotel arch at Huntingdon, are the
only other examples. I have heard the Montacute fireplace called
Elizabethan, but entirely dissent from that view, for I do not
think that it is an insertion. When Prior Chard built the gate-
house, he for some purpose had that fireplace constructed in the
curious situation in which we now see it.
The name of the last prior of IMontacute was Robert
Sherborne, alias Whitelocke, alias Gybbes, who, together with
thirteen others, signed the deed of surrender, March 20, 1539.
Whitelocke was pensioned, receiving ;^8o per annum, as well as
a gratuity of ^20 and a house free at West Chinnock, in which
to dwell. He lived for one and twenty years to enjoy his leisure,
and by his will, which is extant, appears to have remembered all
his friends, whether clerical or lay, dividing his substance between
them and charity. One entry in his will is sufficiently amusing :
" To my lad James Kitto one fetherbed, one bowlster one pillow
one paire of blanketts one payre of sheets one coverlett of dornix
ij stillatories, one brasen potte to make aqua vita in, my little
amblinge mare with bridle, gurses & sturopps with all suche books
as I have of Phisicke and Surgery."
156 SOMERSETSHIRE.
The worthy prior, by will, desired to be buried in the " chancell
of the parrishe Churche of Saynte Katherin at Mountegue."
On the Dissolution the site of the priory was granted to
Sir William Petre, who sold it to one Robert Freke, from whom
it was shortly afterwards bought by an ancestor of the present
owner.
Close by the priory stands the Parish Church, in the churchyard
of which are the remains of the old Cross of Montacute. The
cross, which formerly stood in the street in front of the church,
was, for purpose of preservation, removed within the churchyard
between fifty and sixty years since. Of the cross the head is
missing, for now only the socket and shaft remain. The shaft
is square, and about nine feet six inches in height ; its edges are
moulded, and upon the west face, at the base, there is a niche
with a crocketed canopy containing a much mutilated image. This
image is, or seems to be, mitred, and to hold a pastoral staff.
Possibly it may be the effigy of one of the early benefactors of
the priory, some abbot of whom history is now silent. The church
is an interesting building, of which the earliest portion is Norman,
and originally possessed only nave and chancel. Afterwards
transepts were added, the arches of which are either late Early
English or Early Decorated in character. There are several tombs,
presumably of the Phelips family, the identity of which has been
the subject of not a little investigation. The questions involved
by these tombs are complicated by the fact that some of this
family are known to have been buried in the priory church, now
vanished; and it is just possible that on its destruction monuments
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK . 157
from thence may have been removed to the parish church. One
body, that of the wife of Richard " Philipps," of Winterborne,
Whitchurch, was, by will, directed to be removed from Langport
to Montacute. The heraldry on the tombs and monuments is
confusing, as it does not in many respects tally with the quarterings
to which the Phelips family by marriage and descent are
entitled.
The village of Montacute has a very old-world air about it,
and at a first glance, when v/alking in the street, this is most
noticeable. The reason is that nearly every house is built of Ham
Hill stone, many with mullioned windows and arched doors, after
quite an ancient pattern — a type to be found in the houses of
undoubted antiquity, and which, having been copied pretty faith-
fully in the eighteenth century, produces the effect described. But
an investigation of the date slabs in many cases dispels the
illusion. The market-place, where once, no doubt, a thriving
trade was done, is now a wide empty space. Did Montacute,
one is inclined to wonder, ever possess a market-cross ? In one
corner of the square, near Montacute House Lodge gates, stands
a quaint old house, at one time used as a school, on the projecting
oriel of which is a handsomely and quaintly carved device. This
device shows a shield, with the initials R. S., flanked, I cannot say
supported, by two " fools " whose motley caps are being seized
by a couple of grotesque monsters. The side panels have shields,
on the right hand a water-bouget, on the left a sword in pale over
a spear in bend sinister.
I now come to the fine old mansion known as Montacute
158
SOMERSETSHIRE.
felMj^,
House, built for, and still inhabited by, a good old Somersetshire
family. INIontacute House is, in the main, the work of the architect
John Thorpe, alias John of Padua, to whom we also owe Burleigh
and Longleat. It is curious to note that the life of this eminent
artist has never yet been written,
and that were it not for Horace
Walpole, in all probability even
his name would hardly have
been preserved. Walpole was
not, however, enthusiastic in
praise of Thorpe ; he commends
the " disposition of apartments "
at Montacute, but calls the
ornaments on the balustrades,
the porches, and the outsides of
the windows, " barbarous and
ungraceful." Finally, he sum-
marizes this architect's design
for Montacute as being in the
" bastard style, which intervened
between Gothic and Grecian
architecture." The custom
which obtained, towards the end of the sixteenth century, of
designing the ground-plan of a house to form the initials or one
initial of the owner's name, affected Thorpe, and he occupied his
leisure in plotting down on paper a house of which his monogram,
I-T, was the motif. His original draft is in the Sloane Collection,
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 59
together with a iJortfoHo of his drawings. The draft bears the
following jingle : —
" Thes 2 letters I and T
loyned together as you see
Is ment a dwelling-howse for mee
John Thorpe."
The hyphen in the plan was a corridor which joined the offices I
to the dwelling-house T. As an instance of a similar conceit,
I may mention the Horner manor house at Rlells, which was
originally built in the form of the letter H.
Opinions differ as to the respective merits of the eastern or
garden front of IMontacute and the western facade. The former
is the work of Thorpe, pure and simple ; the latter has been
embellished by a beautiful stone screen, brought thither from the
manor house of the Horseys at Clifton INIaybank, and still bearing
their arms. Both fronts are beautiful, but I must own to a pre-
ference for that on the garden side, with its balustraded garden,
quaint garden houses or " gazebos," and still more irregular minia-
ture temples surmounted by double stone rings. Of this side of
the house I give two sketches — one showing one of these
"gazebos," the other including about one-third of the house.
Nine curious statues are set up on this front, locally called the
" Nine Worthies." They are supposed to represent three Chris-
tians, viz. Arthur, Charlemagne, and Godfrey de Bouillon ; three
Gentiles, Julius Csesar, Alexander the Great, and Hector; and
three Jews, Joshua, David, and Judas Maccabceus. It is a quaint
conceit, but not more quaint than the well-known hospitable
i6o
SOMERSETSHIRE.
inscriptions which, as eighteenth-century additions, are graven
above the portals of this interesting old sixteenth-century house.
The interior of Montacute House, though possessing most
of the architectural features to be expected in a mansion of its
size and date, is lacking in one particular, viz. that it has not
anything approaching to a grand staircase. A rather remarkable
omission, but possibly to be accounted for from the fact that the
^A'l':..'^'---
depth of the house is very small in comparison to its length.
The great hall, which occupies a large portion of the central
range of the house, is a very fine room. At one end a curious
screen, pierced with two arched openings and surmounted with
the conventional carving of its date, shuts off a passage. At the
other end is a large bas-relief, representing the Somersetshire
custom of riding "Skimmington," or, as it is called in the north
of England, " Riding the Stang." This curious custom was, it
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. l6l
is said, intended to ridicule a man who has been beaten by his
wife. Strype, in his continuation of Stowe, mentions that in the
year 1562, on Shrove Monday, at Charing- Cross, a man was
carried by four men, with bagpipes, shawm, and drum played in
front of him, and twenty linkmen to bring up the rear. The
cause of this procession was that his " next neighboti,r s zvi/e had
beaten her husband" though why an innocent man should have
been thus introduced into the affair passes all comprehension.
In " Hudibras," part ii., canto ii., Butler gives a lengthy and
racy description of the custom, and there is also an allusion to it
in the first volume of " State Poems," 1703, as follows: —
" A punishment invented first to awe
Masculine wives, transgressing nature's law ;
Where when the brawny female disobeys.
And beats her husband, 'till for peace he prays,
No concern'd jury damage for him finds,
Nor partial justice her behaviour binds ;
But the just street does the next house invade,
Mounting the neighbour couple on lean jade ;
The distaff knocks, the grains from kettle fly.
And boys and girls in troops run hooting by."
Here we have a slight difference, in which the next couple are
mounted on a sorry jade, while ordinarily a pole was used. It
should be observed that the word " stang " means stake, wooden
bar or post.
" When I'm in pomp on high processions shown
Like pageants of lord may'r or skimmington,"
writes Oldham in one of his satires, thereby intimating that he
had no very high opinion of the great civic show. As far as I
N
l62 SOMERSETSHIRE.
have been able to learn, no other bas-reHef representing this
quaint custom is known to exist. At Montacute itself the word
used is " Skimmetty," not " Skimmington ; " while in the " Somerset-
shire Glossary" I find a third variant, viz. " Skimmerton." In the
glossary the custom is described as follows : " The effigy of a man
or woman unfaithful to marriage vows carried about on a pole
accompanied by rough music from cow's-horns and frying-pans.
Formerly it consisted of two persons riding on a horse back to
back, with ladles and marrowbones in hand, and was intended to
ridicule a hen-pecked husband." I am inclined to doubt the
interpretation given in the glossary, and fancy that the compiler
had in his mind the custom of burning Mommicks, or Mommets,
an exhibition of which I saw at Ilchester Meads rather more
than thirty years ago. " Skimmington " ridiculed the husband
beater, the burning of "Mommets" the unfaithful husband or wife.
The large dining-room at Montacute is a fine apartment,
handsomely panelled with a frieze decorated alternately with
Phelips coat armour and quite a menagerie of curious animals.
A less spacious room, known as the small dining-room, has an
armorial fireplace dated 1599; its walls are panelled, the panels
running behind the double pillars on either side of the mantel-
piece. I rather hold the opinion that these panels are not in
their original position, but belonged to the former home of the
family. The date of the fireplace is the date of the house, and
the panelling of the room, unless I am much mistaken, is at least
thirty or forty years older. Of course the Great Gallery, which
runs the entire length of the house, was meant to be the chief
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-IIAMDON, AND MARTOCK.
i6-
apartment in the place, and probably was in the days prior to
the Civil War. Then, alas ! its furniture, books, and hangings
were destroyed, and it is to be feared that much of the heraldic
glass which decorated its windows perished at the same time.
A gallery, which is sixty yards in length, and occupies nearly the
whole of the top floor of a house, is slightly inconvenient in these
days, however stately it may have been considered in years gone
Wti'MTftSbTa
by. With one exception, all the galleries that I have seen else-
where have been on a lower floor ; the exception I allude to is
at Hazeleigh, in Essex, where the relics of a panelled gallery are
still in position amid the rafters of the roof, and, in these days,
only to be seen after climbing through a trapdoor.
I have purposely left the best room in the house until the
last — I mean the Library. This beautiful room has a very fine
fireplace, but its chief charm lies in the splendid collection of, for
164 SOMERSETSHIRli.
the most part, ancient heraldic glass which adorns the windows.
Some of this glass dates from the year in which the house was
built, but other shields appear to me to be older still, and pro-
bably were removed here from some former hall or gallery. The
curious fact about this glass is that it not only includes the family
coats, but also the coats of several of the nobility, of a great
number of Somersetshire gentry and of others. This is the
carrying out in window decoration of an old custom generally
confined to mural adornment, and though to be found elsewhere,
is not to be found on so large a scale. Had only the whole of
the glass which was once at Montacute been spared, the series
would have been simply unrivalled. A few of the shields have
been inserted in recent years, but merely for the sake of producing
uniformity. The windows in the library are four in number, of which
one is a large bay. They contain in all forty-two coats of arms,
some of the shields having as many as sixteen quarterings, so that
to blazon the whole, or even to give where possible the bare names
of the families to which they belong, would require more space
than I have at my disposal. A similar reason prevents more than
the simple mention of the singularly complete series of family
portraits which literally hide the walls of both rooms and passages.
The Phelips Family are known to have been settled at Monta-
cute as far back as the year 1480, when the then head of the
family, Thomas Phelipp, armiger, lived there on his own estate.
Traditionally, this family migrated into Somersetshire from Wales
some long time previously, but I here merely treat of its connec-
tion with Montacute. The grandson of Thomas Phelipp, also
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 65
Thomas, succeeded to the estates in 1560. The name was now
spelt Phelips.
Thomas PheHps had four sons and two daughters. The
eldest son, John Phehps, Hved at Corfe Mullen, in Dorsetshire,
and sat for Poole in the year 1555. This branch is represented
by Sir John Alexander Hanham, Bart. The second son, Thomas,
married Jane Farwell, of Bishops Hull, Taunton, and lived at
Barrington, near Ilminster. I shall write of Barrington in a future
chapter. In this branch was a baronetcy, created 1619-20, in
the person of Sir Thomas Phelips, but it became extinct seventy
years later. A document, dated December 5, 1620, shows that
the title cost Sir Thomas ^iioo. The third son, Edward, suc-
ceeded to Montacute. Edward Phelips was Master of the Rolls,
Chancellor to Henry, Prince of Wales, and Speaker of the House
of Commons. He was knighted as a reward for his many services.
Sir Edward, in 1580, commenced to build the present Montacute
House, and finished it in 1601. Dying in 1 614, he was succeeded
by his eldest son, Robert, also a knight, and M.P. for Somerset-
shire. Sir Robert accompanied Buckingham to Spain when the
Spanish match was projected. Subsequently, having fallen into
disfavour owing to his opposition to the king in Parliament, he
was, on the Prorogation (1622), sent to the Tower. A petition,
dated April 12 of the same year, and written by his brother, was
addressed to the king. The petition sets forth that his brother.
Sir Robert, had retired to his country house during the last recess
of Parliament, where he was arrested by a sergeant-at-arms at
Christmas, brought before the Council, and committed close
1 66 SOMERSETSHIRE.
prisoner to the Tower. Neither the petitioner nor the prisoner's
wife were allowed access. Commissioners, he states, were sent
to examine Sir Robert, but they have not done so since the first
week of his imprisonment, which has now lasted three months.
This petition is indorsed : " Petition to his Ma''" for y" release or
enlargement of a Parliam' man close prisoner in y° Tower." The
king received the petition, but refused to release the prisoner.
Sir Robert was still in durance on July i, but was set at liberty
about six weeks later; at any rate, he was free on August lo.
Unfortunately the petition of the brother is unsigned, so it is
impossible to say whether the writer was Richard or Francis.
To Sir Robert succeeded the Royalist Colonel Edward
Phelipps, who suffered greatly for his loyalty. His house was
sacked and his property sequestrated. Colonel Phelipps compounded
on the Exeter articles, April 30, 1646, for delinquency in deserting
the Parliament, being a member of the House of Commons. On
June 16 the fine was assessed at ^3191 13^. 4^. at one-third, and
^1267 i2,s. ifd. at one-tenth. He was granted a licence for thirty
days on July 24, to fetch the money and pay it. This amount
appears to have been paid on December 18, 1647, but Fellowes in
his list, probably by mistake, gives the sum as ;^ii76 13^. a,d. On
November 22, 1650, Colonel Phelipps of Montacute obtained a
licence to repair to Wells and reside there, on giving security for
;^2000 himself and finding two other securities in ^1000 each, to
appear before the Council when summoned and be of good behaviour.
He died in 1679, aged 66. Colonel Edward Phelipps had a
younger brother Robert, also a colonel in the royal army. Robert
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 67
Phelipps was one of those who assisted Charles II. after the battle
of Worcester. On August 13, 1653, he was committed to the
Tower, where his wife Agneta, whose trunks and chamber had
already been searched at Salisbury, was permitted to join him. She
reached the Tower on September 12. A fortnight later the colonel
petitioned the Council to render his imprisonment less close by some
relaxation of its conditions. The petition was granted, and before
November 12 the prisoner managed to effect his escape. Very
numerous are the documents relating both to Colonel Edward
Phelipps and his brother Robert to be found among the State
Papers, but for extracts therefrom, unfortunately, space cannot be
given. On the Restoration, Robert Phelipps was made Chancellor
of the Duchy of Lancaster. He died in 1707, aged 89.
The next owner of Montacute was Edward, the eldest son of
Colonel Edward. From his letters, signed " Edward Phelipps,
Junior," it is clear that during his father's lifetime he took a very
active part in county business.
At this period Somersetshire was far from being reconciled
to the Restoration. In July, 1662, Phelipps and William Helyar,
writing to Secretary Nicholas from Yeovil, speak of the "ill-
humours that disturbed the kingdom " still abounding, and add
that the cause is to be found in the remissness of the Government
in " sending orders for the militia" since the late Act. They beg
their speedy despatch, and send an information. Five days later,
July 12, Sir Hugh Smythe and Edward Phelipps write from Hinton
that they have discovered further disorders, and fear a general design
to disturb the nation. They have secured suspicious persons, and
1 68 SOMERSETSHIRE.
want some militia sent into Taunton. A general refusal on the
part of discontented persons to the payment of rates and taxes is
also reported. They also forward the examination of Paul Ball of
Taunton, which contains the particulars of the plan of an intended
rising. Ludlow is to be general, and Desborough the lieutenant-
general. Drums are to be beaten for liberty of conscience, the
sheriffs are to be summoned to declare for them, and if they refuse
are to be hewn in pieces. The malcontents aver that they are not
afraid of the militia. A week later orders come to Edward Phelipps
to search certain houses, and to suppress any attempts at insurrection,
by his old powers until the new commissions for lords-lieutenant of
the Militia Act be despatched. On July 19 Secretary Nicholas
writes intimating that the king approves their efforts to check the
disturbances by placing two companies of foot in the " factious town
of Taunton," and securing suspicious persons. The arrest of our
old friend Colonel Buffett, alias Bovett, is ordered in the same
paper, together with that of Captain Ouarle.
Bristol was the next place which occupied the attention of
Edward Phelipps, who, together with Sir John Sydenham, was
engaged in rooting out disaffection there. Failure, however, attended
their efforts to make arrests, their agent being suspected. On
November i, 1662, in a letter dated from Montacute, Edward
Phelipps, junior, writes to Muddiman informing him that the soldiers
are dismissed after securing certain disaffected persons. The horse
went from Yeovil to Chard, where the Commissioners for regulating
Corporations met to tender the oaths to the mayor and others.
The aldermen refused to take the oaths, and were bound over.
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 69
The mayor, being in an absolute loyal minority, subscribed a
request to the king to call in the charter, there not being honest
men enough to carry on the Government. Nearly a year later
he again writes detailing how only one nonconformist was tried
at the sessions, and he released on a fine. Rumours of a rising,
he says, are rife, and Ludlow is reported to be in the county.
He then mentions that he is to meet the " Devil of Dulverton "
and the Mayor of Tiverton at Dulverton. On November 7,
writing to Williamson, Phelipps states that "there are no meetings
now ; " for on the first discovery " the face of things changed," and
people began to conform to Church discipline. He mentions that
" a new sort of people commit notorious robberies, one of whom
has £ico and another ^200 a year." They attacked the house
of a Mr. Gray, but were repulsed. Only two of the gang had
been captured up to date. But the meetings had not ceased,
for on February 6, 1664, he again writes to Williamson informing
him that the Separatists continue to hold their assemblies " under
the nose of authority." Two hundred met within a mile of the
garrison church, and others at Colonel Steand's, but the militia
disturbed them. Prisoners were taken, and these refusing to be
bound over were committed. The colonel first tried to excite a
mutiny among the militia, and on failing made his escape. He
reports that the gaol is so full that an assize is longed for, lest
sickness break out. At these assizes seven were condemned, one
being "a witch who in part confessed that she had power to kill in
that way."
Matters had now quieted down, or were supposed to have.
1 70 SOMERSETSHIRE.
if the last letter, which I shall extract, is any criterion. It is
dated from Montacute on October 26, 1664. Therein Edward
Phelipps informs Muddiman that he has been at Dorchester, where
the Duke of Richmond is "recreating himself with hunting,"
and has reviewed all the militia at Blandford. The militia, he
adds, "behave so nobly and civilly as to beget terror in the
disaffected, and encourage the loyal"! Mr. Edward Phelipps was
subsequently knighted, and died in 1699. The family name is
now written Phelips.
Arms — Quarterly : ist and 4th argent, a chevron gules
between three roses of the last, seeded and leaved ppr. ; 2nd and
3rd or, on a chevron engrailed vert, three eagles' heads erased
argent.
The family crest, a very remarkable one, is a square beacon
(or chest) on wheels or, filled with fire ppr.
From Montacute House I retraced my steps to the Priory,
and thence made my way to the beautiful lane which is one route
to the famous camp on Hamdon Hill. This lane is not by any
means a long one, but it is certainly the most picturesque byway
that I met with in the course of my wanderings. High, tree-grown
banks on either side, overhead a canopy of interlacing oak boughs,
and beneath the feet a sparse carpet of oak leaves and acorns.
At the time of my visit the first fall of the leaf had just taken
place, and the village children, armed with baskets, were hastily
collecting acorns while still they might be found with ease. The
crop of acorns this year was abnormal, and many a score of bushels
did I see carefully stored in barn or granary, so much so that I
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 171
wondered where they could possibly have come from. To a
stranger to Somersetshire in autumn it is rather a novelty to see
acorns collected while apples lie rotting in orchard or even by
the roadside.
Presently I reached a side path to which I had been directed,
and, making my way across a couple of fields, soon found myself
at the famous camp. My first business was of course to make a
circuit as far as I could — no easy matter in half a gale of wind,
which seemed mysteriously to have sprung up since I left Monta-
cute. The plan of the earthworks cannot be readily described ; at
least, there is no particular figure to which it can be likened.
Imagine a large irregular rude parallelogram with a projecting flat-
ended spur on its north-west corner, the total area enclosed being
about two hundred acres, rather more than less, and the circumfer-
ence as near as possible three miles. Here and there in the sides
of the hill gullies or combes run down into the plain beneath, one
of which, the largest, is specially designated " The Combe." Round
the top of this hill and its spur run these mighty entrenchments —
entrenchments made and in use long ages before the Romans came,
but so made that the Roman conquerors found the defences of the
spur capable of adaptation. Hence, while we have the main camp
with its main entrance of prehistoric age, we have on the spur
distinct traces of Roman military occupation. That this semi-
detached portion of the hill range should have been selected by the
Romans is not to be wondered at, for though not perfectly quad-
rangular, it is at any rate fairly so, and the position was from a
military point of view one of immense strength. Here in one
1 72 SOMERSETSHIRE.
corner we have a small excavation locally called " The Frying-pan,"
but, according to competent authorities, the camp amphitheatre.
Close by this amphitheatre, until they were nearly all maliciously
destroyed, stood those curious rows of holed stones which have
occasioned most animated antiquarian discussions, and formed the
subjects for archaeological papers innumerable. The size of these
stones was rather over twenty inches in height, fourteen in width,
and four in thickness. They were buried usually to the depth
of about their width, and the holes, which were rudely square, were
pierced in the portion which remained above the surface. The
use of these curious posts is completely unknown, and no other
examples elsewhere have been met with as far as I can ascertain.
One suggestion made is that they were intended for cavalry to
picket their horses, another that poles were thrust through the
orifices to make seats. Probably neither of these suggestions is
anywhere near the truth.
From the summit of Hamdon Hill the view around is simply
magnificent. To the north the country lies stretched out before
me till the Mendips close the distance. To the south and west
I see the county of Dorset, with what I take to be Lambert's
Castle — itself a camp — round whose breezy heights I have
rambled many a time in years gone by. Eastward, and Wilt-
shire comes in view, with its border marked by "Alfred's Tower."
Westward, and I look over pleasant Somersetshire in the direction
of Taunton, but fail to discern the small wooded camp of Norton
Fitzwarren, a few miles from that place. Turning my glance
a little to the north-west, I can just make out the Ouantocks,
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 73
which from this point appear to be distant about as far as the
Mendips.
Of the fighting which must have taken place in and around
this ancient stronghold we know hardly anything. One portion
of the hill is still designated " Butcher Hill," and there a few years
ago rude iron weapons were found — pretty conclusive evidence of
a fierce bygone fight. In Norman times it was here in all proba-
bility that the revolted Saxons met with defeat and disaster at the
hands of Robert of Mortain, when, by the aid of timely reinforce-
ments, he sallied forth from his castle on Montacute Hill and
crushed the patriotism of the Saxon west.
Nestling beneath the steep side of the hill is the village of
West Stoke, which, together with its neighbour. East Stoke, com-
poses the parish of Stoke-sub-Hamdon. The straggling street of
West Stoke at first does not appear promising as far as antiquities
are concerned, and possibly the too casual wayfarer might be
inclined to pass on without investigation. This is, however, a
case of decejDtive appearance, for the village happens to be one
of those places where a hard day's work can easily be done without
leaving much time for rest. The village inn, which bears the sign
of the Fleur-de-lis, is in itself interesting as a building, though its
history is quite unknown, and, despite its ecclesiastical appearance,
it does not seem possible to connect it in any way with a religious
house. The two arched doors, with well-carved spandrels, which
pierce its walls, forming a passage to the back of the house, are
of very good design, the condition of the ornamentation of the
protected inner door being superior to that of the portal opening
1 74 SOMERSETSHIRE.
on to the street. A short time since the small carving of which
I here give a sketch was found covered by plaster in the wall
above the staircase. It has been asserted that
this was probably the Manorial Guest House, a
view hardly seeming to me to be warrantable.
If conjecture is permissible, I should incline to
the supposition that the place was the house
belonging to some old-time and now-forgotten chantry. But the
interest attaching to the Fleur-de-lis is small compared with that
connected with another house hard by. This house is now known
as the Parsonage Farm, but should by rights be designated the
Beauchamp College.
It appears that in the reign of Edward I. a Sir John de
Beauchamp of Hatch built a house in Stoke, and had there a free
chapel. Of this house, afterwards fortified, no relics of masonry
now remain, though in Leiand's time there were "very notable
Ruines of a areat Manor Place or Castelle." Leland continues,
"And yn this Maner Place remaynith a very auncient Chapelle,
wheryn be diverse Tumbes of Noble Men and Wimen." Now, the
barony of Beauchamp of Hatch, or Hache, was created by writ in
1299, and has been in abeyance since 1360. License to fortify his
manor house at " Estokes " was obtained by John Lord Beauchamp,
" lo de Bello Campo," in 1333-4. and in 1336 he died. The arms
of Beauchamp of Hatch, or Hache, were : Vaire, azure and argent.
Now, it is interesting to read in Leland, " In the South West side of
the Chapelle be 5. Images on Tumbes on hard joynid to one
another, 3. of Menne harneshid and shildid, and 2. of Women,
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1/5
Ther hath bene Inscription on eche of them, but now so sore
defacid that they cannot be redde. I saw a Shelde or 2. al verry
of blew and white. Ther be in this part of the Chapelle also 2.
Tumbes without Images." He mentions another "goodly Image"
of a warrior on the north side of the chapel " Ouyer," with a shield
"al verry."
Next the worthy old antiquary gives the inscription on the
brass of Matthew de Gurney, or Gournay, who was a mighty
warrior. It is quite worth transcribing. " Ici gist le noble &
vaillant Chivaler Maheu de Gurney iadys seneschal de Landes
& capitain du Chastel Daques pro nostre seignor le roy en la
duche de Guyene, que en sa vie fu a la batail de Beaumarin, & ala
apres a la siege Dalgezire sur le Sarazines, & auxi a les batailles de
Le scluse, de Cressy, de Yngenesse, de Peyteres, de Nazara,
Dozrey, & a plusours autres batailles & asseges en les quex il gaina
noblement graund los & honour per le space de ^^^:. & xvj. ans,
& morust le xxvj. jour de Septembre Ian nostre seignor Jesu Christ,
Mccccvj. que de salme dieux eit mercy, amen."
Leland mentions other tombs in the chapel and " 3 sortes of
Armes " in the windows, one " al verry blew and white, another
with iii Stripes Gules down right in a field of gold. The 3 was
Crosselettes of Gold many intermist in one yn a Feld, as I
remembre. Gules." We also learn that " Ther is a Provost
longging to this Collegiate Chapelle now yn Decay, wher sumtyme
was Good Service, and now but a Messe said a 3 Tymes yn the
Weeke. The Provost hath a large House yn the Village of
Stoke therby."
I 76 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Now, in the year 1304 John de Beauchamp obtained leave from
the Bishop of Bath and Wells to found a chantry in connection with
his free Chapel, which, by the way, was dedicated to St. Nicholas.
He also desired to endow a College of five priests. The endowment
was obtained from the free Chapel and the tithes of Stoke. The
five priests were presided over by one of their number, who acted
as prior.
The connection of Gournay with Stoke was but slight. He
married Alice of Warwick, the cousin and widow of the fourth Lord
Beauchamp. She died in 1383 without issue, but leaving Stoke,
which was her dower, to her husband. Gournay married secondly
Phillipa, the widow of Sir Robert Assheton, and died himself in
1404 — Leland says 1406. The widow, on whom the manor was
settled for life, married a third time, viz. to Sir John Tiplot, and
died in 1418. Sir John Tiplot then appears to have become Lord
of the Manor. Some excavations which have taken place in recent
years have revealed the sites of the castle, or manor house, and
also of St. Nicholas Chapel. A few fragments of carved stone were
recovered, and also some heraldic tiles, the latter mostly in small
pieces. Some tombs were opened up at the same time which
contained bones, probably those of the Beauchamp family.
To return to the Beauchamp College or Chantry House. This
cannot possibly be the dwelling originally built for the occupation of
the college of priests, as it only dates from the fifteenth century.
It could not have been built by Gournay, and the name of the
subsequent benefactor to whom it is due has apparently been lost.
From the road the approach is by means of a fine Tudor arch,
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK.
177
alongside of which, though now blocked, is a smaller arched door.
On the right-hand side of the arched entrance to the house is the
hall, on the left hand the curious gable still topped by a ruined bell-
turret. The hall still possesses a fair timber roof, but has suffered
from having had in later times a floor inserted half-way up its walls,
and windows pierced in its sides. Opening off the hall is a small
room with a fireplace, a room which communicates with one still
smaller. There is a large four-light window, of which the muUions
are carved both within and without. A curious little cusped recess
resembling a piscina in the wall of one of the smaller rooms is
worth notice. It is evidently not a piscina, but its intention is not
easy to conjecture. Outside in the rear of the hall is a quaint
O
178
SOMERSETSHIRE.
circular stone columbarium, which is entered by means of a low
arched door. Unfortunately the roof of this building became
ruinous a few years ago, and has been removed. At one end of the
barn is a tiny ornamental window of good design. The house itself
is decidedly curious ; the arched entrance passage has doors of good
^■rteicsg.sjf'"
type, one especially so. On the ground floor is a panelled room of
Elizabethan date, with carved brackets bearing the following initials :
T. S., and the date (1585) ; I. C. and R. S. ; M. S. and W. F.
These initials are those of some members of a branch of the
Strode family. From a monument in the chancel of the church it
would appear that the Strodes kept up their connection with Stoke
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 79
till at least 1725. A recumbent effigy beneath a canopy there of
earlier date is also stated to belong to the same family, and may
possibly be that of William Strode, whose initials are carved on the
bracket at the Chantry House.
Much controversy has at different times arisen as to the gable-
ended building upon which the ruined bell-turret stands. It has
been asserted that it must have been a chapel. This is obviously an
incorrect view, for the free chapel at Beauchamp Castle was tlie
chapel served by the College priests, the little belfry being merely
a turret to contain the bell needful to summon the inmates to their
duties, meals, recreations, and rest. It should be noted that the
upper room above the porch is reached by means of a small stone
stair, and also that another argument capable of being adduced
against the chapel theory is that this room which lacks the least
trace of piscina, aumbray, or altar, points north and south, instead
of east and west.
Leaving the interesting chantry house, where the kindness of
the occupier had enabled me to make a tolerably thorough exami-
nation, I took my way to the church of St. Andrew, the parish
church of Stoke-sub-Hamdon. This building is tiny compared
with very many of the ordinary parish churches of the county,
but within its narrow limits contains more curious and uncommon
features than any other church I visited, unless perhaps I
except Dunster. Norman originally, and consisting only of a nave
and chancel, it possesses the original north doorway, with its
quaint tympan, the built-up relic of its south door, and the
excellent chancel arch. In addition to these we have two very
I So
SOMERSETSHIRE.
STeKa.-5'.'3-J.W.^''\''-^°
small, circular-headed slits in the nave, one headed with a double
cable pattern, the other with the remarkable sculped represen-
tation of St. Michael and the Dragon. On the south side of the
chancel is one similarly small Norman window,
and a string-course above it, with strange corbels
at intervals.
But the church did not remain Norman, for
the chancel bears traces of Early English work.
Transepts were added, and a beautiful north
porch. Upon the north transept stands the tower, which, though
not ornamented on the outside, has very beautiful vaulting
within, borne on shafts, with capitals of a floriated design. Of
the transepts, that on the south side is rather later than the
one on which the tower stands. Trefoil-headed lancet windows
are here, as well as in the chancel. The north porch, which is
vaulted, and which has likewise a vaulted parvise chamber above
it, has been so built as to spare the Norman door and its tympan.
Why this happened I am not prepared to say, but the arch of
the porch has evidently been
constructed so as not to inter-
fere with this most extraordinary
carving. It is much to be re-
gretted that the inscription
around this tympan has in the
rrt-m >n-Pi ir-rrt. j." .p.,-^i: "bpki.. main vanished. " Sagitarius "
is legible, and also " Leo ; " fragments of a V can yet be
deciphered, but there is nothing else to explain the presence of
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK.
i8i
the strange, bird-haunted tree or the quaint emblem of St. John.
But while sparing the Norman tympan, the builder of the porch
curtailed on the outside thereof a very remarkable canopy when
he constructed his parvise stair. Of this canopy I give a sketch.
It will be noticed at once that the porch wall cuts off only a
small part, for, as I think, the centre of this canopy was marked
by the cross, which is still visible. The size precludes the possi-
bility of this having covered a tomb, unless indeed it was a tomb
of very small dimensions. The height from the ground contradicts
the notion that it belonged to a stoup. I merely offer as a
suggestion the following reason to account for this most puzzling
detail, viz. that it was the canopy of a small holy well or spring.
The interior of this quaint church is quite as remarkable as
its exterior. Strange piscinae, set cornerwise, are to be found
in both the chancel and the south transept. The stone screen
which once blocked the south arch of the north transept has, for
soine unknown reason, been moved to its east wall. I have
l82
SOMERSETSHIRE.
already mentioned the Strode monuments, and have but to record
that in the south transept, beneath an arched canopy, is the
recumbent stone effigy of a priest. Of perpendicular work in
the church there is comparatively little. A few windows were
inserted, and the old, high-pitched roof was replaced by a flat
one. This roof, to all appearance, is in rather a perilous condition
at the present time. It would be a matter of great regret if it
were to fall in, for of its kind it is by
no means a bad example. The font,
which is a good one, and the extra-
ordinary squints which pierce the masonry
in a manner more than usually peculiar,
are very noteworthy. Fragments of
mural painting remain yet above the
chancel arch, and had it not been for
the plaster-hackers of not so many years ago would probably have
been perfect even now. In my account of this church I have
purposely dealt mostly with minor details. The chancel arch is
fairly well known, and has been often described. It is in itself
so striking, with its curious soffit, that the most careless observer,
one who had missed the porch tympan, could not fail to be
struck with its beauty and enrichments.
I walked from Stoke to Martock — no great distance — more
for the purpose of seeing whether changes had taken place there
since my last visit than for any idea I had of taking sketches.
I rejoiced to find that however busily the destroyers of antiquity
had been employed in some places, the old market town of
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 1 83
Martock had apparently been spared. There stood its fine old
church, a church which in my opinion has the finest nave in the
county, so elegant is the ornamentation of the piers, and so noble
are the panels of the roof For each pier has an elaborate niche
with crocketted canopy, supported on a panelled shaft. The
spandrels contain quatrefoils, and the crown of each arch is
surmounted by a demi-angel holding a shield, while an orna-
mental crested string-course runs between each niche. The roof
is one mass of carving ; figures, panels subdivided into smaller
panels, pendants — all are there, and with a wealth of ornamentation.
Now, I will confess that I have deliberately avoided Wrington.
In the course of my wanderings I was so perpetually being
pestered with Wrington, that I grew to dislike the very name of
the place. Some people have told me that not only does Wrino-ton
tower eclipse Martock, but that its nave surpasses the Martock
nave. Personally I cannot say, but from an inspection of plans
I should opine that the Wrington nave was too small for its tower,
while Martock is in perfect proportion. Tombs of interest in
the church there are none, but in the graveyard at the very
extreme end is an ancient bodystone, and also a much-mutilated
effigy of a figure clad in a winding sheet. The other features of
the church which are worthy of particular notice are the curious
priests' room at the end of the chancel — similar to that at
Langport, the south porch with its parvise, and the beautiful
panelled tower arch. A great peculiarity in this tower is that
it projects inwards, thus bringing the arch within the nave.
The relics of a fine old fourteenth-century manor house
1 84
SOMERSETSHIRE.
Stand close to the church. The place has no history, nor does
it seem possible even to identify the family of which it was
once the home. That the buildings are quite perfect cannot be
said ; still they may be fairly well made out as to plan. The
arch at the gate I fancy is but the smaller entrance, and formerly
a larger arch stood alongside it. Of the house, the remains
consist of the hall, with traces of the minstrels' gallery ; the
kitchen, which runs at right angles to the hall ; and a portion
of the dwelling-house between the two. The hall, now used as
the workshop of a cooper, has a fine roof, and some really
remarkable windows. These windows are of two lights, with
trefoiled heads and transoms ; and the scoinson arch is cinque-
foiled, but in an uncommon way. The window at the end of
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK.
18:
4
the hall, which differs slightly from those at the sides, has now
been blocked. One remarkable omission in the room will be at
once noticed, viz. that there is no fireplace. Brackets of an
ornamental character are to be seen,
one on each side of the hall, and it
is doubtful for what purpose these
were placed in position. The sugges-
tion that they were intended to support
lights is perfectly untenable. Other
brackets, which I regret to say I have
not seen, are said to exist at Twickenham Court, near Clevedon,
and by report were formerly used to sustain lights. This solution
seems to be merely conjectural, and I would ask how would it
be possible to illuminate so large a room as the hall at Martock
from two small and narrow brackets .-' INIy sketch of the outside of
one corner of the courtyard on the next page shows the kitchen on
the right hand. The gable, with a handsome window, probably
contained the only decent upper room in the house. Here the
scoinson arch is cinquefoiled in the same way as in the windows
of the hall. In the kitchen the ancient fireplace, with a wide,
rather pointed, flat arch, occupies one end ; the windows are
small, and the door likewise. Unfortunately the screen and
minstrels' gallery have been plastered over, so that they have
lost all appearance of antiquity.
Two other spots, also close to the church, claim notice. One
is a curious old barn, in which ever since the days of the
nonjurors a congregation has been wont to meet. I managed to
1 86
SOMERSETSHIRE.
peep in through the shutters, and found that there were pews
enough to hold a considerable number on the floor, in addition
to which there was a gallery. I could see a pulpit, or reading-
~CfiBa^
desk, but whether there is or is not an altar I am unable to state.
In the little graveyard attached there are a few graves, one
burial being as recent as the year 1891. It is a strange survival,
but, from what I could understand, the sect no longer adheres
MONTACUTE, STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, AND MARTOCK. 187
to nonjuring methods of worship, having gradually become merged
into ordinary nonconformity.
Not one hundred yards from this quaint chapel-barn you
find yourself on the edge of a small moat. This moat formerly
surrounded the now-vanished manor house of Lord Monteagle.
The house and manor were, it is related, bestowed on him as
a reward for the "discovery" of the Gunpowder Plot.
CHAPTER VII.
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER.
The ancient and now much-decayed town of Ilchester was the
next place I visited. I turned in an easterly direction from
Martock until I reached the Roman Fosse Way, by which, after
a walk of three miles to the north-east, I arrived at my desti-
nation. Ilchester, the spelling of which name varied in years
gone by, taking the forms of Ivelcester, Yevel- or Yevilchester,
and Ivelchester, derived its appellation from the river Ivel. A
Roman town (Ischalis), standing on the Fosse Way, it in Roman
times was walled. In Leland, Camden, and Stukeley, we find
accounts of the place, all interesting, and all telling tales of the
past glories of the borough, the ruined relics of which were even
then visible. Now, alas, nearly every vestige of antiquity has
vanished. Of the Roman walls there is no trace ; of the more
modern fortifications, dating only as far back as the Great Rebellion,
a few fragmentary earthworks are all that can be now discerned.
Five churches were once included within the gated walls, and of
these but one (St. Mary Major) is left to us. The North Gate,
which stood close to the bridge on the Bath road, has been
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 1 89
removed ; and the same applies to the West Gate, which blocked
the road to Exeter, the South Gate, on the Yeovil road, and the
East Gate, facing towards Limington, the quondam cure of the
great cardinal. Of the Friary, which stood within the walls close
to the West Gate, and not outside, as Stukeley placed it, not one
stone remains in position. The nunnery of White Hall, or Albe
Aula, stood near the North Gate and opposite to the church of
St. Mary Minor. Close by White Hall was the old gaol, of which
the existence is recorded in 1429. This gaol was subsequently
removed to the other side of the river, and continued to be used
until 1843, when it was pulled down and the materials sold. In
Martock I was informed that Ilchester gaol lock was still used
on a barn, and that the gaol bell was until lately employed at a
factory near to that place. My informant was the man who, when
a boy, bought both lock and bell at the sale. Ilchester possessed
two crosses, one standing in the Market Place, and now represented
by a pillar, the other the cross of St. Peter, erected near the
South Gate, and, like that gate, now destroyed. Hence it is that,
beyond the restored church of St. Mary Major and a portion of
the manor house, the Ilchester of ancient days no longer exists.
But the lines of the town remain practically unaltered intra-
murally. Five streets there were centuries ago, and five there are
still, modified only in name. Chepstrete has become Church Street ;
the West Strete of the fourteenth century, which before 1390 was
sometimes known as High Street, has retained its original nomen-
clature, The road bearing the title of La Venele, or V^enella, till
1424, became firstly Abbey Lane, and subsequently Almshouse
190 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Lane ; while another, known as La Lane, changed its designation,
firstly to Back Lane, and lastly to Free Street. The fifth road,
which led from Chepstrete to the East Gate, had no name. In plan
the walled part of the town was a parallelogram with rounded ends,
and facing north-east, south-east, etc. West Strete was the intra-
mural portion of the Fosse Way, ran north-east on the north-west
side of the parallelogram, and terminated at the bridge. Chepstrete
cut the parallelogram diagonally from the bridge-head to the South
Gate. La Lane and its continuation. Free Street, ran at first
parallel to the north-east face of the wall, and then turned at right
angles till it again met Chepstrete nearly opposite to the end of
Venella or Abbey Lane, which ran parallel to the south-west wall,
and which joined Chepstrete to West Street. At a spot on the
other side of the road, opposite to Venella Lane, was the east gate
of the Friary.
As far as buildings were concerned. West Street was the most
important, for along its sides were the thirteenth-century manor
house of Hugh de Venele, the almshouse hard by, founded by
Robert Veel in 1426, and, opposite to these, the Friary and its
precincts. Further along, and near to the Market Place, stood the
old house of the Cordelyon family. The Cordelyons, from the
similarity of their name to the sobriquet of Richard L, gave rise
to a tradition that that king once held court in that house, and
descent from the warrior himself was also hinted at. The name of
Cordelyon died out in Ilchester during the last century. The
greater part of the house was pulled down, and the remainder,
degraded into stables, perished by fire half a century since.
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 19I
In the Market Place stood the cross, in front of the ancient
guild hall— a guild hall which was long ago demolished and
replaced by a sessions house. The sessions house has now
vanished, and in its stead is a small and hideous brick town hall.
On the other side of West Street, and reached by a side road
known as Shire Path Lane, stood the old gaol, while in the angle
between this and the river were the buildings of the nunnery called
White Hall.
Chepstrete was in those days the business street of the town,
and the only buildings other than shops and houses would be the
churches of St. Mary Major, St. Mary Minor, and probably also
that of St. Peter. The church of St. Mary Major is small and, with
the exception of a good east window and a portion of an Early
English arcade, discovered in 1880, not remarkable for antiquarian
points of interest. Two seventeenth-century tablets are worth
notice, viz. those of William Raymond and Mary his wife. William
Raymond died in 1625, aged 56, and his wife in 1639. Mary
Raymond was the daughter of John Every, Esq., servant to King
Henry VHI., Edward VI., and Queen Mary, and sergeant-at-arms
to Queen Elizabeth. The tower of the church is peculiar from the
fact that it is octagonal throughout, for most of the octagonal towers,
it may be observed, rest upon a square base.
Of the appearance of the church of St. Mary Minor there are
no records. That it was very small is to be inferred from the
diminutive size of the church of St. Mary Major. Stukeley thought
that it stood on a piece of land formed by the silt of the river
against an abutment of the bridge, and calls it Little St. Mary's
192 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Chapel. But documentary evidence proves it to have stood in
Chepstrete, opposite to a house near the dwelHng of the prioress of
White Hall. This would bring its site quite close to the gate and
river bank, and at the very end of the busy thoroughfare.
Of the church of St. Peter there is no trace, documentary or
otherwise.
Similarly the site and proportions of the church of St. John are
completely unknown, and were it not for the fact that the patronage
of this lost church was vested in the abbots of Muchelney, its
existence in the past could easily be doubted.
The fifth and last church was that of St. Michael, which Leland
mentions as follows : — " The greatest Token of auncient Building
that I saw yn al the Towne ys a Stone Gate archid and voltid, and
a Chapelle or Chirch of S. Michael, as I remember, over it." Now,
was this "chapelle or chirch ' built above one of the town gates,
like the Hanging ChajDel of Langport, which I shall illustrate
hereafter ; or was it on a separate arch constructed entirely for
ecclesiastical purposes, standing in one of the streets to block the
way ? Unfortunately, Leland tells us nothing as to the situation
of this now-vanished church or hanging chapel, and mere
conjecture will in no way clear up the matter.
The bridge which separates Ilchester from its neighbouring
parish Northover is quite modern. In Roman times there was a
paved ford at the spot, and when Stukeley wrote, the pavement was
visible. Next, a bridge was thrown across, which in Leland's time
(1540) seems to have possessed seven arches, with two small houses
of stone in the middle, one on either side. One of these houses
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 1 93
Leland calls a chapel, but there is a good deal of confusion in his
statements, and neither Camden nor Stukeley have thrown much
light on the subject. The present bridge was erected in the early
years of this century.
How Ilchester, in the course of its existence, has been the
scene of fighting need not be entered upon in detail ; suffice it to
say that it was successfully held for William Rufus, in 1088, against
the confederate barons, and that during the Great Rebellion it
shared the fate of every other Royalist stronghold in the west, viz.
it was captured.
I must now briefly consider White Hall, of which the history
is somewhat uncommon. It seems that some time between 1216
and 1220 certain lands in and near Ilchester were given by one
William Dacus, for the purpose of founding a hospital, in honour
of the Blessed Trinity, and for the reception of poor travellers,
pilgrims, etc. This information comes to us from a charter, in
which document White Hall is mentioned. The hospital, however,
never seems to have been a prosperous establishment, though
protected by the king and exempted from tax. Sixty years later
the hospital, which had hitherto been ruled over by a master and
brethren, was converted into a priory of Augustinian nuns. As
a nunnery White Hall became a hotbed of vice and corruption, and
frequent interferences on the part of the bishop were needful.
Prioresses and nuns alike were accused of immorality, several of the
former being deposed. In Collinson's time the memory of these
misdoings survived in the shape of a tradition of " an arched way,
now nearly filled up, leading to a subterraneous passage betwixt
P
194 SOMERSETSHIRE.
this house (the Friary) and the White Hall Nunnery. This passage
is in many parts broken through, but in those that remain entire the
vault is high enough for a man to walk upright in ; there are niches,
or resting-places, in the walls, and the floor is well paved with
flag-stones." How remarkable it is that these passages are always
either stopped up or fallen in, and that in mediaeval times no house,
however large, is ever supposed to have possessed a sewer ! But
these nonsensical stories of underground passages meet one all over
the kingdom, and in most cases without the justification of any
proved ill-doing to account for their origin. In the middle of the
fifteenth century the nunnery of White Hall was still poor, and
its constitution was then entirely transformed. The building was
converted into a free chapel, and the revenue applied to the
maintenance of the priest or chaplain thereof.
Of the friary and the morals of its occupants, beyond the
mention in Collinson, there are no records. The house appears
to have been founded before the eleventh year of Edward I. It
belonged to the Order of the Franciscans, or Grey Friars. At
the Spoliation I suspect that the domestic buildings perished, while
the church was retained, for Camden mentions that the north
transept was in his day used for spinning silk. On July 4, 1545,
Henry VIII. granted the site of the " Grey Friars at Ivellchester,"
and some houses at Bridgwater, to William Hodges of Myddel-
chynnock, William Hodges of London, his son, and their heirs,
for the sum of ^"695 o^-. s^., the value of the Grey Friars' site
being estimated at 13^. ^d. per annum. Here and there in buildings
and field walls on that side of the town pieces of worked stone
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 1 95
are to be met with, evidently relics of the former greatness of
the town, but whether belonging to church, guildhall, friary, or
nunnery who can tell ?
Ilchester claims to have been the birthplace of the celebrated
Roger Bacon. The point is doubtful, but if not a native, he was
probably born quite near to the place. His father was of gentle
blood, one of his brothers wealthy, and the other, like himself,
a scholar.
I have hardly touched upon the municipal life of Ilchester,
nor have I entered upon the question of the lost parliamentary
representation of the borough. Both were, I believe, irretrievably
corrupt. But a relic of the municipal life of the now-extinct borough
remains in the shape of a most ancient, and in some
respects, unique mace-head. This mace-head dates
from the thirteenth century. It is made of cast
latten, and is seven and a half inches in length.
Round the base of the head runs the followino-
inscription in two lines : —
>B IE SV DE DRVERIE
^ NE ME DVNET MIE,
which may be interpreted, "I am a mark of amity ;
Do not forget me (or give me away)." Above this
comes an ornamental band, out of which spring four
trefoiled arches, supported on twisted capitals. Under
each arch, on a decorated bracket, stands a small
figure. The four figures represent an angel and three kings. Had
there been but three kings it would have been natural to conclude
'm:mm^,
'\fi.
'/
ft,-" I? 4. '
196 SOMERSETSHIRE.
that they represented the three kings of Cologne, but the presence
of the angel in the fourth arch suggests that some other solution
ought to be found. In the spandrel of each arch, when perfect,
a conical spike stuck out in a somewhat similar way to those on
the iron mace of Chard. Two of these spikes, and a part of a
third, still project, but the fourth has vanished. My description,
meagre though it be, will be sufficient to show that this mace-head
is of more than passing interest, and if it be not the oldest in
the country, it must be nearly so. Though no longer a borough,
the affairs of Ilchester are carried on by a town trust, into whose
safe custody this valuable relic of antiquity has been committed.
The municipal badge of Ilchester is as follows : — " In a crescent
an estoile of sixteen points " {vide title-page).
I have mentioned the almshouses and the manor house. The
original fifteenth-century almshouses having become ruinous, were
replaced by new buildings in 1810. It is interesting to know that
there is in existence a series of more than one hundred and fifty
deeds and charters relating to this charity, the earliest of which,
though undated, belongs to the reign of King John, while the
latest brings us down to the year 1727. Among these documents
the greater portion by far belong to the fourteenth and fifteenth
centuries.
The old manor house of Hugh de Venele has likewise
vanished. In later times the property came into the possession
of the Lockyer family, who, on the site of the old mansion, built
a large manor house. Of this manor house a portion still remains,
but it is by no means picturesque.
ILCHESTER, HARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 1 97
While investigating the history of llchester I came across
a curious story of breaking out of gaol there. My authority is
derived from the "Letters and Papers of Henry VIII.," vol. vi.
As the matter so nearly concerned the family of Phelips of
Montacute, of which I wrote in the last chapter, it is interesting
to insert it. In the year 1533 Richard Phelip of Montacute and
Charborough possessed the estates. He had been escheator for
Somerset and Dorset, and M.P. for Melcombe Regis in the
nineteenth year of Henry VIII. He had an eldest son Thomas.
It appears from the depositions dated July 29, 1533, that on
the night of the eve of Holy Rood Day certain prisoners, by
names Richard Wyllyams, a servant, John Smythe, John Morgan,
Will Arnold, John Budd, and others broke out of prison.
Discipline was lax there, for by bribing the keepers some of
their chains, collars, and shackles were unfastened. A French
prisoner, a " lockyer " of Wells, made two files of a knife and
a pair of shears, with which they released themselves from their
remaining bonds. Twenty-two prisoners in all were in hold, seven
being women. The accounts of the pursuit are amusing, and tell
us how the neighbours turned out and gave chase. One, by name
Thomas Collyngs of Northover, " took a bill and went into the
street, all naked except his shirt." But an attempt was made, by
means of false accusations, to fix a charge of inciting these men
to escape on Thomas Phelips. Why this was done was never
explained. Thomas Phelips appears to have gone to London
shortly afterwards, and to have been on his return apprehended.
He was for a considerable time in a position of great danger.
igS SOMERSETSHIRE.
The sheriff of Somerset at that period was a, not the, Sir Thomas
More, and appears to have been hostile to the Phehps family.
He reported the accusation to Cromwell, and gave it merely on
the supposed confession of an ex-keeper of the gaol, one Richard
Wyllsham. More gained much unpopularity in the county by
his action, and states in one letter to Cromwell that " Since I
left you I am rudely handled." County men of influence came
to the rescue, and though the unlucky Thomas Phelips was " in
the king's mercy," he was eventually cleared. Lord Daubeny
of Soke and Sir Thomas Arundell were specially active on his
behalf, and in letters from the latter to Cromwell, thanking him
for his efforts in the cause of Phelips, he hints at the bias of the
accusation, and also wishes that something could be tried out
that is yet " in close and hid." But Phelips nearly lost his life.
Eventually Richard Wyllyams, alias Howchyns, the servant of
W. Lythe, Robert Dylle, and John Parkinson were executed
for breaking out of gaol. John Budd was pardoned, but all
confessed that their accusations against Phelips were false, though
they declined to state by whom their testimony had been suborned.
Leaving Ilchester, I returned to Martock, and then took my
way to South Petherton, a quaint place and somewhat picturesque
withal. The church, which has an octagonal tower on a square base,
stands in a rather commanding position. It is dedicated to SS.
Peter and Paul, and in style is partly Early English and partly
Perpendicular, the older portions being the chancel, the south porch,
and the base of the tower, while the remainder belongs to the later
period. At the foot of some steep steps near the east end of the
ILCHESTER, BARklNGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 1 99
church is an old inn, which has all the appearance of having once
been a chantry house. In other parts of the town quaint windows
and gables are visible, one especially, at the corner of the road to
Martock, having a hood moulding terminated by small carved heads.
But the show of South Petherton is the now much-modernized
fifteenth or sixteenth-century house, known as King Ina's Palace.
This was built on the traditional site of the home of the Saxon king,
and it is possible that some of its walls or foundations may contain
Saxon masonry. But a few years ago the present dwelling, being in
a bad condition of repair, was restored — and well restored. Still, to
all intents and purposes the place is hardly to be classed as an
antiquity when compared with the many original manor houses in
the county.
From South Petherton I wandered over the pleasant country
to Shepton Beauchamp, where I found nothing of interest. The
church there, dedicated to St. Michael, has recently been in the
hands of the decorators, to judge from the series of singularly
inartistic pictures of personages more or less angelic in type, which
hang in narrow frames upon its piers. This ecclesiastical art gallery
is of the cheap illuminated, organ-case order. Let us hope that it
is effectual in elevating the thoughts and minds of the congregation.
I left Shepton Beauchamp by an old-time lane, with a high
causeway on one side thereof, and took my way over the hill, in the
valley beneath which lies the wreck of stately Barrington Court. It
is open to question from which point of view this once-splendid old
Tudor house looks best. For myself, I incline to think that the spot
to select is in the fields about halfway up the hill towards Shepton
200
SOMERSETSHIRE.
Beauchamp. But at that distance all detail is lost, and hence to
sketch even a portion of the rambling old place it is needful to
approach more nearly.
Barrington Court was built by one of the Daubeny family,
Henry, second Baron and first Earl of Bridgwater, who died in 1548.
In 1605 the property was sold to the Phelips family, who retained
it only a short time, as we know, for before the reign of Charles I.
it had been sold to the Strodes. It is curious to mark that built
.\
Ia ^ ? ■>
into a wall near the stables at Montacute is a stone scutcheon
bearing Strode impaling Barnard, which was sent to Montacute
a few years since, under the impression that it bore the Phelips
arms. In plan the house is shaped like the letter E, and the
chief entrance is in the centre. The right wing formed the hall,
and is now used as a cider cellar. This part of the building is in
a sad condition indeed. The panels are mostly destroyed, and it
is to be observed that there are rooms panelled with woodwork
ILCHESTER, HARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER.
20I
of several different dates in different parts of the house. Not a
little of the tall, heavily moulded Queen Anne panelling even yet
remains. High up on one wall of the "cider cellar" I saw a
sadly mutilated fireplace. Above the mantel were three carved
panels, the central one containing a shield. By means of a ladder
I endeavoured to get close to this, but in vain. The shield, as
I read it, has nine quarterings, now nearly faded away. I could
not make out either the arms of Strode, or those of Daubeny,
viz. Gules, four lozenges con-
joined in fess argent. Of the
pilasters on either side of the
fireplace only one now remains,
the other having been ruthlessly
sawn through. Other fireplaces
are to be seen elsewhere in the
house, one of Queen Anne date,
which being partly torn away,
discloses the original stone arch
behind it. On an upper floor
is the plaster fireplace top, which ' ^^=®^a^BN &WM^
I have sketched, having for the subject of its central plaque the
" Judgment of Solomon." The fireplace beneath is bricked up, and
it in fact now forms part of the landing wall. In a window near,
on the wide ledge, rests an ancient helmet, a relic which it is
curious should have survived the many vicissitudes of the house.
My sketch shows the outside of the front of Harrington Court,
and as the details of the pinnacles and twisted chimneys will be
202 SOMERSETSHIRE.
seen therein, I hardly think it needful to give any further
description.
The village of Barrington is extremely pretty and old-fashioned,
quite a sketchable place for those vi^ho like to wander about
with block and colour-box to pick up nice bits. Most of the
houses there are old, some indeed very old, notably the village
inn. The church, in which lie generations of Strodes, is small,
but ancient. It has a central octagonal tower like that of Somerton,
only on a far smaller scale.
Proceeding on my way, I passed through Pucklington, where
there is a restored church, and in the main street an ancient
gable-ended house, which still retains traces of beams and brackets,
showing thereby that it was originally half-timbered, but was
converted into a stone house by the lateral enlargement of the
gable. At Pucklington I lost some time trying to find the way
to two ancient houses in the neighbouring parish. Everybody
who knew of their existence was ignorant of the path, and after
considerable wandering over hedge and ditch, I was compelled to
give up in despair and proceed to Ilminster.
This day I seemed doomed to fail in finding places or obtaining
directions, for I heard that near the road between Pucklington
and Ilminster, in a house now used as a farm, but formerly an
inn, the old petty sessions furniture was still in position. This
old inn happened to be one of the many which, in the absence
of court-houses, was used by the Justices of the Peace. I should
think that its fittings must be almost unique if they really now
remain. Failing, however, to find this house, I continued on my
ILCIIESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 203
way, and crossed the little stream in the valley. Next ascending
the hill, I turned sharply to the left into the old coach road which
lead over the brow, and then by a steep descent brought me
suddenly into Ilminster. This old coach road is merely a deep
hollow worn by time and traffic, and seems to be the playground
of the children of the neighbourhood. At any rate, as I came
over the crest of the hill in the gathering twilight, some thirty
youngsters, male and female, fled headlong down the track with
piercing screams. Later on I discovered that the locality had
been infested by tramps, one of whom had recently maltreated
a child. Hence the flight and screams. I was a tramp !
Ilminster is a pleasant little town, with long, straggling streets,
one of which — a wide one — stretches from the small market-house
to the hilltop, which in that direction limits the extent of the
place. From this hill there is a fine view, and a large house
there seems to be located in a most enviable situation. But like
Yeovil, Ilminster has suffered from the ravages of fire, and on
this account old dwellings are perhaps less in evidence than would
be expected. Still, the old Grammar School is a building of
respectable antiquity. It was erected on the site of one of the
chantry houses (four in number), which in pre-reformation times
existed in the place. The old dial, with its date and the quaint
inscriptions on its front, are worth at least a glance. Quite close
to the school stands another house called the Chantry, in which
until a few years since there were two secret hiding-places. One
of these was behind the large kitchen fireplace, the other in a
room above it. Relics of a small bracket, or credence table, and
204 SOMERSETSHIRE.
also of the pedestal of a statue, are, I hear, still preserved within.
The front door, which is of carved oak, is ancient, but has unfor-
tunately suffered considerable mutilation.
The parish church of Ilminster, with the exception of its nave,
is a fine one. Here, as at Langport, there is a projecting room
at the east end, which communicates with the sanctuary by two
beautiful arched doorways, one on each side of the altar. The
south transept contains the tombs of the Walrond family, notably
that of Humphrey Walrond, who died in 1580. There is a good
deal of heraldry on this tomb. One shield, with a crescent
for difference, is blazoned as follows : — i. Argent, three bulls'
heads, cabossed sable armed or (Walrond) ; 2. Argent, on a fess
sable three cross crosslets fitchee or (Ufflete) ; 3. Azure, six fishes
haurient argent, 3, 2, and i (Fishacre or Fisacre) ; 4. Or, three
bars sable, an eagle displayed with two heads gules (Walrond of
Langridge). On the other two shields we have the same arms
quartered on the dexter side, impaling in one case a shield which
I have not identified ; in the other, Popham, viz. argent, on a chief
gules two bucks' heads cabossed or. Above these tombs are two
funeral helmets, but not belonging to the Walrond family. Stand-
ing against the south wall of this transept is a stone erection,
which at the first glance looks like a tomb. It is not, however,
a tomb, but a modern stone altar, the use of which was prohibited ;
hence its present position.
But the chief beauty of the church is found in the north
transept, or Wadham Chapel. Here we have two tombs of sur-
passing interest. One is that of Sir William Wadham, who died
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 205
in 1425, and of his mother Joan, the widow of the Judae Sir John
Wadham. The brass inscrii^tion which runs round the tomb is
fairly perfect, and the stops are elegant little sprays and Wadham
roses. Some doggrel Latin verses are also there, of the same date
as the tomb, but their Latinity is open to grave question, and I
hardly think them worth quoting. Upon the slab of the tomb
are the figures of a knight and a lady, beneath beautiful canopies.
The sides and ends of the monument are adorned with canopied
niches, now despoiled of the figures they once contained. Between
these are buttresses with finials, and a foliated cornice runs round
the whole. Alas ! from mutilation and whitewash this tomb has
suffered terrible things. The other tomb is that of Nicholas
Wadham and Dorothy his wife, and consists of an altar with a
black marble top slab, on which are effigies in brass of Nicholas
and Dorothy, the founder and foundress of Wadham College,
Oxford. Nicholas Wadham is in armour, with a ruff, sword and
dagger, but bareheaded. Dorothy is clad in hooped petticoat,
puffed sleeves, and ruff. From the mouths of the pair issue the
following legends respectively : — " Death is unto me advantage,"
and " I shall not dye but lyve and declare ye worke of ye Lord."
Nicholas Wadham died on October 20, 1609, and Dorothy on
May 16, 16 1 8, as we learn from the reversed plates at the foot
of the effigies. The heraldry on the tomb is both elaborate and
interesting; there are five coats on the slab, one of which has
fourteen quarterings, and this coat is repeated in stone on the back
of the tomb, which as a kind of reredos has a cornice decorated
with heraldry, supported by two classic pillars, and enclosing
206 SOMERSETSHIRE.
several inscriptions. From careful examination it is evident that
the tomb and its backing have both been moved. Above both the
Wadham tombs hang Wadham funeral helmets bearing the " white
rose " crest. The blazon of the arms of Wadham is Gules, a
chevron between three roses argent. Space does not permit me
to give in full the blazons of the fourteen quarterings, and I con-
tent myself with the enumeration of the families to which they
belong: i, Wadham ; 2, Chesildon ; 3, Popham ; 4, Zouch ; 5, St.
Martin ; 6, Nevile ; 7, Walrond ; 8, Lorty ; 9, Reade ; 10, Tre-
garthin ; 11, Hendover; 12, Plantagenet (of Court in Brannel) ;
13, Chamberlain; 14, Fever.
The Wadham tombs are enclosed within an oak screen, dating
from the reign of James I. This consists of panels in the lower
part, while two rows of open arches form a double arcade above.
The condition of the tombs, screen, and transept at the present
time leaves much to be desired. But, assuming that funds are not
easily obtained in these days to repair the roof, it would not be
a serious drain on the income of the parish if shelves could be
provided elsewhere to store the boxes, etc., which, on the occasion
at least of my visit, were resting on these beautiful brasses. If the
parish cannot or will not do this, perhaps Wadham College could
be persuaded to assist in saving the tomb of their founder and the
tomb of the builder of the transept from ill-usage. Poverty is no
excuse for permitting the Wadham Chapel to degenerate into a
lumber-room. It is quite bad enough to have hidden the place
from view by the erection of an organ.
Of the remainder of the church within, not much more need
ILCHESTER, BARRINGTON, AND ILMINSTER. 207
be said. The squint, or hagioscope, is a fair one, and the chancel
singularly deep. In the north-west tower pier there is a rood
door and stair apparent, and the panels of the tower arch are
very fine indeed.
Outside, the beauty of the tower is most striking, and it is to
my mind one of the noblest that I have seen in the course of my
wanderings. The exterior of the Wadham transept, or chapel, too,
is most noteworthy, with its beautiful frieze, composed of shield-
centred quatrefoils framed in decorated crocketting, and having
between each quatrefoil a crocketted plinth. The pinnacles which
surmounted the frieze are gone, though their panelled plinths
remain, except two on the north side, between which there is a
crocketted gable. But the effects of wind and weather are clearly
discernible on the whole of the work, and it is not without reason
that I plead for something to be done to arrest further decay.
Having — not for the first time — then, visited Ilminster church,
I felt bound to prolong my journey a little further, and so walked
over to Merifield to see if I could obtain a view of any relics of
the old home of the Wadhams. Alas ! the old hall passed away
ages ago, the moat alone remaining, and a few fragments of wall.
Subsequently I ascertained that the house was pulled down by one
of the Wyndhams in the seventeenth century, about thirty or forty
years after the death of Nicholas Wadham. It should be remarked
that Merifield fell to the share of Sir John Wyndham, one of the
nephews of Nicholas Wadham.
CHAPTER VIII.
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON.
My next stopping-place was the old town of Chard, a place of
whose history and antiquities a volume might well be written.
The long, wide street — for-
merly blocked by the old
market - house, the sessions
hall, and the shambles — must
in ancient days have been
singularly picturesque. Now,
however, all these have passed
away,' for the edifice in which
not a few trials of more than
passing interest took place
vanished in 1834, together
with the market - house, a
building originally by tradi-
tion a chapel ; the shambles,
as I understand, being removed at the same date. That these
buildings were inconveniently situated is without doubt, for record
(gwaaa '— -■
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 209
remains that it was with difficulty that the coaches could singly
pass between them and the opposite dwellings.
The parish church of Chard is dedicated to St. Mary, and is
not a remarkably interesting structure. The earlier part of it dates
from the first years of the fifteenth century, when it replaced an
older church. Unlike most Somersetshire churches, the interior
seems to contain no detail worthy of record, unless it be the
monument of William Brewer, of Chard, " phisitian," and Deanes
his wife. Mistress Brewer died in 1614, and the worthy doctor
four years later. They left six sons and five daughters, " all men
and women growne, and all comforts to them." Their arms are :
Gules, two bends, wavy, or. The effigies of William and Deanes
Brewer are represented kneeling, with sons and daughters re-
spectively attendant.
Chard, unfortunately, besides having suffered from demolition,
has been the scene of one or two serious conflagrations. One,
which took place in August, 1727, besides other buildings, destroyed
the Grammar School, " a large pile of buildings belonging to the
said borough." This I learn from a petition praying for a brief
to beg money. Now, it is curious that no tradition e.xists of the
site of this school. This is strange, for the present Grammar
School has all the appearance of having been originally intended
for scholastic use, and certainly is of seventeenth-century date. A
leaden water-pipe thereon is dated 1583, but is apparently more
ancient than the rest of the building, and was probably removed
thither. Inside, a few years since, some fairly moulded beams were
discovered hidden by the plaster of the passage ceiling. Externally
Q
2IO
SOMERSETSHIRE.
the porch is the most interesting portion, though not nearly so
good as the porches of "Waterloo House" and its neighbour.
Norrington's is now used as an ironmonger's store, and of a
particular type of building is, I believe, the best example in the
county. My sketch gives a view of both fronts, showing the porches
with their quaint pinnacled gables, mullioned windows, and balustered
C(!=5Al^53>.
: (Cftfttt/voAJL '*S*
grating beneath. In the interior are some handsomely moulded
ceilings of a geometrical pattern. But the most charming portion of
these interesting old houses lies in the rear, and is reached through
a small courtyard by means of the arched door of the porch. It
consists of a large room on the first floor, which was in all
probability the Manor Court House. This noble room is lighted
by two twenty-light mullioned windows, which, by the way, are not
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON.
211
directly opposite to one another. The approach to the court room
is by means of a stair on the right-hand side of the arched doorway.
Of the exterior I give a sketch at the commencement of the
chapter, and here insert one of the interior. From this it will be
seen that the coved ceiling is most handsomely decorated in stamped
plaster, and that the fireplace occupies a rather unusual position,
viz. at one end. As the decorations are of a very remarkable
CilrtvSi — if^ t^x,
(s5iKl«li;ii)„
character, I will endeavour to describe them briefly in detail.
Above the wide-arched fireplace in the centre is a phoenix in an
oblong plaque, flanked by two grotesque demi-figures terminating
on plinth pedestals, the ground being filled in with conventional
fruit and flowers. Above this, again, and completely covering the
curved portion of the end wall, is a curious design partly composed
of bands which terminate in eccentric birds, whose tongues are
212 SOMERSETSHIRE,
trails of creepers or possibly roses. The centre of this design has
an animal depicted amid leaves. This animal has been called a
" brock," or badger, and also a boar. Personally I do not think
it is either one or the other, and for this reason. Creatures are to
be found on the ceiling at the other end of the room, all being
monstrosities, such as birds with rabbits' heads, etc. This animal
has, without doubt, the head of a pig, but the claws of some other
creature. A brock, or badger, certainly in no way resembles a pig.
The coved ceiling of the room is ornamented with a most elaborate
banded lozenge-cross pattern, the points of which terminate in a
pseudo fleur-de-lis formed of a single leaf in the centre and two
trails or two blossoms on either side. Above the fireplace in the
first panel are stars which surround a faced crescent (man in the
moon). In the corresponding panel at the other end are similar
stars surrounding a full-faced sun. This portion of the ceiling,
strange to say, is far more elaborate than that of the upper end
of the room, and wild freaks of nature are introduced ; but quaint
though all are, the decorative effect is most excellent. The curved
wall beneath the ceiling bears on it three plaques. On the left
the " Judgment of Solomon," different in treatment from that at
Barrington ; in the centre, in a circular medallion, are Shadrach,
Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace ; on the right Daniel
stands in a den of, to all appearance, singularly amiable lions.
Between these plaques are two figures — one of Justice, with sword
and scales; the other Law, bearing a book. The whole room is
surrounded by a handsome frieze of conventional foliage mingled
with monsters.
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 213
Without doubt this building is older than the portion of the house
in front known as Waterloo House ; but a great difficulty arises in
deciding to Avhom it belonged. Three theories have been advanced
with regard to ownership, and all documentary evidence on the
subject is lacking. I give them with all due reserve. The first
is that the " brock " was the crest of Lord Cobham, owner of the
manor, and attainted temp. James I. But is the creature a " brock " .-*
The second ascribes the place to the Cogan or Coggan family,
because one of that name had property near the hall. The third
suggests that it might have been the dwelling of John Bancroft,
merchant, in whose house Charles I. twice stayed during the
Rebellion, on one occasion, it may be remarked, quartering his troops
at Whitestaunton, of which interesting place I shall have more to
say presently.
There is another house in Chard of considerable interest
internally, though the outside has been modernized to a lamentable
extent. This is the Chough Inn. Here, in one of the upper rooms,
is a small stamped plaster fireplace-top decorated with two quaint
dragons surrounded by roses and fleurs-de-lis, all of rather unusual
type. But the best bits in the house are the balustered doorways
and old doors leading into two small rooms. That these are
uncommon my sketch on the next page shows.
Three years ago, when I chanced to be at Chard, I found in
this house that from the ground to the roof a portion some eight
by ten feet was walled up, and, strange to say, the tenant had never
noticed it. On my visit in October last I found a new tenant,
equally ignorant of the fact that two if not three rooms were
214
SOMERSETSHIRE.
cut bodily out of the house and hidden. At any rate, there is
something in the Chough Inn which is worth investigation — at least,
so it seems to me.
I have spoken of certain celebrated trials, and will here briefly
notice one, at least, since it concerned the question of villeinage,
or slavery. It was tried as late as 1568, and is cited in law
books as Crouch's Case. It seems that one Butler was lord of
Tjfi 'S^i&uwrswm
the manor of Badminton, in the county of Gloucester, and Crouch
was his villein regardant. As such Butler claimed Crouch as
real property. Crouch bought lands in Somersetshire, which
Butler took possession of, and leased them to one Fleyer. Crouch
then ejected Fleyer, who brought an action in which he set up
Butler's lease, and pleaded that Crouch was a villein, that " Butler
and his ancestors, and all those whose estate he hath in the
manor of Badminton, were seised of Crouch and his ancestors
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 215
as villeins regardant, to the same manor, from time whereof the
memory of man runneth not to the contrary." The jury found
a special verdict, " That Butler and his ancestors were seised
of the manor from time immemorial ; and that the ancestors of
Butler were seised during all that time of the ancestors of Crouch
as villeifis regardant, until the first year of Henry VII., and that
Crouch was a villein regardant to the same manor, and that no
other seisin of Crouch or his ancestors was had since ; but whether
the said seisin of the said manor be in law a seisin of the said
Crouch and his ancestors since the said first year of Henry VII.
the jurors prayed the opinion of the court." Sir James Dyer,
the Lord Chief Justice, and all the judges of the Court of Common
Pleas, gave judgment for the defendant Crouch, on this ground
chiefly, "because no actual or full seisin in Butler and his ancestors,
of Crouch and his ancestors as villeins regardant, is found, but
only a seisin in law, and the lord having let a hundred years
pass without redeeming the villein or his issue cannot after that
seise them." If Butler could have managed to have taken posses-
sion of the person of Crouch prior to the trial it might have
been different. It seems that some such attempt was expected
at Chard, and the Somersetshire men turned out in great numbers
to prevent this or to rescue the defendant Crouch.
Lord Chief Justice Dyer was born at Roundhill, in Somerset-
shire, about 1 5 12. He was the second son of Robert Dyer of
Wincanton. He studied at Oxford, passing thence to " Strand
Inne," a Chancery Inn. Next he entered the Middle Temple. In
the reign of Edward VI. he was a member of the House of
2l6 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Commons, and was also elected Speaker. In the first year of
Queen Mary Dyer became Serjeant-at-Law. Though a Pro-
testant, he suffered no persecution. He prosecuted Sir Nicholas
Throckmorton for complicity in Wyat's rebellion. The jury
acquitted Throckmorton, and were in consequence both imprisoned
and fined. Dyer next became a Puisne Justice of the Common
Pleas, and soon afterwards Puisne Justice of the Court of King's
Bench. On the accession of Elizabeth he was brought back to
the Common Pleas, and shortly afterwards made chief justice of
that court. In this capacity he assisted at the trial of Thomas
Duke of Norfolk for high treason, attending with the other
judges to assist the peers. Dyer was subject to a severe attack
on his conduct as judge of assize, in which he was charged with
most arbitrary behaviour. The fact was, he discountenanced
oppression and loathed "jobs." Dyer replied to the accusations
in a lengthy document still extant, and the matter passed over.
He died at Great Stoughton, in Huntingdonshire, aged seventy-one.
Dyer married Margaret, daughter of Sir Maurice a Barrow, and
widow of Sir Thomas Elyot, by whom he had no children. As
a counsel Dyer was not distinguished, but as a judge he was
most celebrated. His collection of " Reports of Cases," published
after his death, is justly renowned for its lucidity.
The Humphrey Walrond, whose tomb in Ilminster church
I noticed in the last chapter, was mixed up in a curious tithe
dispute at Chard, which eventually led to a Star Chamber cause.
Humphrey Walrond claimed the rectorial tithe, and appeared
as plaintiff, while Sir Richard Pollard, Kt, of Ford Abbey, was
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 217
defendant. The upshot of the affair is not known, but from
the depositions and answers to interrogatories of various persons
cited, it seems that a great disturbance took place at the tithe
barn, and that both parties armed their friends and servants
with weapons, such as swords, bucklers, staves, pikes, and bows.
It was either at Chard, or near, that the Parliamentarian troops
under Captain Crook defeated the Royalist rising of 1655. This
outbreak was led by Sir Joseph Wagstaff, Mr. Jones, Mr. Hugh
Grove, and Colonel Penruddock, whose following amounted to
hardly more than two hundred men. The judges were seized
at Salisbury, and brought out in their robes, being ordered to
"humbly produce their commissions," after which the gaol was
broken open and the prisoners released. Wagstaff and his
friends next proclaimed Charles II., and followed this up by
condemning the judges to be hanged. From this summary method
of procedure Penruddock dissented^ and Wagstaff dared not to
persist therein. When defeated by Captain Crook the leaders
and sixty of their followers were taken. Thirty were sold as
slaves in Barbadoes, Wagstaff escaped, while Penruddock, Grove,
and others were tried and executed. One Royalist who had
been condemned at Chard for this rising, by name Major Hunt,
managed to escape from Ilchester gaol disguised in his sister's
clothes. The story of his escape is most romantic, but unfortu-
nately very lengthy, hence I cannot give it.
In the sad time after Monmouth's rebellion Chard bore its
share of horrors. There is no doubt that Monmouth had been
received with acclamation on June 16, 1685, five days after he
2l8 SOMERSETSHIRE.
landed at Lyme. After the defeat at Sedgmoor, Chard, as was to
be expected, became one of the scenes of Jeffrey's ferocity. Twelve
prisoners were hung there on an oak tree, which was only cut
down in 1864, and which grew nearly opposite to the station of
the London and South Western Railway. The borough was
further punished by the imposition of a Personal Estate Tax,
amounting to £^6 55. per annum. For some reason this tax was
regularly paid until 1834, when an energetic inhabitant succeeded
in getting it remitted.
I need not here tell in full the story of the trial at Chard of
Master Babb for Murder in 161 3. The whole tale is to be found
in Sir Simonds D'Ewes. It is sufficient to say that the man
murdered a rich widow, and then placed the knife in her dead
hand. It was considered at the inquest to be a case oi felo-de-se,
and the body of the unfortunate woman was buried at a cross-road
with the usual barbarous accompaniments. A Taunton justice,
by name Wane, suspecting foul play, exhumed the body, and
collected the inhabitants in order to make them touch it, according
to the prevailing superstition, that at the murderer's touch the
murdered body bleeds. Babb was present with the rest, but took
to flight before his turn came. Though pursued, he escaped, only,
however, to give himself up to justice some months later. He was
hanged, after trial at Chard, in 16 14.
In an amusing old tract in the British Museum, dated 1680,
there is a curious story of a Quaker who wanted to sell himself to
the devil. This tract has as its title the following: "A strange
and wonderful (yet true) Relation of the cursed and hellish design
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 219
of Abraham Mason, a pretended Quaker, to give himself to the
devil, with the means how he would have done it and how strangely
he was prevented. Also an account of his behaviour afterwards,
and of his strange death." Abraham Mason was said to be a native
of Chard, and a bookseller. Being foolish enough to confide in a
stranger that he would be willing to sell his soul, was made the
subject of a practical joke in consequence. The stranger, with
the aid of a brother, counterfeited the devil, with all the usual
accessories of fire, brimstone, etc. Mason is eventually stated to
have broken his neck one night while drunk ; but the whole story
is of course fiction, and was merely printed to cast discredit on
the Quakers. It will be remembered that great persecution was
endured by the members of that sect about the year 1684, and
record remains that the Quakers of this town underwent a full
share thereof.
Chard was incorporated as a borough by Bishop Joceline, of
Wells, in 1206, when he gave fifty-two acres out of his manor to
enlarge the town. The borough remained ecclesiastical property
until 1801, with the exception of a brief space of six years during
the reign of Edward VI., when, in company with much more of
the Wells cathedral church property, it was transferred to the
Protector Somerset. To this is possibly due the stone carving of
the arms of the Protector which is no\v at Whitestaunton manor
house, and which was removed thither when an old dwelling was
destroyed in the neighbourhood.
Edward I. confirmed the charter of Joceline, and under this
confirmation the borough had the right to send two members to
2 20 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Parliament, provided that they paid their expenses. This privilege
was only exercised for twenty-nine years. Charles II. granted a
new charter, which his successor afterwards dissolved by proclama-
tion. Oueen Anne si'ave another charter.
The borough of Chard was from the earliest times under the
government of a port reeve and burgesses. Charles II. changed
this by his charter to a mayor and town council. In the time of
Queen Anne a return was made to the old form, and this lasted
until the Municipal Reform Act, in 1835, when a mayor and town
council were again adopted.
There are three curious staves, or maces, which I have seen
in the Town Hall at Chard. They are mounted on long poles,
one being topped by a crown, another by a hand which originally
grasped a billet, only unfortunately the billet has now disappeared.
The third head is of iron, and is studded with short spikes. None
of these maces are of the least intrinsic value ; still, the possession
of three of such totally different types is interesting, and it is to
be regretted that no record of their age or origin is in existence.
On my way to Whitestaunton I was enabled, through the
kindness of Mr. C. I. Elton, O.C., to pay a visit to an old
sixteenth-century house now known as Weston Farm, but formerly
Watson or Waterleston. This interesting old manor house was
in past time the home of the Bonner family. Its date is given
on a stone slab above the quaint doorway — a doorway which one
is pleased to see still retains its curious panelled door, carved
doorposts, and massive pull-out bars. In the hall passage is a
quaint curved cupboard set in the wall and a doorway of which
I I
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 22 1
the ornamental head is decidedly uncommon in type. But the
chief interest lies in the stamped plaster ceilings, of which there
are two. Of these that on the upper floor, though good, is not
particularly remarkable except for a most
elaborate floral design. But that in the
ground floor room is very quaint, and
merits some description. From the oc-
currence of the arms of the Bonners ®®"^ «"^ «^*^- ,
on a shield, viz. Gules, a crescent ermine within an orle of martlets
or, there can be no doubt as to the family by whom the ceiling
was erected. According to the design there should have been
four shields, but there now are only three, one having been replaced
by a blank. The other two shields bear sham heraldry of a
singularly comic nature — owls and birds quartering lobsters, fish,
and monsters. Here we have winged horses, and griffins or
dragons sprawling about amongst the coat armour of the old
Bonner family, and mingled with the burlesque shields with which
it suited the fancy of some sixteenth-century itinerant Italian
workman to complete his design,
Whitestaunton, which lies but a short distance from Weston
Farm, is a spot of singular interest, and not a little beauty. The
old manor house, which stands close to the church as I have
already remarked, is architecturally a building of various dates,
and possesses associations of an historical character. The church
has points worthy of study, notably the guild chapel and screen.
But the special antiquarian treasure of the place is its Roman
villa.
222
SOMERSETSHIRE.
Whitestaunton church, of which the dedication is unknown, is
small in size, and mainly Perpendicular in style. The tower stands
well, and church and manor house, seen from the top of the
neighbouring hill, appear to belong to the same range of buildings.
That in ancient times an earlier church existed, which is now
destroyed, seems probable, from the fact that the font is distinctly
Norman. The screen, a Perpendicular one, is of a very good type.
There are two chancel chapels, of which that on the north side
■^»'t^m^w^-
^^"^mmrmm^^
was the chapel of the guild of St. Mary of Whitestaunton ; that
on the south belonged to the Brett family, in days long gone
the owners of the manor. My sketch shows the stone screen
which separates the guild chapel from the chancel. Within this
chapel, on the wall, is a brass to Margaret Brett, one of the
daughters and co-heiresses of Hughe Ratcliffe, Esq., and wife
of John Brett, " lord of this manor of Whitestaunton, who died
February 22, 1582," and also to her daughter Mary, the wife
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON.
223
of Christopher Morgan of Maperton, who died January 4, 1582.
This brass has two shields. The south chapel has a stone altar
tomb, which has evidently been moved from its original position.
Four carved shields can still be seen, though probably one if
not four others are now hidden. One shield has thereon a lion
rampant impaling a chevron
between three roses. The
arms of the Bretts were :
Argent a lion rampant
between five (another nine)
cross crosslets fitchee gules.
This shield therefore does
not seem to belong to Brett.
The coat impaled might, of
Somersetshire families, be
either that of Phellps or
of Wadham. There is no-
thing, however, to lead one to suppose that it belongs to either
of them. The second shield bears three fusils conjoined in fess,
and is supposed to be the coat of Montacute, though here again
there is no actual knowledge upon which to ground the belief.
The third shield is " fretty," and this being the coat of the
Stauntons {i.e. Gules fretty argent), of which family a Brett
married an heiress, it is reasonable to ascribe it to the Stauntons.
The fourth shield bears three negroes' heads filleted, and of this
coat there is no means of tracing the connection.
An opening, called a " squint," of very late date, is cut through
224
SOMERSETSHIRE.
the south chancel pier, and commands, not the high altar from the
body of the church, but the altar (possibly) of the chapel. It, in
fact, is reversed in direction. My opinion is that it is not a squint
in reality, but simply a spy-hole from the squire's seat or pew.
On the wall of this chapel is a tablet to Catherine Elton, the
widow of Isaac Elton, and daughter of Robert Bayard, Esq., of
Stubbington, Hampshire, the loyal American.
Some ancient encaustic tiles, small in size, have been discovered
in the church, and where possible have been laid down in the
!E.'.t5«'?*!^J!«li,. .'■;;' " iliJ;} "
■'•''• !:,(,
\
'fiX^it f^&i^ ^a(lfSST&l3!irv'(?M«
C'-''.fl.-.VJ -t*,">
sanctuary. I give sketches of two which were kindly forwarded
to me for that purpose. One of these bears, or may reasonably be
supposed to bear, the arms of the Stauntons ; the other is stated
to bear the arms of Montacute, but certainly does not. The arms
on the tile are three mascles conjoined in fess, and not three fusils.
Of the Ferrers family the coat armour is Gules, three mascles
conjoined in fess or, and I submit that this blazon accords more
with the coat on the tile than argent, three fusils conjoined in
fess gules belonging to Montacute. In the nave are some curious
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 225
bench ends ; one has carved thereon a monster with a long tail,
a conventional fretted mane, and scales. This has also been
called a "brock," and has been likened to the "brock" (?) at
Chard. There is not the slightest resemblance. Another bench
has a fretty pattern down the panel, terminated at top and
bottom by two loops, and studded all over. It is a pattern of by
no means uncommon occurrence, but here has been supposed to
stand for the Staunton coat of arms. With this view I entirely
disagree. A diamond-paned window would do equally as well.
Another bench end has on its panel a pair of conventional leaves
with twisted ends, like an S and S reversed, united by a studded
band. The ends are caught on to a ring, which is attached to a
twisted pillar or pedestal. This, it has been suggested, was the
origin of the Chard " borough arms." Now the borough of Chard,
as far as I can discover, has no arms ; at least, none are recorded.
The small oval borough seal, dated 1570, has Avithin the legend
two curious birds facing one another, but separated by an orna-
mental staff. There is no possibility by any twisting to derive
the birds of the Chard seal from the conventional foliacre of the
Whitestaunton bench end. The remains of a rood stair are still
visible in the church. Outside in the churchyard there does not
appear to be anything of peculiar interest, save perhaps the Locock
monument. This marks the vault of an old Whitestaunton yeoman
family now vanished locally. The vault is, however, still used
from time to time.
Whitestaunton manor house is partly a fifteenth-century build-
ing, though the outward and visible signs of this oldest portion are
R
226 SOMERSETSHIRE.
not easily to be distinguished from tlie later additions of the Brett
family. But that there can be no mistake about the date of a
portion of the house is proved by the presence of the relics of the
ancient roof. This roof is a handsome one, and by far more
elaborate than any other manor house roof I visited. In lieu of
curved and cusped wind-braces, such as are met with at Lytescary,
the spaces are as it were panelled, each panel being pierced with
a quatrefoil surmounting two trefoil-headed lancets. For my
description I have to rely on a careful drawing which I had the
opportunity of inspecting, as, owing to the situation of this roof, it
is a matter of considerable trouble to get up to it. Several rooms
in the house, notably the library, are most interesting. Here there
is a fine Jacobean fireplace, and a frieze in stamped plaster which
bears the strongest resemblance to the frieze at the Manor Court
House, Chard. This frieze was erected in 1577, I understand, and
bears that date impressed thereon. I have met with a repetition
of plaster work elsewhere, viz. at Rayne and Bocking, in Essex,
where, on the walls of two houses, I found the exact pattern
repeated in parge work. In one of the upper rooms there is
another extremely fine fireplace ; and this is the room in which,
according to tradition, a curious event once occurred. To this
event I shall briefly allude hereafter. Scattered thickly all over
the house are objects of interest — books, pictures, china and
antiquities ; but it were vain for me to attempt to catalogue them
here. Some of the furniture has, however, a strange history, for
either during the troublous times of the Great Rebellion, or on the
occasion of the siege of Whitestaunton by the sheriffs, it was
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 227
buried. It has only recently been unearthed and restored to its
old home.
The museum has a most carefully arranged collection of objects
found on the site of the Roman villa, by means of which the
materials used in the building thereof are exemplified with great
clearness.
The Brett family first appear at Whitestaunton (as far as
documentary evidence goes) in 1532. In 1579 we find one of
them, John Brett, high sheriff of the county. John Brett had a
son Robert who was knighted, and who died a Roman Catholic
at Valladolid in 1652. Another son, the eldest, by name Alexander,
was knighted in 1603, and died six years later. He married twice,
his first wife being Ann Morgan, the widow of Nicholas Turberville ;
his second, Ann Gifford, a Roman Catholic. Lady Ann Brett was
fined in 16 10 as a popish recusant. She died in 1647. ^^ o'""^ of
the State Papers, dated November 28, 1625, an account is given
of the armour taken from " The Ladie Anne Brett of White-
staunton, Somerset, widow, a popish recusant," when the recusants
were disarmed. Sir Alexander was succeeded by his son of the
same name, who also married a Catholic, Elizabeth Kirkham. He
died in 161 7, and was followed by his son the Royalist, Sir Robert
Brett, Kt. Sir Robert married twice and had two families. Owing
to a dispute between the eldest son by the first wife and his father,
the curious event took place to which I have alluded. The father
was bound by settlement to provide for the children of the second
marriage. This he refused to do. His son Alexander, the eldest
of the first family, sided with his half brothers and sisters, and was
2 28 SOMERSETSHIRE.
forthwith turned out-of-doors with an allowance of ^12 10^. An
action was brought against Sir Robert, and decided in the favour
of the children. Sir Robert bolted and barred his house, and
having previously sent away a good deal of his furniture, prepared
to stand siege. The sheriffs arrived, and were compelled to break
into the house, having quite a fight in the room on the first floor
before they obtained complete possession. It seems that the second
wife of Sir Robert was his daughter's maid, and that the wedding
was celebrated in a very clandestine manner. The last of the
Bretts who owned Whitestaunton was Henry, and he sold it early
in the eighteenth century to Sir Abraham Elton, an ancestor of
the present owner, Mr. C. I. Elton, O.C.
The Roman house or villa at Whitestaunton lies quite close
to the manor house — not fifty yards distant, in fact. It was
accidentally discovered about twelve years since, though fragments,
presumably of Roman origin, had for a long time previously been
met with on or near the spot. It was known that remains of old
Roman mines existed on the hillside close by, in the shape of
heaps of slag and ore. These workings are mentioned later in
Domesday, as also are the stream, and a little mill of which a
few stones yet exist. This stream skirts one side of the villa
and then flows into the valley of the Yasty. About half a
century ago the remains of a ruined well shrine were discovered
above a spring by the side of the private road, and not twenty
feet from the villa. Tesserae were then found there ; but the
well was known as St. Agnes' Well. Of its present state I give
a sketch, but it is most curious to know that within the last few
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTOX, 2 29
months a narrow tessellated pavement, with fragments of side
walls of painted plaster, has been unearthed, leading directly to
this spring and within a few feet of it.
Here, then, we have a sacred Roman well and the absolute
Roman relics of its shrine which, in later times, has become a
Christian holy well. The name of the Roman nymph to whom it
belonged, or was supposed to, we may never know ; but the
Christian dedication to St. Agnes still sticks to this tiny wayside
'■T)iTg3-ir«uHlTeW»
fount. My sketch shows the present appearance of the Roman
house. It was presumably the residence of the man in charge of
the mining operations, and was small in size. The atrium still
retains a part of its pavement, which is of a very plain character.
Here, from the fragments discovered, it is reasonable to think that
there was a roof, and moreover a glass one. Pieces of glass have
been found on the tesserae, evidently cast and apparently cast on flat
stones. The cloister which runs round the atrium is at a higher level
and had an archway at the back. When this villa was destroyed
CHARD AND WHITESTAUNTON. 23 1
it would appear from the ashes in the atrium that it perished by
fire. An additional support to this view is given from the con-
sideration that arches and walls for the most part fell outwards.
The centre of the house contained the heating apparatus, and
possibly the kitchen. Bath rooms and a sweating bath were
situated on the side most remote from the atrium. The burnt
relics of these, though they have been exposed to the atmosphere
for a dozen years, are still perfectly manifest.
Of other small rooms the side walls remain to a greater height,
and one from its circular shape we must suppose served for a
sacrarium or place of worship for the occupier and his family.
Unfortunately the coloured plaster work which lined the walls has
vanished ; nay, it did not even give Mr. Elton a chance to preserve
it, fading almost immediately.
Some of the stones in the atriu7n are scored with a diamond
pattern resembling, I hear, the masonry of the wall of Hadrian.
Except the roof or portion of the roof of the atrijim which was
glazed, it appears from fragments discovered in great numbers that
the remainder of the building was roofed with thin slabs of stone
as well as with tiles of the ordinary type. This seems to point
to a commencement with tiles until the mining manager found on
better acquaintance with the resources of the district that he had
stone fit for his purpose ready to hand. The site of this interesting
little Roman house is in itself beautiful, a fact which of course
adds a charm to the associations of the spot. Personally I have
wandered in many directions over my native land, but I can truly
say that I never chanced upon the counterpart of the Roman
232 SOMERSETSHIRE.
miner's little house hard by the fountain of the nymph. I must
here offer my best thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Elton for great kindness
shown to me when I visited Whitestaunton, and also express my
obligations to them for much valuable information which they
freely placed at my disposal.
CHAPTER IX.
ATHELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY.
From Chard I proceed to Langport, in order both to revisit a
district that I had explored more than once in years past, and also
to investigate one or two spots of
which I had heard accounts, and
which seemed to promise subjects
of interest.
My first excursion was to
Athelney, Boroughbridge, and
Stoke St. Gregory. The tradi-
tional tales of Aelfred and Athel-
ney are well known, and I shall
not refer to them, preferring to
dwell briefly on the historical
rather than legendary associations
of this noted spot. Here, on the
little rising ground, a marsh island,
the fugitive king made a secret refuge for his wife and family during
his wanderings — solitary wanderings, undertaken for the purpose
2 34 SOMERSETSHIRE.
of reorganizing his scattered power. Here, later, out of gratitude,
he erected the little abbey, of which, save a few tiles and fragmentary
stone carvings, not a trace remains. That Aelfred ever made the
Isle of Athelney a resting-place for himself for a longer period than
a few hours I can hardly credit, since it is plainly stated that he
wandered about ever alone, and that not even his most trusted
followers knew the place in which he had concealed those near and
dear to him. It is stated that the place was ultimately fortified,
just before his final victory over Guthrun. To me it seems far
more probable that the site of this stronghold was the knoll of
Boroughbridge close by. The name yEthelinga-aeg signifies Isle of
the y^thelings — noble or royal personages. It has been suggested
that it arose from the fact that none but nobles assisted in the
erection of this fort. I, however, prefer to consider it as the refuge
for the royal mother and her children. Historically, as we know,
in 878, just after Christmas, the Danes overran Somersetshire,
meeting with hardly any resistance. Aelfred became a fugitive, and
it took him till Easter to reorganize and to build his fort. Seven
weeks after Easter he won the victory of Ethandun, when peace
was made. Guthrun was baptized at Aller, and his " Chrisom-
loosing" was held at Wedmore. Into the much-vexed question of
the identity of the scene of the battle of Ethandun I need not
here enter. Somersetshire men like to locate it at Edington, in
their own county, but the majority of those who have investigated
the matter place the battlefield at Edington in Wilts.
Of the abbey buildings, as I have said, no trace now remains,
but the spot is marked by a small monument on which a tablet
ATHELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 235
commemorates its historic associations with the Saxon king.
Accounts which have come down to us speak of the abbey as being
small, but of great magnificence in its decorations. These accounts
are fully borne out by the ornamental character of the fragments
which from time to time
have been discovered. Of
these relics the well-known
Aelfred Jewel, now in the
Bodleian at Oxford, which «<" ir- '". "^ ^v^. '.--S-V-,
was discovered near
Athelney, is the most celebrated example. Of one of the chantries
founded at the abbey as far back as the eighth of Richard II.,
it is curious to note that the abbot and convent agreed that if
they neglected the duties imposed on them the heirs of the
foundress might distrain on their land. This chantry was founded
by Elizabeth, Lady Blount, and provided for two chaplains, one a
monk and the other a secular priest, to say mass every day
except Good Friday at the altar of the Holy Trinity in the abbey.
A number of obits were also to be kept on the anniversaries of
the deaths of the foundress and about twenty other relatives or
friends.
From Athelney I proceeded to Boroughbridge, crossing the
river by the new bridge which has been built near the junction of
the rivers Parret and Tone. It was the time of the apple harvest,
and the road was fringed with orchards laden with the most brilliant
fruit I ever had the good fortune to see. The gradations of colour,
from the palest yellow or green to the deepest crimson or brightest
'■3(>
SOMERSETSHIRE.
scarlet, were simply marvellous. This must be clue to the influence
of the soil, for though accustomed all my life to a fairly large and
well-stored orchard, I can safely say that never have I witnessed
anything at all approaching to the splendid hues of the Athelney
apple trees when fully laden.
At Boroughbridge is one of those tors or knolls which rise
suddenly out of the marshes. It is steep and smooth at the top,
but its sides are scored by evident traces of former fortifications.
The top is crowned by the ruins of what is stated to be an
eighteenth-century church, which was commenced but never
completed. There is a certain conflict of testimony about this
ruined church or chapel. Collinson writes of it as being dedicated
to St. Michael, and states that mention of a chapel there occurs very
early in the records of Athelney Abbey, to which house it was
appendant. In appearance the place does not show signs of any
great antiquity, and bears the date of 1724 carved thereon, if I
remember aright. Most of the carved details, especially the
ATHELNEY AND BOROUGIIBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 237
pinnacles, belong to this late date ; a similar remark applies to the
little tracery which remains in the windows. On the other hand
the gargoyles and two carved heads bear evi- -^---a:;.--^
dence of age, and to me appear to have belonged
to some earlier building. One point in the ruin
seems worthy of note, and that is the door or
window which looks into the nave, not on the
ground level, but high up in the wall at the
north-west corner. There is also a flat-headed squint on the
north side. All things considered, I think it probable that the
ruins of an early chapel were utilized in the eighteenth century,
and a tower was added, but that the entire edifice was never
completed. Boroughbridge has twice been fortified, and, from its
contiguity to the low flat Isle of Athelney, was in all probability
the real site of Aelfred's strong fort. Certain it is that from the
base of this mount, in very ancient times, a causeway stretched
across the marsh to another knoll near Othery, upon which there
was another fort. It should also be remarked that the path up the
hill is upon this side. From the top there is a beautiful view, and
I could not resist aeain snatching- a sketch of the Somersetshire
plains and distant Glastonbury.
238 SOMERSETSHIRE.
The second fortification of Boroughbridge took place in the
days of the Great Rebellion, when it was occupied by the Royalist
troops of Goring. Collinson tells us that the chapel on this
occasion suffered much from the effects of shot as it became,
though in a ruinous condition, the citadel of the besieged. It
will be remembered that in 1645 Goring was investing Taunton,
but was compelled to raise the siege after the Royalist defeat at
Naseby had freed the forces of Fairfax. Goring then took up
a position at Langport, and placed a garrison of one hundred and
twenty men on the hill at Boroughbridge. Fairfax defeated him
at Langport, and the royalist troops fled headlong in the direction
of Bridgwater, after attempting to rally at Aller. The little garrison
on Boroughbridge had meanwhile passed through some very rough
times, but being as it were supported by the presence of the bulk
of the royalist army in the neighbourhood, had hitherto been able
to maintain the post. After the battle of Langport, Fairfax sent
a certain Colonel Okey with a body of troops to reduce this
outlying stronghold. Further resistance was useless on the part
of the besieged, so on summons to surrender they capitulated.
Coming so soon after Naseby the loss to the king's party was
most severe, for at Langport three hundred were killed and fourteen
hundred captured, besides the garrison of Boroughbridge.
From Boroughbridge I returned to Athelney station, and
crossing the line took my way to the little village of Stoke
St. Gregory, noticing as I went the picturesque tower of Ling
church, which lies not far away on the other side of the river
Tone, and in close juxtaposition to the Isle of Athelney. In
ATHELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 239
Stoke St. Gregory there are two things worth consideration. One
is the old moated manor house, now known by the name of
Slough Farm, the other is the church. At Slough Farm I was
most kindly received by the occupier, and was at once permitted
to view the house. My sketch illustrates the exterior and shows
the remains of the gateway, now entirely ivy-clad, and the moat,
partly filled up, and crossed by a causeway. As will be seen.
>-i ^fi@wss^~wmsi>-
this old gabled house is by no means unpicturesque. Within I
found some old arches and windows in odd corners, heavily beamed
ceilings, and in one room some curious fiat oak arches supported
by stone pillars and mouldings. The remains of the oak screen
in the hall — a very plain one — are still visible. One or two
doors yet retain their linen-pattern panels both back and front,
and in this district I may observe that the linen panelling is of
240
SOMERSETSHIRE.
a very good type indeed. I have now, I think, just upwards of
one hundred different patterns of this decoration, of which no less
than eight came from this particular neighbourhood. In one or
two parts of the house there are some trefoil-headed or cusped
windows of extremely small size ; there are also a few quatrefoils.
In one tiny room I came across the small piece of carved tabernacle
work of which I give a sketch. By its side were
two other fragments of carved stone, one of which
was a head. The tabernacle work still retains its
colouring — red, black, and gold, and was found
beneath the staircase when the old stair was replaced
by a new one. It is evidently the relic of some
portion of the long-vanished chapel, and appears to
me to be a part of a canopy and niche. Unfor-
tunately neither the bracket nor any other fragment
was found. Still the fact of the discovery is one
which it is well worth while to record.
From Slough Farm I proceeded to the church of Stoke
St. Gregory, where I found several details which were worthy
of notice. Of these the chief perhaps is the curious arrangement
of the stone belfry supports within the tower. Now it is to
be remarked that here the tower is octagonal, and that the belfry
floor is sustained by corner vaulting brackets not made of one
solid block, but composed of some ten or a dozen stones, and
regularly built out in a curved shape. The effect is very odd,
and is not one, in my opinion, to be imitated. To this octagonal
tower an external belfry turret-stair is attached. Four statues
SWK6, i:?tKEBSSX;
ATIIELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 24 1
of modern date have been placed in niches outside upon the
alternate faces of the tower. In plan the church is cruciform,
and both transepts contain points of interest. In the north window
of the north transept are two fragments of ancient glass, represent-
ing the "Lamb and Flag" in the one case, and in the other I
think, as far as I could see, an eagle and child. The south transept
has carved capitals to its western arch, which consist of demi-angels
bearing shields with the Montacute coat. Of this there can be no
doubt, as the same coat occurs on a tomb in the churchyard between
the initials I. M. The east wall of this transept has two small
windows between three niches. The niches are unfortunately con-
siderably mutilated, but a few traces of the painting which once
adorned them are still visible. They were formerly covered by
two oak memorial tablets to the Court family of Lillsdon. These
tablets have now been removed to another part of the wall. They
are of seventeenth-century date, and bear the arms of Court
impaling another coat — or, three bulls' heads gules. The wood-
work of the church now claims attention. There are some fair
bench-ends ; the west door is of a curious type, and has a quaint
finial to one of its dividing bands. A cupboard in the vestry is
decorated with the carving and panelling of the former reading-
desk. Here linen pattern of uncommon type is again to be met
with. This carving bears two dates, viz. 1595 and 1628. Certain
plaques thereon, five in number, each show the figure of a woman
holding some utensil, rather like a dustpan, in one hand, and in
the other a rolling-pin. As there are five of these, it has been
suggested that they represent either \!ae. five wise or the. five /oolis/i
s
242 SOMERSETSHIRE.
virgins ! But the pulpit is the best piece of carving in the church.
It is very ornate, and round its sides are panels with figures :
I. Time with an hour-glass and scythe; 2. A woman holding a
spear ; 3. A woman holding an anchor ; 4. A woman holding a
dove; 5. A winged female figure with a child in her arms. The
whole of the work on this pulpit is excellent, and it has been well
preserved.
Passing from the church I glanced at the old village stocks,
which yet stand beneath a large yew tree, when just as I was
leaving I discovered that I had missed two points, both of which
deserve notice. The first is the fine pierced panel parapet of
quatrefoils and shields which runs round the exterior of the church,
the second the quaint statue, possibly that of St. Gregory, which,
in a rather elegant niche, stands above the inner arch of the
south porch. The figure in the niche holds in his right hand
a palm branch, and in his left a dove ; at least, this is how I
interpret the carving.
Returning to Athelney station, I took the train back to
Langport. The town of Langport, formerly a borough, but now
managed by a " Town Trust," was in ancient days a place of much
greater importance. Traces of the fortifications which encircled
it are still faintly to be made out by those who search diligently.
One of the gates, or presumably one of the gates, as it stands in
the line of the fortifications, still remains. At the beginning of this
chapter I have given a sketch of one side of this rather curious
building, and I here insert a view of the other. Locally, the gate
goes by the name of the " Hanging Chapel " — a name which is
ATIIELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 243
supposed to have originated in the execution there of three
unfortunate rebels condemned by Jeffreys. This is, however, a
mistake, as I believe. The name originated because of the chapel
above the road or overhanging it. I have already noticed the
fact that a similar gate existed at Ilchester. It is somehow difficult,
despite the proximity of the earthworks, to associate this Hanging
'■mm In—
TIHll 7
Chapel in one's mind with a fortification. Traces of gates, bars,
or portcullis are entirely absent. Town gates used to have a
portcullis sometimes ; one thus closed existed at Yarmouth.
But this Somersetshire Hanging Chapel, or town gate, must have
been more devoted to matters ecclesiastical than military. Traces
of mutilated niches for images appear in the wall within the dark
H4
SOMERSETSHIRE.
narrow vaulted way through which all who journey thence to Huish
Episcopi or Muchelney must pass.
The little chapel above the arch has had a somewhat chequered
career since mass ceased to be sung within. Not so long since it
was devoted to scholastic purposes, a free grammar school being
held therein ; subsequently it became a museum ; now it is, I
understand, a Freemasons' Hall. One naturally considers this
uncommon building first in Langport, though, as a matter of fact,
one needs must pass the church to reach it.
Langport church is dedicated to All Saints, and stands on
the top of the hill, as
may be seen from my
sketch. I have mentioned
its chief feature in a
former chapter, viz. the
vestry or room at the
east end. Otherwise, with the e.xception of a south door, which
is well carved externally, a squint, and a few fragments of ancient
glass, there is nothing worth particular notice. The heedless way
in which old gravestones have been used to pave the church
paths is, however, most reprehensible.
In the long street of Langport there are few vestiges of
antiquity. Here and there I caught sight of an ancient gable end
half hidden by modern work. In the coach-house of the Langport
Arms Hotel I found an old cusped window, apparently belonging
to the wall of the next house. Roman remains have, I under-
stand, been discovered in the locality with tolerable frequency, and
ATHELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 245
I heard that the fragments of the long-disused lepers' hospital
were duly preserved when the building was demolished. Still,
there cannot be said to be a great deal to see in Langport itself.
Through the kindness of Mr. Stuckey I was able, about three
years ago, to examine the old Langport mace. This mace is not
of large size, and its two halves, in my opinion, are of different
dates. The head, which is of the usual type, goes back only as
far as the reign of Charles I. It has round its sides a rose sur-
mounted by C. R., a harp, and, if I remember rightly, another rose
and a fleur-de-lis. All these are crowned. Between them are
grotesque demi-figures and conventional twists. On the staff
beneath the head is a portcullis. In the centre of the staff is a
knob, and the lower part (the most ancient) terminates in a ball,
upon the flat base of which is engraved a very singular king's head.
I took several rubbings of this head, but none were sufficiently
satisfactory to warrant their being reproduced. The seal of Lang-
port bears the very curious device of a hideous man's head looking
to the sinister, filleted. The head is couped at the shoulders, but
the four top laces of the coat are visible.
Only a short distance from the Hanging Chapel stands the
church of Huish Episcopi, remarkable for its fine fire-marked
Norman south door and its beautiful Perpendicular tower. I do
not think that I shall ever forget the effect which this tower pro-
duced on me some years ago, the first time that I saw it. It came
on me unawares, just after I had passed through the gloomy arch
of the Hanging Chapel. Anybody who knows Langport will, I
believe, know the exact spot from which this noble specimen of
246 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Perpendicular architecture is seen at its best. The Norman door-
way of the south porch is very handsome, the zigzag and other
mouldings being of extremely bold design. That the original
Norman church either perished by or received great damage from
fire is apparent in the colour of the stones of this arch. On the
door itself are two iron bands with ornamental twisted ends.
Somersetshire is rather lacking in ornamental door bands. The
interior of the church is rather disappointing, and indeed, beyond
a curious squint on the south side, does not contain any-
thing remarkable. As regards the main fabric of the church, it
appears to be of various dates, the oldest bit being of course the
Norman door. The porch I should consider to be thirteenth-
century work, the remainder, with the exception of the fifteenth-
century chapel and a little window tracery, dating from the
fourteenth century. Unlike most doorways to a rood-stair, that
at Huish Episcopi is ornamental instead of plain.
Without entering into the question whether the beautiful
tower of Huish Episcopi belongs to the ni-'^ class of the «''" type
of Somersetshire churches, or occupies some higher or lower
position in the table of precedence, I shall here only briefly note
its special points. These consist of battlements of marvellously
elaborate work, corner detached pinnacles, which add greatly to
the grace of the structure, horizontal bands of foliated ornament,
which wonderfully enrich the face of the work, and, in addition,
handsome belfry windows, not filled in with board shutters, but
closed by decorated pierced stone panels. Huish Episcopi is a
tower to be seen, not to be written about. Close by the church,
ATIIELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, I.ANGPORT AND MUCHELNEV. 247
on the opposite side of the road, stands a modern house, in the
walls of which have been inserted several carvings in stone and
some coat armour.
The way now lies over some very flat and uninteresting
country for the distance of about a mile, when there is a slight
rise in the ground. This rise was in marshy days a marsh island,
which from its size was designated Muchelney, or Great Island.
Here, somewhere about the year 939, /Ethelstan founded a small
abbey. The date of the dedication of the abbey church is very
early in this year, so that we may conclude the foundation of the
abbey to have taken place some time previously. But the present
remains of the successor of this abbey are for the time quite
invisible, and it is not until the church, the ancient vicarage house,
and the restored parish cross have been passed that any clue to
the whereabouts of the abbey is obtained.
The church of Muchelney is an interesting one ; it has a nave,
two aisles, two chapels, and a fine tower. The tower, I think,
looks best from the south of the abbey, and I have therefore
included it in my illustration of that front. Remains of five niches
in the inside of the church are interesting, and both sedilia and
piscinae worthy of remark. But of the internal features of the
church, the quaintly painted roof and the stone vaulting of the
tower probably attract most notice. Of porches there are two, and
the north porch has a parvise chamber. The font has been restored,
but is a good one. On its west face it has a rood, while three
kneeling figures appear on three other sides. It is octagonal in
shape, with four projecting square plinths, and round its base are
248 SOMERSETSHIRE,
laid some of the old encaustic tiles which were excavated from the
site of the abbey church in 1873. Other tiles of the same origin
are also in the church. An ancient stone coffin-lid is carefully
preserved within.
In the churchyard outside, on the south side, are the foundations
of the grand abbey church. These were laid bare a few years since,
when the excavations were conducted with much skill and loving
care. Most curious discoveries were made on this occasion, viz.
relics were found of a small, irregularly built apsidal Norman Lady
Chapel, which projected from the round-ended Norman chancel.
These had evidently been replaced in the fourteenth century by
a square-ended Lady Chapel and a square-ended chancel. It
was in this fourteenth-century Lady Chapel that the tiles I have
mentioned were discovered. Several coffins and coffin-stones were
found, and under a roof, to protect it from the weather, one body-
stone, surmounted by a mutilated effigy of an ecclesiastic, now
stands in its original position, and amid the wreck of the abbey
church. The find of encaustic tiles was a valuable one, more than
fifty different patterns coming to light. I cannot undertake to
enumerate all the designs, but I may mention a few of the most
remarkable, i. Elephant and castle. 2. A set forming a hunting
scene. 3. Knights on horseback, etc. One curious fact is that
these tiles were laid without the slightest regard to pattern.
I have mentioned the ancient vicarage house which stands just
opposite the north porch of the church. This is a most interesting
little specimen of fourteenth and fifteenth-century domestic work.
It has been at one time used for a school, but is now partly devoted
ATHELNEY AND I30R0UGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY. 349
to the Storing of various fragments of tiles, carving, etc., from the
abbey, which have been from time to time discovered there. The
door is an ancient one, and has on its weather-beaten plank the old
knocker, a sketch of which forms the tailpiece
to this chapter.
Close by this old vicarage is another house,
creeper-clad and picturesque. Above its door
has been built in the carving of which I here
give an illustration. It is evidently a fragment
of the Norman church. And now I pass
through a farmyard to the right, and in a few
minutes am standing facing the south front of Muchelney Abbey.
Of the domestic buildings of the abbey of SS. Peter, Paul, and
''rnkwrnA
^\^.>^fc^ H?
Andrew, Muchelney, sufficient remains to enable one to make out
the plan with tolerable accuracy. My sketch shows the largest
extent of the house. The panelled wall on the right is the inside
2=;o
SOMERSETSHIRE.
of the north wall of the refectory. The two four-light windows on
the upper floor are those of the abbot's room, of which I shall give
a sketch presently. Behind the refectory wall is the south arcade
of the cloister, now, alas, destitute of its vaulting, and used as a
cider cellar. The inner
arches of this cloister have
been walled up, and some
later windows inserted. In
lieu of vaulting there is a
ceiling, and the room above,
with this exception, is in
its original shape. This
cloister, which when perfect
must have been of singular
beauty, occupied the inter-
vening space between the
refectory and the south wall
of the abbey church.
Through the kindness and
courtesy of Mr. Westlake,
the occupier, I am enabled
to give the illustration of a corner of the cloister. It was taken
under difficulties, for the place is dark. Thanks, however, to the
kind way in which my host manipulated a candle and some matches,
I was able to get an approximation to this beautiful fragment on to
the page of my sketch-book. The doorway which led into the
refectory is now the entrance to the house. This leads into a lobby
ATHELNEY AND BOROUGHBRIDGE, LANGPORT AND MUCHELNEY.
2=; I
beneath the abbot's chamber, and thence into the cloister. Several
arched doors and panelled arches are scattered about the house,
both upstairs and on the ground floor. But beautiful though the
i^ii®T^ mm^ . m(mimr. Am^v^
252 SOMERSETSHIRE.
south front is, with its lovely weather-worn and lichen-tinted stones,
perhaps the most interesting spot in the abbey is the old abbot's
room I have illustrated. There the original settle runs round the
side beneath the windows — a settle rich with linen-pattern panels,
with elegantly pierced tracery in its frieze, and broken at intervals
in its regularity by quaintly topped plinths. At the end near the
fireplace the elbow-rest of the settle still remains. The fireplace is
richly adorned by three horizontal bands of elegant carving. The
upper band bears ivy and its trails, the middle the vine and its
bunches, while the lower is composed of singularly elaborate
quatrefoils of a pattern as uncommon as it is beautiful. On either
side are quaint plinths, surmounted by extravagant monsters of the
lion species.
That the relics of the domestic buildings at Muchelney are of
late date goes without saying ; in fact, they can hardly have been
more than finished before the day came on which Thomas Yve, the
last abbot, was perforce compelled to say farewell to his pleasant
chamber, his house, and his noble church. In company with
Richard Coscob, prior, John Montacute, and eight others, he had,
in July, 1534, acknowledged the supremacy. On January 3, 1538,
he signed the deed of surrender.
CHAPTER X.
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR.
The ancient borough of Bridgwater has changed its outward
appearance nearly as much as Ilchester since the days when old
Leland " enterid into a Suburbe, and so over a Bridg, under the
which renneth a Brook, that risith a 4. Miles of by West at
Bromefelde." It was even then going to ruin, and the worthy
antiquary notes that " the Castelle, sumtyme a right fair and strong
Peace of Worke," was a wreck. Of the religious houses the
domestic buildings of the college of " Gray Freres " were in
existence then ; but in these days an arched door in Silver Street,
if my memory serves me aright, is the sole relic thereof. The
" Chapelle of S. Salviour at the South side withoute the Towne,
which was buildid in honmtum memorid by a Merchaunt of Bridge-
water cawllid William Poel or Pole," has vanished completely, and
the same remark applies to the college of St. John, the only
thincr " notable " in the " Est Part of the Town." This collesfe
is called by Leland " late," as if then unoccupied. It stood
partly without the East Gate. To it adjoined "an Hospital for
poore folkes," and it appears that the costume of the priests had
254
SOMERSETSHIRE.
been that of secular priests with a " Crosse on there Breste."
The house of the Gray Friars was then in the occupation of
the "Accustumer" of Bridgwater, who had " translatid " it to a
right goodly and pleasant dwelling-house. Leland also mentions
another hospital built and founded by the townsfolk, but "endowed
with little or no Lande." Of the ancient three-arch stone bridge
over the Parret, we read that it was " stronge and high," and that
it was begun by William Briwere the first lord of Bridgwater,
temp. Richard I. and John. This famous bridge was finished by
yifrp
a certain Triveth or Trivet, a man of " Devonshire or Cornwalle,"
and thereon he placed his arms " in a Sheld yn the coping of
the Chekes of the Bridge." The old bridge endured from his
day till the year 1795, when it was taken down to be replaced
by an iron structure. My sketch, taken from the new London
and South Western Railway swing-bridge, shows the present
appearance of the old port of Bridgwater.
Leland makes no mention of the very curious market-cross
which formerly stood on the Cornhill opposite the entrance to
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 255
High Street. This market-cross was notable from the fact that
it contained, in its ujDper part, a cistern to which water was laid
on in pipes from a certain mill known as the Queen's Mill. In
form it was hexagonal, with flat-arched openings and a crenel-
lated parapet. Curious bamboo-shaped buttresses stood at each
corner, and terminated in plain elongated conical pinnacles.
Similar pinnacles also projected upwards from the crown of each
arch. A band of quatrefoils ran round just beneath the crenella-
tions, except on one side, which lacked both crenellations and
quatrefoils, but bore a sun-dial. The pertinent inscription, " Mind
your own business," was sculped on this interesting market-
cross. Alas, all vanished about the same time as the ancient
bridge.
But though ruinous in the days of Leland, the old castle
of Bridgwater was destined to play a part, and an important
part, in the county history more than a century later. Of this
I shall speak presently. Nowadays there is unfortunately but
little remaining to us of this historic spot. Built, like the bridge,
by William de Briwere, it probably shared in the discomforts
attaching to the capture of the town by the barons during the
reign of Henry HI. The only relic of the castle visible at the
present day is the archway of which I give a sketch — an arch-
way which, in all probability, formed the Watergate of the strong-
hold. Some arched cellars beneath a house a few feet distant
are stated to have also belonged to the foundations of the castle
defences ; but these, I was given to understand, had been bricked
up quite recently, owing to the constant irruption of the tide,
2S6
SOMERSETSHIRE.
which rendered them useless. The main buildingfs of William
de Brivvere's stronghold occupied the open space now known as
the Square — a site on a rising ground a little drawn back from
the river and reached by walk-
ing up Chandos Street. Here,
not so many years ago, a few
walls were yet standing ; and a
portion of the fosse, even then
thirty feet deep, was visible.
The castle well, a very large
one, is believed to have been
situated in one corner of the
present square. It should also
be mentioned that a " castle
bridge," distinct from the " three-
arch " bridge, existed formerly ;
and I understand that a few
fragments of its masonry are
at times to be seen when the tide is very low.
Bridgwater was never a walled town, though possessed of
four gates, known as the North, South, East, and West Gates.
Leland states that the " Waulles of the Stone Houses of the
Toune be yn steede of the Towne Waulles." But despite its then
decaying condition (two hundred houses recently gone to ruin),
the borough of Bridgwater must have been a most picturesque
place in the days of Leland. That it is not so now is mainly
owing to the making of its history, as I shall presently show.
"^RSlSjiw^-pE
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 257
First, however, it will be more fitting to notice the church
of St. Mary and such other buildings of antiquity as remain
— few enough, alas ; but for their rarity there is ample reason.
St. Mary's Church is large, and possesses one feature which
in this county I have already alluded to as being uncommon,
viz. a spire. In style the architecture is mainly Perpendicular;
but traces are observable of Decorated work, which may safely
be assumed to be fragments of a former church. Externally
the most interesting portion is on the north side, where near the
ground level some curious arches are visible. A most extraordinary
series of hagioscopes was destroyed some years ago. These
hagioscopes gave a view through three different walls, so that
a person standing in the porch had a perfect sight of the high
altar.
On first entering the church I was struck by the large amount
of carved woodwork. That the chancel roof was modern I could
at once discern, but with the side screens there it is far different.
These are of late fourteenth-century date, or I am much mistaken.
They are handsome and extremely well preserved. By no means
so ancient, of course, though equally well kept, is the Jacobean
screen or grille which partitions off the seats appropriated to the
corporation on the south side of the church. How different the
condition of these, which evidently show that loving care has
been bestowed on them, from the ruined corporation benches in
the north aisle of the tumble-down Orford chapel in Suffolk.
Above the altar is a large and valuable picture of which the
subject is " The Descent from the Cross."
T
258 SOMERSETSHIRE.
The Story of this picture is somewhat remarkable. According
to tradition it was taken out of a privateer, of nationality variously
stated as Spanish or French. In some way the Hon. A. Poulett
(his name in fact was Anne, after his royal godmother) became
possessed of it. At that time he was one of the members for
the borough, and presented this painting to the mayor and
corporation, with the proviso that it should form the altar-piece
for the parish church. The picture is one of great beauty, and
it is somewhat remarkable that hitherto the painter thereof has
remained unidentified. It has been suggested that its origin is
either Spanish, Italian, French, or Flemish — a suggestion which
includes a fairly w^ide number of schools ! Flemish it certainly
is not ; French I should consider it impossible for it to be.
There remains but a Spanish or Italian origin, and of these,
speaking not as an expert in any way, I should be inclined to
reject the first named. But in these days it seems extraordinary
that no absolute clue has ever been obtained to clear up the
mystery attaching to the painter of this noble work of art. In
Bridgwater I was told a curious story that Sir Joshua Reynolds
on more than one occasion went out of his way to visit this
church and study the painting and composition of this picture.
If true, this speaks volumes for both its beauty and its artistic
value.
One tomb in the churchyard needs notice. It is that of a
native of Bridgwater, John Oldmixon, who was born in 1673. He
was a prolific writer, being the author of a " History of the Stuarts,"
a " Critical History of England," and a " Life of Queen Anne,"
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 259
besides various pastorals, plays, criticisms, and political pamphlets.
His political services obtained for him the post of collector of
customs at the port of Bridgwater, while his abusive attacks on
various men of letters obtained for him the distinction of being
ridiculed in the Tatler under the name of " Mr. Omicron, the
Unborn Poet." Pope, whom he had abused, accorded to him the
questionable honour of mention in the Dunciad, where he is
represented as mounting the side of a lighter in order the better to
plunge into the mud of the Fleet ditch. Oldmixon, in his writings,
was a fierce opponent of the house of Stuart, and was guilty of
making a most false and shameful accusation against three persons
— Dr. Aldrich, Dr. Smallridge, and Bishop Atterbury — two of
whom were dead ; viz. that they had interpolated certain passages
in Lord Clarendon's History. Bishop Atterbury, the survivor,
refuted this calumny, writing from his place of e.xile in Paris,
October 26, 1731. The story will be found in full in the
Gentleman's Magazine, vol. i. p. 514, and vol. iii. pp. 117, 129, 140.
Oldmixon died in 1742.
A very remarkable manuscript account or inventory of the
vestments and furniture belono^ino- to St. Katherine's aisle in the
church of St. Mary, Bridgwater, is still among the corporation
archives. To this list is appended a statement of the rents which
were then the property of the aisle. The document, from its
character and phraseology, appears to be of fifteenth-century date.
From the list, the aisle of St. Katherine must have been fairly well
equipped with both vestments and furniture. One or two entries
are remarkable, such as a " quer of Comemorations," and " ij steyned
26o SOMERSETSHIRE.
clothes to stand bifore the Tablemer in y^ lent tyme." The
materials used for the vestments, altar-cloths, and hangings were
not by any means costly, four only being of silk, while the remainder
were damask, worsted, "chekered" (probably some inexpensive
stuff in squares), " Bustyan," diaper, plain cloth, and "Howlond"
cloth (? Holland). A mass-book with two silver clasps and a
chalice weighing nineteen ounces comprise the plate. There were
four " sacryn belles," three pairs of candlesticks, two " cruetts ot
tyne," " i j corpas with ij cacys," and three "steyned bannarse."
The plate certainly was but a meagre supply, though possibly
some of the bells and candlesticks were of silver. For the above
details I am indebted to the paper of the Rev. W. A. Jones,
" Som. Arc. Soc. Proc," vol. vii.
Close by the churchyard on the north side, and separated only
by a narrow pathway, stood, until a few months ago, a very
beautiful old house, rich with carved wood decoration, both within
and without. It is most orrievous to think that this has been
entirely demolished, to be replaced by an ugly red brick dwelling —
even more grievous when we consider the scarcity of half-timber
houses in the county, a scarcity which I have previously mentioned.
In a house at the east end of the churchyard, now used as
refreshment-rooms, there is a very remarkable ceiling, from which
I derived the two details here illustrated. This ceiling has twelve
panels, divided by massive, well-moulded beams, and decorated with
very quaint bosses. My sketches show tv/o of these, and the most
remarkable of the remainder have for their subjects four pigs or
boars intertwined, a tomfool, an ecclesiastic and lion, a demi-figure
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 26 1
clutching- a fiend, and an animal devouring grapes. Behind some
matchboarding, which has quite recently been nailed on to the
staircase, I was told that some beautiful carved "windows" exist,
but I suspect that these " windows " are in reality the remains of
a screen.
There is one house in Bridgwater which, though unpretending,
nay, even uninteresting in its exterior, from its associations needs
a few words : I allude to the birthplace of Robert Blake. This
house stands at the bottom of Blake Street, close by a little foot-
bridge which spans the brook. The view up this brook, of walls,
buttresses, and tenements, is in its way picturesque, but I did not
tarry to sketch it. The interior of "Blake's House" contains one
room of which the panelled ceiling is an interesting specimen of its
date ; and there is also a fair fireplace. In the passage on one side
of the house I discerned traces of old work now half concealed
by whitewash.
Robert Blake, admiral and general at sea, was born at
Bridgwater in this house, August, 1599. His family had originally
belonged to Bishop's Lydeard, but had settled at Bridgwater, where
they were merchants. Robert was the eldest of twelve sons. He
262 SOMERSETSHIRE.
was educated at the Bridgwater Grammar School, going thence to
St. Alban Hall, Oxford, from which college he migrated to the
newly founded Wadham. Blake remained at Oxford for ten years,
taking his degree and unsuccessfully standing for a fellowship at
Merton. In person he was not prepossessing, and this, it is stated,
was the cause of his failure. He left Oxford in 1625, and returned
to Bridgwater, where he carried on the family business in conjunction
with one of his brothers. At this time he was in poor circumstances,
but soon acquired a small competence. Elected M.P. for his
native place in 1640, he was rejected the next year, the successful
candidate being Colonel Wyndham. When Wyndham was expelled
from the House in 1645, Blake was again elected. Three years
previously he had joined the Parliamentarian force of Sir John
Horner. His first military exploit was the defence of an important
outlying fort at Bristol during the siege. When Bristol was tamely
surrendered, Blake for twenty-four hours held out, refusing to
believe in the capitulation. Rupert, on this occasion, was with
difficulty dissuaded from hanging him. Blake next held a command
under Popham, in the regiment of which the buff-coats, muskets,
bandoliers, gauntlets, and steel caps still adorn the Hall of Littlecote
in Berks. A brother of Blake, by name Samuel, commanded a
company in the same regiment. When Blake made his unsuccessful
dash at Bridgwater this brother, to his great grief, was killed. The
story of Blake's public utterance, " Sam had no business there,''
and of his private sorrow — "Died Abner as a fool dieth" — is well
known. Perhaps even more brilliant than his defence of Taunton
was the holding of Lyme Regis in Dorsetshire, in which ill-equipped
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 263
little place he defied Prince Maurice till relieved on May 23, 1644.
Less than two months later he seized Taunton, which he retained
against overwhelming odds for many long and weary months, till
relief came. His subsequent exploits were by sea, and need not
here be entered upon. Blake, politically, was an honest man, and
this is the highest political praise that could be given to him, for it
implies the possession of a virtue most rare then, and none too
common now. That he was a patriot in the wide sense of the word
seems assured. Whether he did or did not utter the speech
imputed to him when urged to intrigue, " It is not for us to mind
state affairs, but to keep foreigners from fooling us," need not be
discussed. But in his own hand there remains one sentence worth
quoting, " I cannot but exceedingly wonder that there should yet
remain so strong a spirit of prejudice and animosity in the minds
of men who profess themselves most affectionate patriots, as to
postpone the ways and means for the preservation of the Common-
wealth." Blake died at sea, August 7, 1657, and was buried in
Westminster Abbey. At the Restoration, political rancour tore the
body of this distinguished man from its resting-place and cast it
into a pit on the north side of the abbey.
I must now touch briefly on the celebrated siege of Bridgwater.
In the summer of 1645 Bridgwater Castle and the town was
occupied by the Royalist forces, the governor of the castle being
Colonel Wyndham. Naseby had been fought and lost by the
king on June 14, through which victory the Parliamentarian forces
were free to turn their attention to the reduction of the west,
the sole remaining district in which the royal party were in any
264 SOMERSETSHIRE.
force. On July 10, the Royalist defeat at Langport took place,
and two days later Fairfax and Cromwell reconnoitred the defences
of Bridgwater. How Cromwell was nearly shot by Mrs. Wyndham
on this occasion, and the amusing message sent by the lady, all
know. On July 14 there was another inspection of the works
which had been thrown up by the besieged ; a council was held,
and finally it was decided to storm the place. But the garrison
were found to be informed of the plan, and prepared, so the
attempt was abandoned. For storming, a blockade was substituted.
The forces engaged numbered some fifteen thousand besiegers as
against rather over three thousand besieged. Works of investment
were commenced on the fifteenth, and continued to be constructed
for four days. Meanwhile at another council of war it had been
determined not to blockade, but to take the place by another
method. The width and depth of the river was a factor which
was found to provide an obstacle too great to surmount ; and,
moreover, the nature of the ground was such that the trenches
in time of rain would assuredly be flooded. Bridgwater was well
armed, no less than forty-two cannon, large and small, being
mounted on the walls. A deep ditch nearly twenty feet wide,
and filled by the tide, surrounded the castle and the main defences,
but the rest of the town, whether on the castle side or beyond
the river, was defended by strong and regular works. The suburb
beyond the river was and is known as Eastover, and the approach
thereto was by means of the three-arched bridge.
On Monday, July 21, a storming party, equipped with ladders
and portable bridges, after a severe fight, effected a lodgment, and
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 265
then captured the " fort royal." The captured guns were turned
on the Market Place. Next, a house near the bridge-head, which
had been decreed for destruction by the defenders but spared, was
carried by the Roundheads, who proceeded to arm it with more
guns. Shortly afterwards the drawbridge was let down at one
point, viz. St. John's in Eastover. The east gate was battered in,
and the storming party poured over the old three-arch bridge, and
cleared the defenders out of the suburb, the defenders retreating
into the town by the same bridge. At this juncture five hundred
Royalists from Pembroke surrendered to Fairfax. Considering the
severity of the contest, the loss of the besiegers in killed and
wounded was very slight — twenty killed and about one hundred
wounded. Colonel Wyndham was now shut into a much more
restricted area, and in order, if possible, to retrieve the disaster in
Eastover, he proceeded to cannonade that suburb with hot shot,
by which means it was speedily set on fire. The Parliamentarians,
however, held their ground despite the flames ; but this conflagra-
tion accounts for the absence of antiquity in Eastover.
On the following day fighting was resumed, but not until a
summons to surrender had been rejected with scorn. Subsequently,
however, during the afternoon the women and children were
humanely invited by Fairfax to leave the place, and did so to
the number of about eight hundred. Among them were Mrs.
Wyndham, Mrs. Warre, and Lady Stawell. The attack commenced
at about five in the afternoon, red-hot shot being used on both
sides. The besiegers were assisted greatly by the Royalist cannon
captured at Naseby, which was both numerous and heavy in calibre.
266 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Soon nearly every street in the town was in partial flames, and the
damage done was enormous. The inhabitants, Roundheads at heart,
tried to add to the confusion by firing their own houses, thereby
causing dismay among the garrison. Wyndham now sent out a
messenger to treat for terms, and after some demur on both sides,
as the Royalists wanted too much and the Roundheads offered too
little, a capitulation was agreed upon. Bridgwater surrendered on
the morning of July 23. The booty captured was enormous, for
much of Goring's property, besides the accumulated goods of many
another Royalist, were stored in the doomed fortress. It is stated
that the value of the plate, jewels, and money alone which fell
into the hands of the victors amounted to nearly ^100,000. That
there should be a lack of old houses in Bridgwater itself is there-
fore easily to be accounted for, and the marvel only is that the
church escaped, seeing that at one period of the contest the
defenders were compelled to take refuge therein. In the list of
the prisoners the names of most of the noted Royalist families in
the county occur, viz. Wyndham, Phelips, Sydenham, Speke,
Walrond, Warre, and a host of others. Dr. Rawley, the Dean
of Wells, was taken, and sundry other ecclesiastics designated as
"a good store of fat priests."
Before making my way from Bridgwater to the equally historic
Sedgmoor, I rambled for a short distance in a westerly direction
to visit a most picturesque old manor house not far from Enmore
Castle, but in the parish of Durleigh. It is known now by the
name of West Bower Farm. My reception here by the occupier,
Mr. Talbot, was most kindly, and I was freely permitted to
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 267
thoroughly inspect this interesting fragment of an old-time manor
house. jNIy sketch shows the general appearance of this quaint
old place, whose creeper-clad sides and wild-garden surroundings
form in the summer or autumn tide a sufficiently pleasing picture.
The porch roof between the turrets is, it is almost needless to
state, comparatively modern. By means of a low tlat arch I
■itKSLs;
entered the house, and found an inner arch of larger size within,
but this is cut by a modern ceiling. There are four arched doors
in this vestibule, of which three are moulded, while one in front is
plain. A fifth door arch which was to be looked for appears to
be lacking. A well with a pump is in one corner. I next inspected
the turrets, and was delighted to find in the windows some of the
charming glass of which I here give a sketch. From what I can
268
SOMERSETSHIRE.
'WS5T ®®WS
learn West Bower belonged long ago to the Malets, and possibly
the initials in the glass refer to some member of that family. In
the right-hand turret room there are small windows amounting in
number to twenty lights. Upon each side are two stone panels
which are blank, while the old door
is surmounted by balusters. The left-
hand turret contains a stone newel,
and is entered by a low flat-arched
door. Above the windows on the
inside are three shields and two orna-
ments, which are repeated in the
tracery on the outside. There are
fragments of the same glass in this
turret, and I also noticed a peculiar
swelling in the centre of each mullion somewhat similar to the
pierced knob in the window at Meare. There were also traces of
shutter-hinge hooks. Unfortunately the vaulting of both these
interesting turrets has been removed. It is not, I believe, generally
known that the columbarium at West Bower is perhaps the most
remarkable specimen in the county. It is circular in shape, of
large size, and with the exception of its thatched roof built entirely
of mud. The nesting niches number nearly nine hundred, and
are formed in the mud wall, which is actually more than three
feet in thickness. It should be noted that West Bower Farm
is but a fragment of the original manor house. Foundations have
frequently been met with in the garden and yard, which prove
that the e.xtent of the place when perfect must have been very
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR.
269
considerable. At West Bower I was told that, traditionally, it
was the birthplace of " Queen Catherine." This statement could
only refer to either Catherine Howard or Catherine Parr. But
on reference I find that the tradition has no warrant in fact.
The road to the battlefield of Sedgmoor is not picturesque,
and were it not for the frequent orchards laden with ruddy fruit
at the time of my visit, I should have unhesitatingly called it ugly.
Muddy I can assure the reader that road was, and, indeed, my
expedition to Weston Zoyland and its sister parish was the most
SMie^an^-
unpleasant experience, as far as the weather was concerned, during
my entire trip.
The village of Weston Zoyland occupies the centre of the
position taken up by the royal troops the night before the
memorable battle of Sedgmoor. Looking towards Bridgwater, t'.e.
north-west, Chedzoy lies nearly due north, while Rliddlezoy is at
an equal distance to the left, but rather towards the south-east.
After inspecting the church, I ascended the tower for the purpose
of obtaining a sketch of the chief fighting-ground, which extended
over the flat marshy expanse between Western Zoyland and
Chedzoy. My sketch, taken during a heavy downpour of rain,
2/0 SOMERSETSHIRE.
gives some indication of the present appearance of the historic
spot. The three "Zoys," as they are called, were originally marsh
islands. Now, thanks to the drainage, which had already been
undertaken before Monmouth's Rebellion, the intervening land is
no longer absolute marsh. The Bussex rhine, it is true, no longer
exists, but the many ditches which intersect the meadows— nay,
more, in most cases bound them — render the battlefield a most
uncomfortable place to traverse, as I found to my cost. It was
only, in fact, by hunting for practicable jumping-places, and after
divesting myself of a waterproof, that I was able to cross. My
plan was to, as it were, "burn my ships," /.6'. to throw my water-
proof over first, and then perforce follow it. I luckily escaped
disaster, though I hardly expected to.
Weston Zoyland church is a very fine one, and its tower is
most notable. It has a clerestory of six windows to its nave of
six bays. The roof is a fair one, and the west arch and tower
groining are extremely fine. There is a squint on the south side
of the chancel, piscinae in both south and north chapels, while in
the latter there is a canopy tomb with the recumbent effigy of an
ecclesiastic. One peculiarity of this north chapel is that the
clerestory window looks into it, and not out to the open air. It
should be noted that in the centre of this chapel roof-ceiling there
is a quaint irregularly pierced and decorated quatrefoil panel,
measuring, I should say, rather more than 12 x lo inches. In
the chancel are a few fragments of ancient glass ; one of these, I
observed, bore three ears of corn tied together, another the initials
R. B., with a pastoral staff" between them. These initials are those
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 27 I
of Richard Bere. The church also contains some interesting corbels
and very fair oak bench ends. Of tombs and monuments, beyond
the one already mentioned, there are none of particular interest.
Beneath the font is the matrix of a brass, and paving the aisles are
some quaint slabs — one to a member of the Bragg family. These
slabs are mostly of seventeenth-century date, and some bear incised
crosses. Now I had heard upon good authority that there was
preserved in this church a most interesting manuscript book con-
taining the entries relative to the cleansing and purifying of the
church after the battle, when, it will be remembered, some five
hundred wretched prisoners were huddled together therein. I
naturally applied to the sexton or caretaker, and was informed
that " he did not know what had become of it." He had seen the
book in 1877 or 1S78, when a "gentleman" marked on its first
page (the book had no covers) that it was " very valuable." Since
that time, as far as the sexton is concerned, information is lacking
as to its fate. In the parish chest within the church are several
manuscript parish books, but the book I wanted was not among
them. It is most sincerely to be hoped that this record has not
disappeared for ever.
The outside of Weston Zoyland church is as interesting as the
inside. On the wall of the south chapel are two most elegant
niches, on its west buttress I saw the monogram of Richard Bere,
while on the east is carved the " pelican in piety." The centre
of the crenellated parapet is occupied by the arms of Glastonbury.
On the tower are triple windows, the centre one of the first tier
alone being pierced. Double corner buttresses run up the west
272 SOMERSETSHIRE.
end, but are deprived of their pinnacles This face of the tower
has four niches, from which the statues have now nearly crumbled
away. The second and third tiers of the tower have only single
windows. Remains of a huge sun-dial are visible on the south
face, and the gargoyles are quite worth notice.
Just opposite to the church, on the south side, is a building
evidently of ecclesiastical
origin, and now used as
a reading-room. On the
u^^^^^f side which faces the road
are six triple-light, flat-
«.i» v«- - «-.-. - ^^r^W"^-- arched windows, two
~ '-^- ^ ^T - - small-arched doors, open,
''•""'^"'"'^ """'^ and a large one, now
blocked. Two small trefoil-headed openings also are to be seen,
which have not the appearance of being intended for windows.
The story of Monmouth's Rebellion is so well known that it
is needless to enter again on it in all its sad details, and I shall
therefore only briefly touch upon certain side questions. One
remark I must make at the outset, viz. that more houses in the
west claim to have been visited and slept in by Monmouth than
there were days and nights between June 11 and July 6. This is
possibly to be accounted for from the fact that in 16S0 the duke
paid a visit to the west. Tradition has confused his stopping-places
at that date with those at which he was entertained during the
Rebellion. It should be noted also that the accounts of the
numbers executed both by Kirke, and subsequently by Jeffrey, are
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 273
much exaggerated. Dispassionate investigation has reduced the
victims of the Bloody Assize who lost their lives in Somersetshire
to considerably less than the traditional number. One curious
fact has been recently established, viz. that the name of the man
who fired the shot at Langmore Stone, by which the alarm was
given to the Royal troops, was Captain Hucker, a native of
Taunton, and Hucker had entertained the duke while at Taunton.
After the fight he was taken prisoner, and had much ado to pre-
vent himself from being torn in pieces by his fellow prisoners.
The literature regarding this sad episode in the history of our
country, both published at the time and during the earlier years
of the eighteenth century, is voluminous, but hardly to be accepted
as veracious. It was chiefly hack-work, got up for sale and to
tickle the public palate. But the documents in the Record Office,
the Goal Delivery Roll, the Harleian Manuscript, No. 6845, and
the return of the Constables of the Hundreds, put matters in quite
a different light. Other manuscripts add to our information,
notably, the journal of the then vicar of Chedzoy, the Rev. Andrew
Paschall. So that when the real history of Monmouth and his
brief revolt comes to be written, it will prove a volume not only
full of interest, but containing many corrections.
It was with great regret I heard at Weston Zoyland that
the green mound in the fields between the church and Chedzoy,
which traditionally covers the bones of those slain in the battle,
had been opened recently. The reason given to me for this
act was " to see if the story was true." Tradition in this case
was found to be amply substantiated by results, and the bones
u
2 74 SOMERSETSHIRE.
were then covered up again. But was there any good object
to be obtained by the performance ? Would it not have been
a preferable course to have left the tradition unsubstantiated, and
the bones of the brave Somersetshire men undisturbed ? To me
the deliberate opening of graves, whether those of christians or
pao-ans, appears a most inexcusable act. Antiquaries and others
are too prone to disturb places of burial. The exhibition in a
glass case of fragments filched from tombs is, I take it, unseemly.
That the majority hold a different opinion I am well aware, but
having here an opportunity of uttering a protest, I feel it my
bounden duty to do so. From another point of view my contention
has an even more serious aspect. Suppose that a man tears up
a brass from a church floor and carries it off, the world in general,
and antiquaries in particular, apply, and justly apply, a very strong
term to denounce his conduct. But what should be said to
censure the frequent exhumation of bodies, which goes on during
the restoration of churches, etc., when occasional heart-cases are
pounced upon as treasures and duly exhibited, seldom or never
to be returned to their legitimate resting-places. Coffins of dead
and gone ecclesiastics are robbed of chalices, rings, and other
relics with all possible alacrity by some cold-blooded collector.
These objects intrinsically are of little value, being — save the
rings, in most cases made of pewter or lead— but even then why
permit them to be practically stolen ? To me it appears a worse
crime to rob a grave than to rob a till, for in the latter case
the person robbed has a chance of punishing the thief; in the
former the theft can be committed with impunity, and is therefore
BRIUGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 275
not only a dishonest but a cowardly act. The consideration of
these points I leave to those who, like myself, are lovers of the
antiquities of our land, but who are not prepared to go any
lengths to furnish their museums.
Besides the deeds of Jeffreys, those of Percy or Piercy Kirke
naturally are suggested when considering the fight at Sedgmoor
and its sequel. The stay of Kirke in the west was brief, but
marked by actions ever to be reprobated. Still the story has
been exaggerated. Kirke was born in 1646, and served first in
Captain Bromley's regiment, next under the Duke of Monmouth.
As an officer he was both energetic and capable. In private life
he was most dissolute, though in this his conduct was not singular.
He fought at Maestricht, then in two campaigns under Turenne,
in 1676 under Marshal Luxembourg, and in 1677 under Marshal
de Creci. In 1680 he was made lieutenant-colonel and then colonel
of the 2nd Tangier Regiment. Bishop Ken, when Chaplain of the
Fleet, tells how Kirke tried to palm off a brother of one of his
mistresses as garrison chaplain. The doings of Kirke at Tangier
are fairly well known. He returned to England in 1684, and
was promoted to the rank of brigadier-general in the following
year, two days before Sedgmoor. At the fight Kirke was present
with part of both the Tangier regiments. After the victory
Feversham appointed him to the command in the west, and Kirke
with Feversham next day entered Bridgwater, hanging prisoners
en route. Two days later he marched to Taunton, escorting a
gang of captives and two cartloads of wounded. There he hanged
nineteen in front of the White Hart, a hostelry now destroyed.
276 SOMERSETSHIRE.
The White Hart, by the way, was long afterwards kept by the
Mannings, the murderers. It is stated that a part of Taunton
owes its name of Tangier to the fact that it was the camping-
ground of " Kirke's Lambs." The sobriquet " Lambs " was
derived from a " Paschal Lamb," the regimental badge. On
July 14, 1685, the king objected to the severity of Kirke, and
sent him a despatch thereon through Sunderland. He was
recalled on August 10, the regiment remaining until the last day
of the month. So the tradition that Kirke and his Lambs assisted
in the executions which followed the course of Jeffrey, acting as
his bodyguard, is shown to be false, for the Bloody Assize did
not commence till August 25. Kirke died abroad in 1691.
My tramp, or rather cross-county steeplechase, to Chedzoy
occupied me much time, and I was compelled to forego my
intention of visiting Middlezoy, where I wished to see the brass
of Louis, Chevalier de Misieres, who was slain in the fight "against
y" king's enemies commanded by y" Rebel Duke of Monmouth."
Chedzoy church is handsome, with a fine tower, but by no means
equals its neighbour, Weston Zoyland, in beauty. Here again
we have the initials of the builder, Abbot Richard Bere. On
the south side of the church a much-worn stone is pointed out
as having been reduced to its present condition by the sword-
sharpening operations of the royal dragoons. Inside the church
the chief objects of interest are the bench ends and a piece of
early arcading. The unfortunate Dr. Rawley, Dean of Wells,
was once rector of Chedzoy. After his capture at Bridgwater
his sufferings in various gaols were terrible. Finally he was
BRIDGWATER AND SEDGMOOR. 277
confined to his own house at Wells, and while there was killed,
it is said, by his keeper, one Barrett. At Chedzoy there is a
wonderful piece of ancient embroidery, now converted into an
altar-frontal, but originally a cope. It dates from either the end
of the fifteenth or the beginning of the sixteenth century I am
informed, but has during its chequered career been the object
of not a little mutilation under the guise of repairs. Weary and
not a little wayworn, wet through and somewhat miserable, I
made my way back to Bridgwater. Still, to me the day was
full of interest and instruction. Had the weather been propitious
it would have been one of complete enjoyment.
CHAPTER XI.
TAUNTON.
From Bridgwater I proceeded to Taunton, and as there is so much
rhaterial at my disposal for this section of my book, I may be
pardoned a rather abrupt commencement of this chapter. In the
town itself I purpose to notice the castle, the restored churches,
the priory, almshouses, municipal buildings, and chief domestic
remains. To write an exhaustive account of Taunton in a few
pages is, as the reader knows, an impossibility. I begin with the
TAUNTON. 2 79
castle. The origin of Taunton Castle, according to the most trust-
worthy authorities, was a Saxon stronghold erected by the famous
Ine. Of this fort, an earthwork, crowned by paHsades and
encircled by a moat, it is stated that a few traces yet remain.
The Saxon Chronicle mentions that in a.d. 772, having been
seized by a rebel, it was besieged and taken, and that after capture
the fort was destroyed. It does not definitely appear that Taunton
possessed any stronghold from this date until the reign of
Henry I., when, on the site of the vanished Saxon fort, a strong
stone-built castle was erected by William Gififord, Bishop of
Winchester. Here it should be remarked that the town and
lordship of Taunton had belonged to the diocese of Winchester
from a period shortly subsequent to the capture of the castle.
One writer states that a Norman castle was built at Taunton
immediately after the Conquest, by one of the bishops of Win-
chester ; but for this statement there does not appear to be any
documentary foundation. It is however possible that the house
of the manor there was fortified by one of the bishops — a wise
act of precaution in those troublous times. In 1490 Taunton
Castle was ruinous and required extensive repair ; which it received
from Bishop Langton. Six years later, during the Cornish
insurrection, the castle was stormed and taken by the insurgents,
who murdered therein the fugitive Provost of Penrhyn. The
year 1497 found the impostor Perkin Warbeck holding this'
important stronghold, only however to evacuate it on the news
of the approach of Henry Yll. But these events probably did
not improve the condition of the building, for within a century
i\
28o SOMERSETSHIRE.
(1577) Taunton Castle, being again in disrepair, received both
reparation and improvement at the hands of Bishop Horn.
In the days of the RebclHon the castle played an important
part, and it is to this period in its history that most attention
needs to be drawn. Occupied firstly by the Roundheads, it was
besieged and taken by the Royalists under Hertford. Blake, as
I have already stated, obtained possession of the place, held it
against overwhelming odds for a protracted period, and held it
successfully. After the Restoration, Taunton Castle was dis-
mantled, by the order of Charles 1 1. One cannot but regret the
fact, still it was in a way a measure of precaution. The west
at that time was hardly loyal. A strong garrison in Taunton
Castle meant a considerable annual expenditure, and, moreover,
the presence of garrisons was always unpopular. A weak force,
in the event of a rising, would have been worse than useless, for
if overpowered, as it undoubtedly would have been, the moral
effect of the defeat would have been great. Obviously the best
solution, because the simplest, from a political point of view, was
to dismantle the stronghold. In so doing, it may be remarked
that it was a Restoration adoption of a Parliamentarian practice.
When perfect, the water defences of Taunton Castle were
as follows. Upon the north the mill stream, on the west another
stream, on the south and east the outer moat. An inner moat cut
off the north-east corner and ran round beneath the two circular
towers, which still stand. In the Outer Bailey stood the East
Gate, on the ruined arches of which, a few years ago, the tower
of Clarke's Hotel was built. The former College School, a
TAUNTON.
281
building now used as Municipal Offices, was also within the moat.
Of the Municipal Offices I give a sketch taken from the clearing
which has recently been made on the site of the old moat for the
.; 5i,. ,^Wk
purpose of building a new street. Within the Inner Bailey are
all the remainder of the present castle buildings. The approach
to the Inner Bailey is by means of the arch-
way, of which I also give an illustration, and
where the inner moat must have been
traversed by a drawbridge. Inscriptions
above this arch, and coats of arms, more or
less mutilated, give its date, and confirm the
tradition as to the builder.
Of the Norman keep there are now no
traces, but its site is known to have been
on the raised ground in rear of the house now standino- on the
right hand of this gateway. This old house has a quaint door-
way, and when the church tower is included in the view forms a
202 SOMERSETSHIRE.
sufficiently picturesque subject. But I contented myself with
sketching- a singularly fine and elaborate window-fastening in
one of the lower windows. In an upper room I found another
window-catch, also good, but hardly of equal merit
to the one illustrated. Of the Great Hall, the
scene of the Bloody Assize in Taunton, the lower
•i ^'^ walls remain, but one can hardly look on the
f. /^^^^ present hall as more than a historic site. The
ij,>^'v*;/P>=- "if rest of the castle buildings are but scanty, and
«*^'yMt>tiw fajirgMiMfi they were so pulled about before being rescued
and converted into a museum, that the old
fortress has been almost completely lost amid the modern masonry.
Of the contents of the museum nothing need be said here, save
that the objects exhibited are of considerably greater local interest
than is usual in local museums. As far as funds permit, the col-
lection is thoroughly well cared for by the curator, and it is a
pleasure to note the county spirit which supports so admirable an
institution.
The civil war history of Taunton is briefly as follows.
In 1642, with a Roundhead Mayor, Taunton declared for the
Parliament, and received a sum of money to fortify the place.
The garrison is stated to have consisted of five thousand of the
local trained bands. Whether the money supplied was insufficient
for the purpose or was ill employed does not appear, but the
intended outworks were not finished by the townsfolk. In May,
1643, Hopton joined Hertford, their united forces amounting to
over six thousand horse and foot, with sixteen guns. Popham,
TAUNTON. 283
being unable to oppose such an enemy, ordered the evacuation of
Taunton, and sent instructions that the castle cannon were to be
thrown into the moat, but the ammunition he directed to be with-
drawn. The townspeople, however, objected to this order, and
by force compelled the garrison to remain. Suddenly the Royalist
army appeared and summoned the place to surrender, which it did
without much delay. Taunton Castle was then held by either
Sir John Stawell, or his deputy, Colonel Reeve, for the space of
about a year.
In 1644, matters went badly with the Royal cause in the
west, and the garrison of Taunton was weakened. It was at this
juncture that Blake, fresh from his successful defence of Lyme
Regis, arrived on the scene. After a brief siege of a few days,
in which much powder was burnt but few casualties occurred,
Taunton Castle surrendered, and was again garrisoned for the
Parliament. Three months later Wyndham was told off to reduce
the place, and proceeded to lay siege thereto in due form, planting
batteries on both sides of the town. Those on the east were
armed with guns from Bridgwater, those on the west with guns
from Exeter. Blake managed to collect within his fortress a
garrison of about a thousand men, a part of whom were mounted.
Provisions and munitions of war were both sadly lacking, and
eventually the horses formed food for the starving garrison. The
garrison was thrice assaulted ; the first two attacks failed, but the
third succeeded so far as to capture the town, leaving only
the castle in the hands of the besieged.
The sufferings of the defenders were now intense, starvation
284 SOMERSETSHIRE.
stared them in the face ; and though information of intended
succour had been conveyed to Blake by some means, it was
doubtful whether the place could possibly hold out. It is related
that the besieged successfully adopted the expedient of voluntary
fasting two days in each week. Meanwhile, despite the exertions
of well-wishers in London, the promised relief was not afforded.
One expedition, it is true, was ordered to march to Taunton from
Chichester, but did not do so. At length, when things were at
their very worst, and not until December 4, a Parliamentarian
force was despatched from London. This force appears to have
covered the distance between London and Dorchester (120 miles)
by December 9. If these dates be accurate, and there is no
reason to doubt them, this march in mid-winter was a most remark-
able military feat. At news of the approach of the relieving force
the besiegers withdrew, apparently intending to offer battle, but
on coming almost within striking distance suddenly retreated, a
retreat which was subsequently converted into a rout. The .
relieving force pursued, and managed to inflict considerable loss
on the fugitive Royalists, taking many prisoners. On December
14, the castle was actually relieved, the siege having lasted for
three months.
The courtesy of Colonel Wyndham towards the besieged,
as evidenced by letters extant, gives a most favourable impres-
sion of his character both as a man of humane feelings and
an honourable foe. Colonel Holborne, the commander of the
relieving force, shortly afterwards retired from Taunton and
marched into the neighbouring county of Dorset, but left behind
TAUNTON. 285
him muskets and powder, a regiment of horse (Popham's), and
seven companies of foot.
The coast being again clear, the Royalists — this time under
Hopton— proceeded to renew the siege. Owing to divisions
among the besiegers this was not actively pressed, and in
fact a sudden raid by Holborne caused a partial raising of
the siege and inflicted some loss on Hopton's troops. To
Hopton now succeeded Goring, whose conduct of the operations
was a decided failure ; his time being divided between quarrelling
with Grenville and repelling relieving raids. This condition of
things lasted till April, 1645, when Goring was withdrawn with
his cavalry, leaving Grenville before Taunton with his infantry.
The siege became a blockade, the country for miles round was
overrun, and all provisions annexed by the besiegers. Two
attempts to storm Taunton having failed, Grenville drew his
cordon more closely round the town and castle — reinforcements
enabling him to show a bolder front. Trenches were dug, and a
continuous cannonade was kept up. Grenville, owing to a wound
received at Wellington, now resigned his command to Sir John
Berkeley. Urgent messages had meanwhile been conveyed to
London to endeavour to procure the relief of the beleagured
town, but it was not until April 30 that Fairfax started thither
with a large force. Five days later an express sent after him
brought orders countermanding his advance, but these he heeded
not, and proceeded to Blandford, which he reached on May 7.
Here a second order followed him to the effect that he was to
despatch four thousand five hundred men to Taunton, but with
286 SOMERSETSHIRE.
the rest of his force to turn off to Oxford, Fairfax detached
for this purpose four regiments, whose commanders wasted some
hours in unseemly bickerings as to seniority. Reinforcements
joined the relievers to the extent of six companies from Lyme,
and some horse, thus increasing their numbers to five thousand
foot and two thousand cavalry. This body moved forward, and
by May 9 had arrived at Chard.
The condition of things at Taunton was very desperate.
Goring had returned for a time, re-assuming the command.
During his stay great excesses were committed. He was again
recalled in haste to Oxford, whither he was directed to lead
a portion of his troops. Prior to this the besiegers had numbered
about eight thousand men, and the reduction of the force was a
miserable error. Assaults were made on April 25 and May 6.
The first was a failure, but the second was a partial success, for an
important outwork fell into the hands of the Royalists. Taunton,
it must be remembered, was not a walled town, consequently the
defences of the besieged consisted of outworks, barricades, and
fortified houses. Street fighting, with all its horrors, was of
frequent occurrence.
On May 8, a ruse was employed which failed, viz. the
besiegers fought a mock battle in hopes of entrapping Blake into
attempting a sortie. Rumours of the approach of a relieving
force now reached Hopton, and he considered the advisability of
retreating, but determined first to attempt a general assault on
the town, not the castle. This assault succeeded in two places,
and the Royalists obtained a lodgment on the east and west sides
TAUNTON. 287
of Taunton. Their chief gain was in the district known as East
Reach, from which they spread round the line of defensive works.
An endeavour was then made to fire the town, but this was
frustrated in a great measure by a contrary wind. Friday, May 9,
dawned, and the assault was vigorously renewed from the captured
barricades. Nearly the whole town was in the possession of the
besiegers, and each moment they drew nearer to the castle.
The priory was taken, more houses — some say one hundred and
fifty — were burnt, and the defenders by the evening found them-
selves masters only of the castle, the parish church, and two
forts.
On the following morning Hopton offered scandalous terms,
which were rudely rejected, and the assault was immediately
renewed. For some reason, however, the attack was less
vigorous than on the previous day, and the besiegers made no
way. Hopton again determined to retire, and even went so far
as to send off his heavy guns. These, however, he recalled ; and
preparations were made for a renewal of the assault. The fatal
vacillation of Hopton saved Taunton. During the cessation the
advanced guard of the relieving force was descried through a
glass by Blake himself. At all risks he determined that for a
few hours longer he could and would hold out. Probably his
resolution would have lengthened this period into a few days, but
after that the end was assured. Hopton, on INIay 11, summoned
the place to surrender in brutal terms, and was again denied.
Within a few hours the relieving force had reached the walls, the
besiegers had departed, and Taunton was free.
288 SOMERSETSHIRE.
One point is clearly to be made out from the story of this
memorable siege, viz. that the success of Blake was solely owing
to the unanimity of his garrison. Intrigues, petty jealousies, and
bickerings among their leaders, caused the failure of the Royal
troops, and nearly caused the relieving force to arrive too late.
The discipline of the "New Model" was sadly needed by the
Parliamentarians. It was established in 1645, and thenceforward
success followed on success. Blake's troops, it must be remem-
bered, were only leavened by veterans, and were not soldiers of
the " New Model ; " but this great man possessed the power of
inspiring confidence in subordinates, and also of compelling disci-
pline. Hence his earlier success as a military man, and his later
renown as admiral and general at sea.
After such a terrible experience, it is not to be wondered that
the ancient buildings in Taunton are not very numerous. Still,
those who care to wander around the historic old town with an
observant eye, will find ample traces of antiquity, and not a few
objects of singular interest. On the churches, rebuilt and restored
as they are, I shall not greatly enlarge ; for accounts of modern
restorations may always be obtained. One point calls for remark —
nay more, for eulogy — and that is, the loving and careful way in
which the beautiful tower of the church of St. Mary Magdalene
has been reproduced. This was, I understand, effected by marking
all available stones, and replacing them in their original positions.
Details on this tower are of course, in many cases, modern ; but
I am assured that they are as faithfully copied as possible from the
mutilated and crumbling originals. The ancient carved spandrels
TAUNTON. 289
over the west door should specially be noted. The nave is lofty,
with a good roof, while the double aisles on either side greatly
increase the beauty of the interior. In one column of the nave,
on the north side, is a handsome niche of large size. This is now
filled by a modern statue. Tombs and monuments are sadly
lacking ; and, indeed, the mural monumental effigy to Robert Gray,
the founder of the almshouses which bear his name, is the only
one of interest. In the north-west window I found the piece of
ancient glass bearing a merchant's mark and the initials R. B.,
which I have illustrated. This is a very
interesting relic of the days when windows of
churches and guild halls were so often filled
both with the heraldic coats of those of gentle
blood and the more plebeian badges or trade-
marks of the merchant. In this particular
case, the curved back of the inverted 4 is a / X
feature. I have met with other instances, but the type is
uncommon. Above the south porch is a parvise chamber, the
internal window of which commands a view of the high altar ; such
windows are comparatively rare in the county.
Like the church of St. Mary Magdalene, the church of St.
James has been renovated, and its tower has also been rebuilt.
Within, the font is the most noticeable object ; it is octagonal, and
has on one panel a rood, the other seven being each decorated
by three figures. The carved oak pulpit, dated 1633, is an excellent
piece of work, and a couple of parish chests, inscribed and dated,
are worth remark.
X
jgo
SOMF.RSETSHIRE.
Not far from the church of St. James, at the corner of the
street, stand the quaint old ahnshouses, of which I here give a
sketch. These tenements, I hear, originally belonged to the priory.
They were, at the time of my visit, already condemned as unfit for
habitation, and by this time are
probably demolished ; for this reason
I specially determined to secure a
record of them. Another building
in the same road excited my curiosity,
and I entered to investigate. It is
known as the Ring of Bells, and is a public-house. The door
arch at the entrance is decidedly old, and an inner one like-
wise. I found a few ancient brackets within, but no carving. It
was curious to see hung up above one of the doors in the house,
a complete set of miniature bells, possibly as an internal sign.
At the end of St. James's Street a path
leads to the remains of the Priory Barn, of
one end of which I give an illustration.
Of Taunton Priory but few relics remain — in
fact, of its buildings, this old barn is the
sole representative. At a short distance, on
the other side of the field path, the lines of
some of the foundations can easily be made
out. The Priory of SS. Peter and Paul, at Taunton, was founded
about the year iir5, by William Gifford, Bishop of Winchester.
This monastic house appears to have thriven apace, for, before
the end of the century, it had waxed wealthy, possessing both
TAUNTON.
291
lands and most valuable privileges. In a charter of Inspeximus,
o-ranted in the reifrn of Edward III., and dated October i, 1334,
the enormous number of donations and grants which had by that
time been bestowed on this favoured priory is clearly set forth.
The bare printed transcript thereof would occupy at least seven
or eight pages, if not more, so I may be excused from quoting it.
One peculiar privilege possessed
by the prior for a short time
before the dissolution, was a right
himself to admit members of the
house to inferior orders. On a
small scutcheon on the Priory
Barn, and evidently an insertion,
I noticed, "three swords in pile."
Returning along St. James's
Street, I made my way towards
the " Parade," pausing first to
sketch the entrance to one of the
old courts. These narrow and
thickly inhabited passages abound
in Taunton, and bear a strikino- resemblance to the Yarmouth
RoAvs and the Tewkesbury Courts. They are the Yarmouth Rows,
minus the stream which runs down the centre of those hardly
savoury byways. The Tewkesbury Courts, it will be remembered,
in the days of the Chartist Riots, caused the troops much trouble,
for as fast as the rioters were driven down one they emerged through
side passages and attacked their assailants in the rear. INIy sketch
292 SOMERSETSHIRE.
shows what I believe to be the quaintest of these old-world openings
now left in Taunton. Another archway higher up on the opposite
side, leading to Park Street, is more handsomely carved, but the
passage lacks interest, and so I neglected it. I should remark
that at the house of Mr. Fry, next to this Park Street archway,
there are some fair stamped plaster ceilings and a good fireplace.
At a house on the parade, now occupied by Mr. Atton, I was kindly
permitted to inspect a very interesting fireplace on the ground floor.
This fireplace has three panels, the central one bearing the old
royal arms, the side ones the initials T. F. and M. F., both in
shields. These, I understood, represented Thomas and Mary
Faulkner. The ceiling is decorated with a good geometrical pattern,
and studded with fleur-de-lis and rose, a handsome frieze running
round the wall. In the rear of this room is a staircase with a fairly
well carved oak post ; and I also observed an old arch and door
at the back. One opening at the side of the shop is blocked with
beams and plain slabs, and the end of the room has an old three-
light cusped window.
But the most interesting piece of domestic work in Taunton
will be found in the half-timbered houses, which I have illustrated
on the following page. In a passage close by, until quite recently,
there were five panels and a half of finely cut tracery. They were
suffering considerably from ill-usage in that position, and the
occupier, Mr. Whitaker, has, I think, wisely removed them within
his house for protection and safety ; he was kind enough, however,
to permit me to inspect them. These panels have evidently an
ecclesiastical origin, and were probably spoils from either a church
TAUNTON.
293
screen or from some religious house. The house with the large
gable, now occupied by Mr. C. Lewis, is one of remarkable interest.
Here, under the left-hand corner of the gable, is a fine arch, with
its original massive iron-studded oak door. This door is heavily
panelled, and has its ancient knocker, barred peep-hole, and huge
lock. In the front room of the first floor, the windows of which
appear in the sketch, there are panels of various dates, a frieze,
and some good beam-and-plaster work. The approach to this
room is by means of a winding stair. There is also a circular stair
JU
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^^l^ft "A-uXt iM,,
with a good oak post. I observed that the roof beams, from the
first floor to the roof, were arched on the inside. On the ground
floor, at the back of the shop, is a curious room, raised (like the
Star Hotel hall at Yarmouth) two or three steps above the level
of the entrance. This room was decorated early in the eighteenth
century, and evidently by foreign workmen. The chamber above
this has internal fittings of the same date ; here I noticed two very
remarkable pilasters, whose stems were fluted, but whose bases
were finely diapered with tiny lozenges, each lozenge containing
294 SOMERSETSHIRE.
either a rose, fleur-de-lis, lion rampant, or a lion sejant ; one
lozenge, for some reason, had a tiny squirrel carved therein.
Passing to the back of the house, I found a timber-built wing of
Elizabethan date, having block beams carved with a foliated cO
pattern. Here there was a large arched fireplace, partly cased in
wood, and nearly nine feet in width, with a small oven at the side.
But the most interesting relic of old-world cooking apparatus is
also there, in the shape of a stone hot plate, pierced with three
circular openings, with gratings, and intended for charcoal fires.
The use of this triple furnace was evidently for the preparation
of jams, cordials, etc., which the good housewives of days long gone
were wont to store in their still-rooms — days when a recipe was
handed down from mother to daughter as a valued legacy, and
only disclosed to an outsider as a mark of special favour.
I can assure the reader that I greatly enjoyed my visit to this
extremely interesting old house, and I must here express my
warmest thanks to the occupier, Mr. Lewis, for his kindness to me
on that occasion. It appears that the more modern embellishments
of this house were due to the Portman family, who used the place
as a town residence.
Turning down Fore Street, I made my way to the almshouses
founded by Robert Gray. This interesting old range of buildings,
with its quaint chimneys and narrow, arched doors, was quite worthy
of illustration. The exterior need not be described, but as the
internal arrangements are somewhat peculiar, I must sacrifice a few
lines thereto. The chapel is on the ground floor, the room of the
governor, or " reader," being above it. This fact at once tells us
TAUNTON.
295
that the place was founded in post- Reformation days, for no good
CathoHc would have permitted a living room to exist above a
chapel. By a strange arrangement, the almsmen and almswomen
enter the chapel by different doors, and are seated apart. Here we
have old oak seats, none of them by any means elegant, a picture
of the founder, and the arms of the Merchant Taylors, of which
London company Robert Gray was a wealthy member. The
ceiling is a queer compound of clouds, stars, and cherubim, in
Pgllpg* Afc!Sl»Sa«'«S>li* A SR.AV« WItiSCD'PSTE", ■i?«t)Klf5>Kl-
which it is difficult to decide whether the effect is produced by
paint or by dirt. An old Bible, which was formerly chained to the
desk, is lying about, and in the middle of the small open space
between the benches, stands an ancient oak chest carefully locked.
I should much like to have investigated the contents of that chest,
but it was not possible. The " reader," I should add, performs the
service in the chapel of this quaint retreat. Nor is the other portion
of the building devoid of interest, the stairways and corridors being
all of them curious, though hardly sketchable.
296 SOMERSETSHIRE.
Robert Gray was a native of Taunton, and was born in 1570.
He was brought up in London, as the inscription on his monument
tells us. Later, he became a tailor, and prospered. The foundation
of the almshouses took place in 1635, the year of Gray's death, at
which time he was sheriff-elect of London. The inscription on his
tomb is very quaint, but I give the less known one which appears
on the tablet in the chapel of the almshouses, " D. O. M. To the
glory of God and honor of his blessed name, is this sacred oratory
and hosjiitall consecrated by Robert Gray, Esq. Borne in this
towne, citizen, Marchant Taylor, and Sheriff-elect of London. In
thankfull acknowledgment of God's sreat & gracious mercies
conferred on him this memoriall in all humbleness is here erected."
Gray is understood to have lived in the house next to these
almshouses, and it is somewhat singular to find the building again
beyond this house to be another almshouse. This last is known
as Pope's Almshouse ; but, on investigation, I did not find anything
therein worth recording, so pass it by.
It was at the end of the buildings which I have just described
that the east gate of the town formerly stood, and beyond this
the street is known by the name of East Reach, Here there is
little to interest one, thanks to the devastation caused by the siege ;
but on the left-hand side of the road I noticed a rable-ended stone
house which seemed likely to prove worth inspection. This
range of buildings lies back from the road endwise, and has
evidently once been either a hospital or an almshouse. Two of
the arched doors are very ancient, formed of massive slabs of oak,
and held together by heavy fieur-de-lis tipped hinge-bands. One
TAUNTON. 297
Staircase is old, and I understood that in one room, which I was
unable to see, the stamped plaster fireplace yet exists. But it was
specially to visit the old lepers' hospital at the very extremity of
the town, and, in fact, in the parish of Monkton, that I had started,
and presently I arrived thereat. My sketch at the beginning of
this chapter shows its appearance in these days when shorn of its
chapel. The hospital of St. Margaret, founded for lepers, is now a
simple little almshouse. This hospital was founded prior to the
year 1160, as its existence is mentioned in certain documents of
that date. Rather more than a century later, a certain Thomas
Lambrit, until recently supposed to be the founder, increased its
revenues by benefactions. By tradition this hospital was burnt
down early in the reign of Henry VIII., and in confirmation of this
tradition the stone slab bearing the mitre and initials of Richard
Bere is shown. For locally, the builder-abbot of Glastonbury is
stated to have re-edified the hospital of St. Margaret at Taunton
after the fire. Certainly the present little building, with its verandah-
like cloister, old oaken posts, and thatched roof, bears the date of
Henry VIII. The mitre and monogram of the abbot I have used
for the design on my cover, partly because to Richard Bere the
county owes so much architecturally, and partly because this
out-of-the-way slab has sculped thereon one of the most beautiful
jewelled mitres to be found in the kingdom.
I have not touched upon the municipal life of Taunton, nor
have I attempted to tell once again the story of Monmouth and the
maids of Taunton. My chapter has been mainly descriptive of
the buildings as I saw them. Still there is one other sketch to
igS
SOMERSETSHIRE.
which I must allude. I obtained it from a small framed piece
of embroidery hanging in the council chamber, and it represents
the badge of the town. This fragment of embroidery once formed
the centre of the altar frontal of the church of St. Mary Magdalene.
Whether the frontal became worn out, or whether in the rage for
things new it was discarded, nobody seems quite to know, anyhow,
this fragment, cut out of the central medallion, is all that remains
thereof.
t MI!Ka«>K,u, „"-™~p t,«
CHAPTER XII.
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD.
The first place which I visited on the outslcirts of Taunton was
the village of Bishop's Hull, or, as it used to be called, Hill Bishop.
This is a large parish, and extends into Taunton. The name is
derived from the fact that, like Taunton, this village on a hill
myMf
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belonged to the bishopric of Winchester. One spot, which I have
already alluded to in a previous chapter as " Tangier," in reality
forms a part of Bishop's Hull — nay, even Taunton Castle itself
stands mainly within its limits. My road thither lay through the
new part of the town ; for I passed down Park Street, where stands
300 SOMERSETSHIRE.
the large modern Shire Hall. Turning to the right, the village
and church of Bishop's Hull are soon within view. The first
house of any antiquity that I saw was a small seventeenth-century
manor house, which bore on a stone slab the date 1661, surmounted
by the initials /^^. On inquiry, I understood that the interior
contained some interesting domestic work ; but, unfortunately, I
failed to obtain admittance. On the same side of the road, and just
opposite the east end of the church, stands the Court House, a fine
old Elizabethan E-shaped mansion, gable ended, and possessed
of mullioned windows ; its front is one of considerable architectural
merit. Above the porch, the door of which is of fine old oak, is
sculped a shield bearing the arms of Farewell — Sable, a chevron
between three escallops argent ; impaling Dyer — or a chief indented
gules, with a mullet for a difference. Formerly a valuable series
of some fifty shields existed in this interesting house, but these
were removed several years ago. It was to Richard Farewell and
James Dyer, both nephews of Lord Chief Justice Dyer, that we
are indebted for the publication of the celebrated " Reports " of that
eminent lawyer. This work was bequeathed to them in manuscript,
and intended for their instruction and private reading. Their
publication for the benefit of the legal profession in general was
therefore a most public-spirited action.
The little church of Bishop's Hull is dedicated to St. Peter,
and appears to me to be a building which has at some previous
time been of far greater size. A modern and very ugly nave is
a great disfigurement, and is quite out of keeping with the quaint
octagonal tower. But parts of the interior of this church are
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 3OI
decidedly worth study. Some of the bench-ends are remarkably
good, and it will be remembered that I have already made mention
of one of them. I noted some capitals of excellent design surmount-
ing the columns of the chapel arch, and the monuments to members
of various Somersetshire families are interesting. Among them
is one to Sir George Farewell, who died in 1650. In the windows
I noticed a few fragments of old glass, and can only wish that
there had been more thereof.
Through Bishop's Hull ran the old coach road from Taunton
to Exeter, and I consequently hoped to find an old-world inn.
But, alas, though the present inn there possessed a fairly extensive
stable-yard, signs of antiquity in the building itself were lacking.
Some little distance along this coach road is a high hill, known as
Rumwell Hill, where, on the " Stone gallows," criminals were
formerly hung. From this lofty spot I am told that their dangling
carcases were visible in the neighbouring county of Devon, a
distance, as the crow flies, of some five miles.
From Bishop's Hull, I made my way to Norton Fitzwarren,
cutting across so as to avoid returning through Taunton. Norton
Fitzwarren possesses an interesting church, and, on the hill above,
is a tree-girt British camp of some note. The church of Norton
Fitzwarren is dedicated to All Saints, and, though much restored,
is worth a visit, if only to inspect its interesting rood loft and
screen. It appears that a dragon legend attaches to Norton Fitz-
warren Hill, and the memory thereof is kept alive by the carving
on the top beam of this screen. This information was locally
imparted to me, but I am bound to say that I have been unable to
302 SOMERSETSHIRE.
gather any further particulars as to the details of the legend, beyond
this, that the dragon was bred from corpses. The carving represents
this monster pursuing human beings, presumably the ploughmen,
who, in another part of the beam, are represented as ploughing with
an antique plough. The probable date of this screen is late
fifteenth century, a century later than the church, and nearly two
centuries later than parts of the chancel. There is no rood stair
now visible leading to the loft, and it seems that when the north
wall of the church was rebuilt it was not thought worth while,
or was perhaps deemed too expensive, to rebuild the stair then
demolished. It may be remarked that the screen has been recently
painted. I am informed that until the earlier half of this century
the original colouring existed thereon, but that somebody in a fit
of enthusiasm then treated it to a coat of oak crraininsr. This
disfigurement was removed at the restoration of the church, and
the original colours were repainted as far as existing traces enabled
the architect to carry out the apparent intention of the builder.
It is a pleasure to note a piece of work of this kind well and
sympathetically performed. Norton Fitzwarren church is also
possessed of some fair bench-ends, but they are in no way equal
to those at Bishop's Hull. I found in the tower a rather remarkable
hatchment belonging to a member of the Welman family. Their
paternal coat is blazoned thus : ist and 4th, argent on a bend
gules between two pomeis three mullets or, for Welman ; 2nd and
3rd argent, three torteaux, a chief gules, a label of three points
azure. But this hatchment bore, if my memory serves me, no less
than fifty-two quarterings. The exterior of the church is not
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 303
noteworthy for anything besides the uncommon treble set of
gargoyles, which are to be seen on the tower. It would however
be curious could the reason be ascertained why so many gipsies
are and have been buried in the churchyard of this little Somerset-
shire village.
Crowning the hill, at the foot of which nestles the church and
village, is the entrenchment known as Norton Fitzwarren Camp.
This camp is small in size, its area being rather over thirteen acres.
Roughly speaking, it is circular in form, and merely consists of
a deep ditch, irregular in its width, possessing both an inner and
an outer vallum. The camp is approached, or used to be approached,
in three different directions, viz. on the north, on the south-east,
and on the south-west by west. At least, one may fairly conjecture
that the depressions in the ground which radiate out from the camp
were the roadways which led up to the gates of the stronghold.
In these days the rampart is almost entirely overgrown with
trees and bushes, a condition of things which is to be regretted.
There has been much dispute as to the origin of this camp ; but
was there ever a camp which did not produce an antiquarian
wrangle ? The probability of Roman, or pre-Roman construction,
has been freely and almost acrimoniously discussed. Supporters of
the Roman theory point triumphantly to Roman remains found
in the valley beneath, and a small circular depression, some fifty
feet wide and six: or seven deep outside the camp, has been e.xalted
into an amphitheatre. Now the camp at Norton Fitzwarren,
lacking as it does all the characteristics of a Roman fort, may be
reasonably adjudged to possess greater antiquity. In later times
304 SOMERSETSHIRE,
the Romans may have occupied it, as they did many other camps,
or they may not have done so. But to convert the simple track-
roads into " covered ways," to suggest that this simple — very simple
— rampart was once a city and the origin of Taunton, and finally,
reverting to the Roman theory, to style a small, shallow, relicless
depression in the hillside an amphitheatre, appears rather beyond
the mark.
Descending the hill on the opposite side, I reached the high-
road, by which I shortly afterwards arrived at Bishop's Lydeard.
At the entrance to the village I noticed a strange double sign to
the inn which stands there, viz. " The Lethbrldge Arms and Gore
Inn." The armorial part I could understand, but the "Gore Inn "
was a puzzle. In the house itself I could not obtain any Information,
except that the vessels used in their trade bore that mark. At
Taunton I was also unable to hear of any explanation. In London I
was told that Gore Inn was originally its designation. I do not ever
remember coming across a similar example, of a local family coat
being allied on an Inn sign, with another term of no local signification
whatever. Attached to this Inn, though now disused, is one of the
old fashioned fives' courts, the which used to be so common.
In the course of my wanderings, I noted only three or four
examples In the county.
Bishop's Lydeard church possesses one of the towers of
Somersetshire, and It assuredly Is a fine tower. It Is, however,
a tower to be seen from a distance rather than close ; and to my
mind the best point of view Is through a gate half-way between
the Gore Inn and the station. Here this fine piece of architectural
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 305
work shows up in all its beauty, and has the advantage of being
backed by a lofty hill. In the churchyard, try how one may, it
is not easy to get a satisfactory view. Unlike most of the Somerset-
shire churches, that at Bishop's Lydeard is built of a local red-
tinted stone, the effect of which is decidedly pleasing. Bishop's
Lydeard church is rich in carved oak, the screen being excellent
and old, with the exception of that part in the north aisle, though
I cannot conscientiously express a favourable opinion of the modern
colouring thereof. Of the splendid series of bench-ends, I must
speak more in detail. On the north side of the centre aisle, at least
fourteen are worthy of notice ; among their designs I observed
several either of a floral or geometrical character, besides the
"pelican," an elaborate quatrefoil, the "five wounds," a "stag and
foliage," one mainly geometrical, but surmounted by hares and other
animals, and, finally, a head with foliage. On the south side, the
first eight have floral designs, the ninth seems to be pieced, the
tenth is geometrical, the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth I have
figured at the beginning of this chapter, as being specially curious.
Others there are in the church of varying merit, but calling for no
particular mention, except in the case of a very narrow female
figure on a tree in the south aisle. Into the backs of some of the
seats, fragments of carving have also been introduced, possibly
from the original screen of the north aisle. One brass I found
affixed to the wall. It was to Nicholas Grabham, 1585, and
Eleanore his wife, 1594, with their three sons and two daughters.
The pulpit is of oak, and well carved, a very fair specimen of late
Jacobean work. Panels of rather elaborate geometrical design, and
306 SOMERSETSHIRE.
a handsomely decorated shaft, are the distinguishing features of
the octagonal font. The tower arch is of fine proportions, and
beneath it is the original narrow iron-bound and banded door
which formerly gave admission to the belfry stair. This door is
now disused in favour of a new one on the outside. Externally
one or two things require notice. On the south porch are the
remains of a sun-dial. An external buttress stair-turret leads to
the rood loft in the chancel and south aisle. In the churchyard
stands the village cross, which, together with its head, was removed
thither from the street some years since for safety. Close by it
is the churchyard cross, with a restored head. It is not often that
two ancient crosses are to be met with in one churchyard. Built
into the churchyard wall is a fragmentary stone slab, with a
mutilated and rapidly vanishing inscription, the only portion of
a name to be deciphered is " Robart." " Byshopps Lyddeard"
occurs in the second line, after which comes what I make to be
" whose life to death her due did yield ; " the date has gone.
I understand that much more could be deciphered when the stone
was first found, and can but regret that it was not built into the
wall within the church for protection from the weather.
From Bishop's Lydeard I tramped over to Cothelstone, to visit
the church, but even more than the church I desired to see the
partly rebuilt home of the Stawell family. Two miles of pleasant
road separated me from my destination. I first visited the manor
house, passing under the arch which has been removed to the
entrance gates from its former position near the church. Looking
down the avenue I could see at some little distance the quaint
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD.
307
gatehouse, which is even now, I am glad to record, in its original
state. After consideration, I determined to sketch its inner face, as
being less shrouded by trees and creepers. Permission was will-
ingly granted me to explore. I found the curious little chambers
of this old-world place full of interest as specimens of domestic
work ; they are now converted into stores for ruddy-cheeked apples.
The uncommon muUions of the windows, both in the gatehouse
i?-'--^
and in the manor house itself, and the quaint plinths of the latter,
immediately attracted my attention. They are half cylinders,
bearing more resemblance to balusters than window mullions.
Similar mullions, but of small size and made of wood, used a
few years ago to be in a long gallery window at the back of
a draper's shop at Newark (the Old White Hart). But Cothel-
stone manor house was in the days of the Great Rebellion pounded
with cannon, taken, sacked, and almost demolished. At the house
3o8
SOMERSETSHIRE.
the wing on the left is pointed out as the place where the Par-
liamentarian party finally burst in. Still above the entrance door
the scutcheon, minus its first and fourth quarters, robbed of its
crest, and deprived of its supporters, yet remains to remind us of
the now extinct Stawells.
This scutcheon has twelve quarterings, of which the twelfth
is itself quartered. I shall only give the blazon of the paternal
coat of the Stawells, viz. : Gules, a cross lozengy argent. The
-f-^mll
-.•^"■'■S
W0!r-''
pedigree of Stowell or Stawell, in the Visitation of Somersetshire,
gives four and twenty generations, doubtless more or less correctly,
but it is not needful for me to trace it through. Suffice it to say
that, according to this document, the first fourteen Stowells are all
asserted to have been knights, the next six in descent were com-
moners, after which we come to John Stowell, of Stowell and
Cothelstone, who married Francis Dyer. His eldest son was John
Stowell, made a K.C.B. at the coronation of James I., who married
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD, 309
Elizabeth, the daughter of George Lord Audley, Earl of Castle-
haven, in Ireland. Sir John was succeeded by his second son, also
named John, and also a K.C.B., who married Elizabeth Hext, the
daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Hext, and widow of Sir Joseph
Killigrew, Kt. They had four sons, by name John, Edward,
George, and Ralph. When the Civil War broke out the Stawells
were most energetic Royalists. In a letter from Sir Edward
Nicholas to Sir William Boswell, dated from Derby, September 15,
1642, an account of one of the young Stawells is given as follows :
" On Tuesday the king marched with his banner from Nottingham
with five hundred horse, five regiments of foot, and twelve guns."
He was joined by five hundred or more trained bands. Here he
heard of a skirmish in which Hertford had been successful, and
despatched two hundred horse and three hundred dragoons to aid
in the pursuit of Lord Bedford. The pursued turned on their
pursuers, and the son of Sir William Balfour "in a bravado rode out
single from his troop, brandishing his sword, as if he would dare
somebody to combat with him ; whereof Colonel Lunsford, giving
notice to young Stawell, telling him there was honour for him, he
(Stawell) made straight up." Sir William Balfour's son discharged
his pistols at some distance, but Stawell reserved his fire till he
might be surer of his mark ; which he did so well that he fired at
the other "buff at his breast," and with his sword by a quick blow
made an end of the duel and his adversary, and so returned to
his troop " full of the honour he went for."
On March 14, 1649, there was an Order in Parliament that
Sir John Stawell be proceeded against for life in the Upper Bench.
3IO SOMERSETSHIRE.
Now Stawell had been made prisoner at the capture of Exeter,
April 9, 1646, and had taken the "Exeter Articles." But in 1650,
June 28, another Order of ParHament appeared, in which six
persons were ordered to be " tried for their lives, upon their
former offences," upon occasion of the assassinations of Mr. Ascham,
agent for the Parliament to the King of Spain, and his interpreter.
Ascham's murder was reported from Madrid on June 9, 1650.
Action was taken thereon at the suggestion of Sir Henry Mildmay.
Stawell was selected as one of the six persons, though in England
at the time of the murder, and not in Spain. It was alleged that
Ascham met his death through the agency of certain exiled
Royalists, and the trial of Stawell and the others ivas an act of
reprisal !
On April 5, 1651, Mr. Salwey moved the House to call upon
the High Court of Justice for a report of their proceedings in the
case of Sir John Stawell. Meanwhile Sir John had been for some
time a prisoner in the Tower, but obtained his liberty on May 25,
1653, "on good security being given to the lieutenant that he will
not leave the city, and will give himself up prisoner again on sum-
mons." July 22, 1656, brings a petition from the trustees for the
sale of estates forfeited for treason to the Protector, in which it is
stated that Sir John had presented to them a " scandalous " petition,
charging them with high crimes in the disposal of his estates.
They beg that good security should be taken from Sir John either
to prove his allegations or to make reparation, they themselves
professing willingness to be similarly bound. It seems that friend
Bovett, of Taunton, who I fear must have been a scamp, was one
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 3II
of the trustees appointed by Parliament to administer Sir John's
estate, and that this worthy Roundhead had a distinct objection
to parting with the cash to various persons to whom shares had
been adjudged. I may as well here mention that Jeffreys, years
after, hanged Bovett in front of Cothelstone, but only to annoy
the son of Sir John, who had then been raised to the peerage.
Bovett's name occurs many times in the documents belonging to
the " Cases " of the Committee for Compounding.
In March, 1659-60, I find Sir John Stawell in receipt, by
Parliament Order, of a weekly pension of £(i. In November, 1660,
Sir John was engaged in recovering possession of his estates, and
a petition was forwarded to the Lord Chancellor by one John
Collins, relative to his right in a part of the manor of Netherham.
It seems that when Sir John's lands were sequestrated, Lady
Stawell had redeemed Netherham, but had subsequently sold it
in 1659 to Collins. On the Restoration, Collins was summoned
before the House of Lords, on the petition of Sir John, and had
apparently been compelled to surrender his purchase willy nilly.
Sir John survived till February 21, 1661, and was buried in
Cothelstone church, where his monumental inscription briefly but
graphically tells the story of his life. " J\Iagnas equitum pedi-
tumque copias suis sumtibus in auxillium Regis paravit. Post
perditam rem familiarem, aedium ruinam, carceres, aliasque
calamitates exoptatissimo Regis Caroli Secundi reditu laetans."
By letters patent, dated January 15, 1683, Ralph Stawel was
raised to the peerage as Baron Stawel of Somerton, for some
reason dropping the second / in his name. He was succeeded
312 SOMERSETSHIRE.
by John, his only son by his first wife. John, second Baron,
died childless, and was succeeded in turn by both his half brothers,
William and Edward. Edward, fourth baron, died childless in
1735, when the title became extinct.
The papers regarding the compounding for the Stawell estates
are very numerous. It seems that Sir John neglected to appear
in time, after taking the " Exeter Articles." He was summoned,
and committed to the custody of the Serjeant-at-arms, for refusing
the National Covenant and Negative Oath on August 13, 1646.
March 18, 1650, his estates are reported to the House as fitting
to be sold. Cothelstone, in ruins, was awarded to Lady Stawell,
as a residence for herself and her children ; and there Bovett caused
her much annoyance and loss, by first refusing to pay her allowance
of one-fifth, and then by " extending it for a pretended debt."
Her complaints against Bovett are frequent. Abetted by Bovett,
the tenants refused to pay her her fifth, but paid it to him instead.
On August 10, 1653, Sir John petitions the Committee for relief
on Articles of War, setting forth the date of his surrender, and that
by its terms he could compound for his estates at not more than
two years' value. He had sworn then not to bear arms against the
Parliament, and had kept that oath ; but, notwithstanding, he had
been taken into custody, committed first to Newgate, where he
remained for four years under accusation of high treason, being
thence conveyed as prisoner to the Tower, where he even then lay
captive. During the whole of this period, he had been vexed with
various actions laid against him in the courts, at a cost in damages
of £jooo. His estates were declared forfeited in 1651, and sold.
He begs liberty, etc., and again urges that neither he nor his sons
have committed any act of hostihty since they took the " Exeter
Articles." But Parliament would not give way, and ordered the
purchasers of Stawell's estates "quietly to possess them." Nor,
beyond obtaining his liberty at last, and a pension of ^6 per week,
could this honourable and luckless Royalist obtain any redress until
the Restoration. Justice has never been done in the county to this
fine old cavalier, possibly because the historical bias there even yet
inclines to the other side. For this reason I have briefly endeavoured
to set forth the main incidents in the career of one on whom I look
as in every sense a Somersetshire worthy.
Cothelstone church, which is dedicated to St. Thomas of
Canterbury, stands just behind the manor house. It is small but
interesting, and a few years ago underwent restoration. A pillar
in the interior, which supports the arches dividing the nave from
the south aisle, has been stated to be Saxon, but this I am much
inclined to doubt. In the windows are some extremely good
medallions of ancient glass, the subjects of which are St. Dunstan
with his tongs ; a saint carrying a crowned head ; St. Aldhelm
holding a chalice ; St. Thomas of Canterbury bearing his staff;
St. Richard . . . with a chalice, and St. Thomas. All the figures
are mitred. But the tombs and monuments of the Stawells, and
a little heraldic glass belonging to that family, naturally interested
me the most. In the south chapel are two fine monuments, each
with two recumbent effigies. Of the two men, one is in armour, the
other is not. On the costumes, both of knights and their ladies,
traces of painting are still visible, the pale blue mantle and red gown
314 SOMERSETSHIRE.
in one case being in fair preservation. This female effigy wears
an interesting head-dress, her head is pillowed with angels, and
two squirrels lie at her feet. The exterior of the church is worth
notice, inasmuch as the tower is of a rather unusual type. The
peculiarity lies in its upper part, and in the square turret on the
north side, which is capped by a short stone spire.
I returned that evening to Taunton, and the next day journeyed
by train to Washford station, from which, after a few minutes' walk,
I reached the famed ruins of Cleeve Abbey. The abbey of the
Blessed Virgin at Cleeve was founded in 1 1 88, by William de
Romara, who obtained inmates for his religious house from the
Abbey of Revesby. Cleeve was under the Cistercian rule, an
Order at one time very popular in England, but which in later days
so much declined in estimation, that with considerable difficulty
sufficient inmates were obtained to carry on the business of the
abbey. This was specially the case with regard to the strictly
ecclesiastical members of this fraternity, and it would appear that,
during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, the semi-lay brethren,
who performed all duties requiring manual labour in the Cistercian
houses, far exceeded in numbers the more rigidly governed monks.
Still, these semi-lay brethren were Cistercians, though under a
much less restricted rule than their ecclesiastical brethren. Many
distinguished names occur as benefactors to Cleeve, among which
may be instanced Hubert de Burgh, Richard Plantagenet, two of
the De Mohuns, Reginald and William, Henry III., and Edward
IV. Founded in 11S8, within a century the abbey buildings, both
ecclesiastical and domestic, were finished ; the house was prospering
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 315
to such an extent that the number of monks was augmented from
twenty-six to twenty-eight. By 1483, as one of the visitors of all
Cistercian houses in the kingdom (a papal appointment), the Abbot
of Cleeve had become an important personage. Early in the
sixteenth century, the last abbot, William Dovell, restored a
portion of the gatehouse, which was then in a condition of disrepair ;
and during the previous century much rebuilding of the south and
west sides of the cloister garth had taken place — but to these I shall
allude hereafter.
Cleeve Abbey, when perfect, had four courts, an outer court
of small size outside the gatehouse ; a great court in which, near
the west end of the church, the cross stood, but which otherwise
was disencumbered of buildings, save on the north and east ; a
cloister court, and finally an infirmary court. A moat ran round
the north and east sides of the abbey precincts, while on the west
there was a stream, the inner bank of which was strongly walled.
Upon the south a wall alone completed the enclosure, within which
were a mill and the abbey stews, besides the church and the entire
domestic buildings. Of the church, though the ground plan has
by means of excavations been accurately ascertained, beyond some
of the tiled floor, the foundations of the bases of the columns, the
relics of one or two altars, one tomb, and the south walls of the
south aisle and south transept, there is nothing. But the presence
of richly decorated encaustic tiles, which are very considerable in
number, both in the church and in the old refectory, is remarkable,
since a lack of ornamentation was a conspicuous feature in all
Cistercian houses. These tiles, evidently from the same kiln as
3l6 SOMERSETSHIRE.
the tiles at Dunster, Muchelney, and elsewhere in the county, are
mainly heraldic. But at Cleeve, three designs are on tiles of large
size, viz. eight inches square. These bear the arms of England,
Richard Plantagenet, and Clare, and will be found lying in situ
on the floor of the old refectory. They are divided by narrow strip
tiles, some plain, others elaborately floriated. Of the smaller five
and a half inch tiles, with which the church is paved, the number
and variety is very great. The coat armour of Mohun, Peverell,
Fitzwarine, Staunton, Beauchamp of Hache, Montacute, Bardolf,
and a host of others is to be seen. I would willingly give a
complete list and their blazons did space permit, but in lieu must
refer the reader to the " Journal of the Archaeological Association,"
vol. xxxiii.
Opening out of the south transept is the sacristy, and this
presents certain peculiarities, for it is lighted by a large circular
window, now without any tracery. But examination reveals that in
all probability it has lost an inner ring of masonry, and to this
masonry possibly tracery was attached ; for a plain circular hole
in the wall above the stone altar which existed at the east end would
have been very unsightly. Here, besides certain cupboards and
receptacles, there is in the thickness of the wall a curious little
piscina, the back of which is painted with a design of not a little
elegance, and now wisely protected by glass. On the walls and
on the vaulting, which has been altered in form, are traces of mural
painting. I now proceed to consider the actual remains of the
domestic buildings of this once-famous abbey. The gatehouse was,
as I have said, repaired by Dovell, the last abbot, and his name
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD.
317
in the centre of a lozenge grounded with vines and grapes yet
remains on the face of the south gable. He it was who erected the
unsightly, though necessary buttresses, which keep the side walls
from falling. The old arches in these walls, which in former times
probably contained benches for the repose of travellers, are now
blocked. When perfect, the upper floor formed one long room,
with a fireplace in the centre of one side, and a window at each
end. How damaged the place
now is my sketch shews. On
the north side, above the
window, is a statue of the
Virgin — a statue of very early
date ; beneath the window a
Latin inscription, " Porta
patens esto nulli claudaris
honesto " — at least this is
what I made it to be. The
south gable has above its "S^Trs-Bewas "\ v;-
window a handsome rood in
a niche, and there are two other niches, both now empty and
probably intended to contain statues cf INIary and John.
Passing through the archway which admits to the cloister
garth, I found myself in a most interesting place. In front of me,
that is to say looking towards the east, was the west end of the
chapter house, with its elegant windows and door, the doorway
of the dormitory staircase, and the door leading to a passage ; the
range of building above being pierced by the numerous lancet
318
SOMERSETSHIRE.
windows of the monks' dormitory. On my right hand were the
beautiful windows of the hall, decorated with their elaborate
tracery, the arch of the lavatory beneath and other windows and
doors, together with the remains of the quaint little projecting
fern-decked abbey bell turret. On my left was the south wall
of the abbey church, a stretch of wall broken only by the trefoil-
headed shallow recess, which in the old days contained the seat
;"^ltfS®lr4:V:a.-llrf''-;SdlQstr;
mmmmmmm
of the monk told off to superintend the reading within the cloister
of certain passages from prescribed books. I give a sketch of this
elegant recess, and have to note with indignation that it has been
made a target for a charge of shot, several pellets of which were
actually adhering to the stones when I visited the place in October
last. I was informed that the shot " could not have been recently
fired," but I leave the settlement of this question to others. Such
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD.
319
then is the present appearance of the cloister garth — a garth without
its cloister, save on a small portion of its western side, where three
or four much-defaced arches of later work still remain on the left
of the entry.
The chapter house is a very remark-
able room, undivided by pillars, entered
by an arch which never owned a door,
and lighted by windows which have never
been glazed. It has a vaulted roof of
three bays, but the third and most easterly
one is far more lofty than the other two.
Unfortunately the east wall, which projected,
has been demolished. On the roof of the
chapter house fragments of distemper painting still remain in the
320 SOMERSETSHIRE.
shape of a narrow simple wavy pattern, which runs on each side of
the vaulting ribs. Coming out of the chapter house and entering
the staircase door, I ascended, and found myself in the long lancet-
lighted monks' dormitory, a narrow chamber upwards of a hundred
feet long. Here the old plaster floor was much of it perfect, though
it did not extend the entire length of the dormitory, but stopped
short at one wall, thus enabling me to look down into a now ruined
but once exceedingly handsome room, the fratry ; fragments ot
whose splendid windows, piers, and arches are, even in their sad
decay, well worthy of the closest scrutiny. The ground floor of
the buildings on the southern side is more curious than picturesque,
still I ought to note the strange triangular quatrefoiled slab which
forms a roof between the groins of one of the entrances. This
entrance was skew-built, in order not to interfere with the arch
of the lavatory in the south cloister wall outside.
Next, ascending the stair, I found myself in the noble hall,
later in date of course than many other portions of the buildings
at Cleeve, but still without a doubt the most beautiful relic of
them all. The hall measures fifty-one feet by twenty-two feet,
and is lofty in proportion, with a finely decorated waggon roof.
My etching shows the appearance of the east end of this grand
room, where still on the plaster, though sadly faded, are the
relics of a rood of a more than usually large size. On the right
hand, between the fireplace and the window, is the recess which
formed the pulpit for the reader. Curious it is to reflect that
of the domestic buildings and hall of Shrewsbury Abbey, the
pulpit is the sole remnant, while of the hall at Cleeve it is the
?^,. \k-:*6s ^."a'
'v/^^/^^
COTIIELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 32 1
only thing which has vanished. A dais never existed here in
old times, and the present one is modern, constructed merely to
preserve the tiles and fragments of tiles from the relic-pilfering
in which persons visiting the abbey almost systematically indulge.
To do justice to the details of this beautiful hall in a few lines
or even in a few pages is impossible. But I have yet no little
distance to journey, so must regretfully pass on. Opening out
of the hall, on the same floor, are some strange little rooms, one
of which is said to have been the buttery. Here the fireplace
had once a hood, but this has vanished. The walls were twice
decorated with paintings, one picture, unless I am very much
mistaken, having been executed on the top of another, for I made
out, or thought I made out, traces of two separate mural paintings
of two different dates on at least one wall. Two more points
need to be mentioned before I pass away from Cleeve, and they
are important. The old refectory, of which the tile floor is
visible in the garden, was built north and south ; the new refectory
or hall ran east to west. This is a remarkable deviation from
the usual Cistercian plan, and is essentially noteworthy. That
the chapter house should be without columns is also curious.
The fact that the hall, instead of being a ground-floor room,
is situated on the first floor, is one which ought not to be passed
without comment. With regard to the change of axis in the
hall and its upstair situation, in all probability the lateness of
the date of building may be held accountable, but the reason for
the columnless chapter house will, I fear, ever remain an archi-
tectural mystery.
z
32 2 SOMERSETSHIRE.
It is a beautiful walk from Cleeve Abbey over the hill to Old
Cleave and Blue Anchor. At Old Cleeve the church, with its
churchyard cross, under ordinary circumstances would have tempted
me to tarry and explore, but after the abbey, and with Dunster
ahead, I cared not to delay. Not far beyond, in the village, I
noticed a cottage of more than ordinary picturesqueness. It was
one of those of which Corfe presents two good examples, and
Newlyn, I think, still furnishes one. The porch room with its
latticed windows is supported by two massive circular pillars.
Late in the year though it was, the garden here was a mass of
blossoms, trailing plants covered the walls, and roses were in
profusion. Farther on I passed an early seventeenth-century house,
called, I believe, Benham Farm, where above the quaint doorway,
in a small room, some meritorious dated plaster work is stated to
exist. Soon, leaving Chapel Cleeve on my left, I mounted the hill,
and before me lay Blue Anchor ; beyond it the expanse of the
Bristol Channel, bounded by the Welsh coast, and dotted with
the two islands known as Flat Holme and Steep Holme. The
day was then fair, and the scene was one of great beauty. Glancing
to the left along the coast, the Beacon Hill at Dunster, and the
castle ; Minehead too, and its church, were of course plainly visible,
for the extreme limit of my projected wanderings was distant but
a bare five miles. While I tarried for rest at Blue Anchor, a small
hamlet with a railway station, deriving its name from an inn, the
weather changed. Clouds rolled up, the wind rose, and the scene,
with the utmost rapidity, became autumnal if not wintry. Along
the shore the waves dashed with considerable violence right up
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 323
and over the targets at the foot of the cliff, where a small body
of volunteers were endeavouring to fire their classes. Presently
down came the rain in torrents, and I had perforce to abandon my
projected tramp. Hence it was that after a dreary waiting at the
little shore-side station of Blue Anchor, I took the train, and with
but little delay steamed into Dunster. F"ortune here was kind to
me, as just before I reached the station a transient beam of sunshine
fell full and bright on the castle — a beam which, though it lasted
but a few seconds, was still sufficient to imprint its beauty for ever
on my mind. In good sooth, for a wonder, the view to be obtained
of Dunster Castle from the railway is essentially the view.
Besides its chief glory, the castle, there is enough in the streets
and houses of this quaintest of quaint little west country towns,
to afford a hard day's work to the lover of antiquity ; and this
without reckoning the double church, a thorough inspection of which
would assuredly occupy a day itself, so that to exhaust Dunster
without overstrain, at least three or four days are required. At
any rate, that was my experience. I wandered round its old-world
streets, pausing of course to sketch the interesting old octagonal
market house. Dunster Market House was built by George
Luttrell, sheriff of the county in 1593 and 1609. The date 1647,
and initials G. L., which appear on the weather-beaten vane, are
those of the grandson of the builder. In ancient days Dunster did
a great trade in yarns, and the manufacture of broadcloth there
was extensive. But the trade has gone, the mills are silent, and
only the Market House or Yarn Market remains to perpetuate
the memory of this extinct industry. The arrangement of the
324
SOMERSETSHIRE.
radiating timbers and posts in the interior of this quaint building
is most curious. In one place the mark of a cannon shot, fired
from the castle during the siege, which pierced the roof and damaged
a beam, is shown to this day. Not so very many years ago the
present wide street of Dunster was divided down the middle by
a row of sheds or shambles, but these, becoming useless, were
removed. Close by the Yarn Market stands the inn of the place,
of which the sign is the Luttrell Arms. Here the old stone porch,
_^fe!'!«ls5T!liS.CB@p.
on the gable of which is carved the scutcheon sign, is semi-fortified,
for on either side of the outer arched doorway are most unmistak-
able crossbow loops. The inner arch has well-carved spandrels,
and the moulded roof beams are excellent. My sketch shows this
portion of the building. Nor is the interior deficient in interest.
In one room there is a fine plaster fireplace overmantel, on which
the story of Acteeon occupies the central plaque, two female figures
support the cornice, in the middle of which there is a demi-male
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD.
325
figure flanked by lions bearing the arms of England and France.
This plaster work dates from the first quarter of the seventeenth
century. But the most interesting part of this inn is the wing at
the back. Of the carved wooden exterior of this wing I here give
a sketch. The interior was, I understood, worth doing, but the
eiiifeipsfc
iVi^VTlS^LI- WSUfiS-
" oak room " being occupied, I was unable to inspect it. This house
does not appear to have any historical associations, and on that
account is rather disappointing, for it looks like a veritable home
of country-side tradition, and it is from these traditions that so many
clues to historical fact are obtained. When on my way back to
126
SOMERSETSHIRE.
London, I was told by a fellow-passenger, who appeared to speak
with authority, that behind the Luttrell Arms was still remaining
a " very ancient and rather ruinous kiln," called locally the " bell
house." My informant suggested that from this kiln issued the
tiles at Cleeve and Dunster. His statement and deduction I give
with all reserve, for I did not at Dunster either see the kiln or hear
of it. From the garden at the back of the house I took the sketch
of the country towards Blue Anchor, which I here insert.
Next door to the " Old George," which is a house rather lower
down the street, there is a quaint entrance. I doubt the antiquity
--l/'-U'tJ !U..-.f:^
of the door itself, but the knocker and hinges are genuine ; the posts,
decorated with scroll work and mutilated heads, are original, while
the very flat, hardly arched lintel, with diminishing scrollwork in
its spandrels, is, to say the least, uncommon. An old oak staircase
is stated to exist in the inside of this house. Here and there I
detected in the little windows some of those ornamental fastenings,
which are yearly becoming rarer. One house, quite at the bottom
of the hill, has an oaken arched doorway of curious form, but
restored. Two village crosses were once to be found in the village
street, of these, one, the " Butter Cross," has been removed to the
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 327
roadside up the hill behind the church, but of the other no trace
is now existing. Turning the corner towards the church, I came
suddenly on a very quaint building of which the proper designation
is the High House, but which, for some unexplained reason, is
locally called the " Nunnery." This High House, in pre-spoliation
days, formed a portion of the endowment of the Chantry of St.
Lawrence. In apjDearance, the place is a long, tall dwelling, with
two projecting stories, the lower of which has, as it were, a pent-
house roof. The timber work of the house is good, the whole of
the upper stories in the front are weather-tiled, both gables are
tipped with pinnacles, while one stone-faced gable, of which the
wall is visible, is pierced by two small trefoil-headed windows and
a tiny slit. A view up the street here is most picturesque. On
the right is the quaint High House ; on the left, in the foreground,
the creeper-clad home of one of the castle guides, while above the
more distant houses a portion of the tower of Dunster church
appears.
Then I wandered on till I reached this well-known, and in
some respects extraordinary building. Church I called it, but
churches would have been the more correct designation, since,
though under one roof, we here have the nave, transepts, and aisles
forming the parish church, with its own specially contrived choir,
while the chancels and chapels are, like a part of Arundel church,
absolutely private property. This curious condition of things came
about owing to a dispute between the Prior of Dunster and the
vicar of the parish in 1499. Reference having been made by the
aggrieved parties to the Abbot of Glastonbury and two others,
328 SOMERSETSHIRE.
the award was as follows, viz. that the vicar and parish should
possess the nave, and the monks should possess the choir. Hence
it was that a special choir is to be found in the nave. These
two churches are separated by a magnificent oak screen which
extends quite across the church. The screen consists of fourteen
arches, with a marvellously fine vine and grape pattern carved
on the frieze, the designs of the coving and panels are wonderfully
intricate. Three doors pierce the screen, and each of the fourteen
arched panels is divided by pierced tracery into four compartments.
It should be noted that the number and width of the bays on the
north and south sides of the nave are unequal, so that the screen
is near to one column but some feet distant from the other.
Though built mainly at a later date, traces of Norman work are
to be discerned within the church.
The chancel proper and its chapels, in ancient days the monks'
choir, is now the private property of the owner of Dunster Castle,
and it has been by him most carefully restored in recent years.
On the dissolution of the monasteries the site of the priory was
leased in 1539 to one of his ancestors for twenty-one years at a
rental of ^3 13^'. 4d., with a remainder to a certain Humphrey
Colles. Now this choir had been used as a burial-place for the
Luttrell family for several generations, and the prospective lessee
Colles was bought out for the sum of ^85 i6s. Sd., in order to
retain possession of the burial-place and tombs. I give a sketch
of the entrance to this private portion of the church, to which I
obtained admittance after paying a visit to an old-world, half-
timbered, half-stone built cottage in one corner of the churchyard,
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD.
329
..^"■^^".
-•1 ''/
M^'i--
the abode of the custodian. The remarkable shape of this arch
is due to a mediaeval widening thereof, when the arch itself must
in some way have been supported, while the corbels which now
sustain it were inserted and the sides cut away. There is great
beauty in the short screen which
closes in this entry, but in so
small a sketch it is almost im-
possible to do more than indicate
its details. The interior of the
monks' choir is singularly interest-
ing. In the chapel on the south
side are two monuments which
formerly occupied other positions
in the church. One is the incised
slab to the memory of Lady
Elizabeth Luttrell (1493), the other,
which stands against the south
wall, is that of Thomas Luttrell
(162 1 ). Lady Elizabeth's slab is
very interesting, from the details of the costume, and the rather
elaborate way in which two angels are depicted supporting her
pillow. At her feet is curled up a little dog, or possibly a
fox. In the wall which separates the chantry of St. Lawrence
on the north side of the church from the chancel is a tomb
with two mutilated effigies thereon. It is the monument to Sir
Hugh Luttrell and Catherine his wife, and dates from about 1428.
On the floor of this little chantry chapel have been placed the
(?>':• I?." f
330 SOMERSETSHIRE.
ancient encaustic tiles which were discovered in the choir during
the restoration. Of these tiles I give illustrations of ten specimens.
The designs are mainly heraldic, and chiefly bear the coat armour
of Somersetshire families. The fish design, though not unknown
elsewhere, is almost Japanese in its quaintness. I selected these
as typical Somersetshire encaustic tiles.
Feeling that I had not half studied the peculiarities of Dunster
church, or the beauties of its screens, I passed outside the building.
The exterior is to a certain extent picturesque, though by no
means so pleasing as the interior. Perhaps the best view is from
the south-west. Close adjoining the north-east corner of the church,
abutting on the churchyard in fact, are a few relics of the priory.
Here and there traces of the domestic buildings are apparent;
I fancied that I detected signs of a cloister, but cannot be sure.
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 33 1
The old priory barn, which by the way appears to have been
subject to considerable alteration in recent times, is still in existence,
and close by is the priory columbarium, a fair specimen, possessing
its original door.
Returning through the churchyard, I noted the fragment of the
churchyard cross which stands there, and gazed at the ancient yew
tree which grows hard by. How many good English long-bows
have been cut from that old yew in ancient times, I wonder ? Then
I followed a side street in an aimless way, till I found myself in a
winding path between two streams at different levels which led me
down to an old mill, evidently the castle mill. Here there was a
moss-grown overshot wheel, turned by the waters of the upper
stream, and in front of the mill a pleasant blooming garden, backed
by the lofty tree-clad hill. And then returning I again passed the
High House, and began to climb the steep ascent which leads to
Dunster Castle. Presently I arrived at the Gate House, a building
which is known to have been begun about the year 1420. That
this gatehouse was meant less for defence than for ornament seems
tolerably clear, for its construction is such that it could never have
offered any strong resistance to an energetic attack. It was built in
a slanting way, so as to incorporate in one of its angles the circular
bastion which projected from the castle wall at that point. Three
of these bastions originally projected on that face of the wall, and
relics of two of them are still visible from the road. But behind
the wall the ground has, in comparatively later times, been raised
to a level expanse, triangular in shape. This raising of the ground
enables one to enter the first floor of the gatehouse on the garden
332 SOMERSETSHIRE.
side. The towers were picturesque, and I sketched them. The
turrets shown on each side of the doorway in ni)- second sketch
were erected about 1765, at the time the level of the ground was
raised. But this raisinsf of the Sfround caused a curious thin^ to be
done, viz. a wall was built behind the noble old oak gates of the
castle, which are just within the gatehouse, to preserve them from
injury, and then the earth was filled in against this wall, thus entirely
closing the old castle entrance.
In recent years this earth has been removed behind the gate,
the wall has been pulled down, and a short stair constructed, by
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 333
which access is obtained to the platform, the upper floors of the
gatehouse, and for foot passengers to the present main entrance
of the castle. My etching shows this fme old gate as it at
present is. The little sketch inserted in the text gives the details
of the woodwork and the knocker. This last is a mighty implement
more than twenty inches in length. To the castle itself a good
deal has been done in late years in the way of addition and altera-
-SBTE Dac»eSfS I'Jwiaa'v'aiiii ^ias-jts
tion. But in the interior are several rooms of interest, and many
things of which one fain would write. The staircase with its
elaborate ceiling is handsome, and contains some curious carving.
This is said to be elm and not oak as would have been expected.
Panelled rooms are not infrequent, and there is at least one most
handsome plaster ceiling of late sixteenth-century date. Fireplaces
likewise there are which are well worthy of notice, but I must
334 SOMERSETSHIRE.
confess to having been particularly interested in King Charles's
room, where, at the back of the bed, a long narrow hidden
chamber extends across the whole width of the room. This narrow
place of concealment, for I doubt if it could have had any other
intention or use, has no window, but there is an inner door part
of the way along the passage, and at the end is a stone seat.
Pictures, objects of art, curiosities, and antiquities are in evidence
throughout the building, but among the decorative treasures I shall
only mention the strange seventeenth-century corami or painted
leather hangings which line the walls of one room. These, I
believe, are of Italian workmanship, and are remarkable for the
use of a warm-tinted glazing applied to a silver-leaf ground, by
which means a golden hue is produced. This ground was then
diapered with impressed tooling, and finally quaint designs were
painted thereon in oil colour.
Leaving the interior of the castle, over which I had been most
courteously conducted by one of the ladies of the family, to whom
I here desire to express my grateful thanks, I wandered along
terrace paths amid terrace gardens till I ascended the hill on which
once stood the castle keep. This keep was of Norman origin,
probably polygonal in shape, and contained the castle chapel,
dedicated to St. Stephen. But both keep and chapel, then in a
ruinous condition, were removed towards the end of the seventeenth
century, when the site was levelled and converted into a bowling-
green.
From the bowling-green with its herbaceous wild border
edging I wandered down, pausing at one spot to note the old
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 335
lemon trees, which, with but the slight protection afforded by
matting in winter, have become as it were acclimatized, and grow
against the castle wall, freely fruiting each year. On again till I
passed the grand old wooden gates, then, going beneath and
through the deep gatehouse arch, I turned and took a final survey,
noting the ornamental panel of nine shields which surmounts the
crown of the arch. A little lower I left the old stables behind
me, and then by a short steep descent returned to Dunster street.
The arms of the Luttrell family are blazoned as follows : Quarterly :
1st and 4th or, a bend between six martlets sable, for Luttrell ;
2nd and 3rd azure, two eagles displayed in fess and a mullet in
base argent, for Fownes. Crest — out of a ducal coronet or, a
plume of five feathers argent. Supporters — two swans collared and
chained.
I shall now touch briefly on the history of the owners of this
fine old castle. Dunster in the time of Edward the Confessor
belonged to a certain Aluric, and then bore the name of Torre.
With the Norman Conquest came a change of owners, and the
De Mohuns became the masters of Dunster or Torre. About iioo
the priory of Dunster was founded as a cell to the priory of Bath,
the Mohuns having endowed the monks of Bath with lands with
a view to ^ettincr them to erect a church at Dunster. At a later
date a William de Mohun took up arms in favour of Matilda.
Stephen collected troops, and laid siege to Dunster, whose hill
was at that time washed by the sea. He found it useless to attack
the place, so strong and inaccessible was the castle, and blockaded
it instead. Under the third William de Mohun the priory
336 SOMERSETSHIRE.
flourished ; and indeed the whole family seem to have been great
benefactors of ecclesiastical establishments throughout the land,
but specially in the west. The last male De Mohun who owned
Dunster was Sir John. He died in 1376, having in 1369 conveyed
his estates under certain conditions to feoffees, viz. that the feoffees
should dispose of them according to the instructions of his wife.
The widow. Lady Joan de Mohun, obtained a reconveyance of
the lands to herself for her life with remainder to the Lady
Elizabeth Luttrell.
The Luttrell family is first heard of towards the end of the
twelfth century. In the reign of Richard L one member was
settled in Nottinghamshire. Between that date and 1376 I need
not enter into a detailed account, suffice it to say that the husband
of Lady Elizabeth was Sir Andrew Luttrell. Lady Elizabeth died
in 1395, and before she had taken possession of Dunster, for the
widowed Lady Joan was still alive. The son of Lady Elizabeth
was Sir Hugh, and he succeeded to Dunster in 1404. But his
possession thereof was challenged by the heiresses of the last De
Mohuns, who took legal proceedings against him. Luttrell was
at that time one of the members for Devon, but he was poor, and
had to borrow ^50 from the Abbot of Cleeve to defend the suit.
Eventually, on petition, the case was referred to the arbitration of
four peers and all the judges. The arbitrators declined to give an
opinion, and a trial came off at Ilchester, which terminated in favour
of Sir Hugh Luttrell.
Of the warlike deeds and political services of Sir Hugh I
shall say nothing, nor have I space to give extracts from the curious
COTIIELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 337
inventories and accounts belonging to him which are still extant.
He died in 1428, and was succeeded by his son John, who died
two years later, leaving a three-year-old only son James, Like the
rest of his family James was a Lancastrian, and fell at the second
battle of St. Albans, leaving two sons minors, viz. Alexander and
Hugh.
Edward IV. confiscated the Luttrell estates, which in June,
1463, he granted to the Earl of Pembroke and his heirs. The
family now for a time lay under a cloud, and it was not until
Bosworth had been won that the cloud was lifted. For twenty-
four years they were exiled from Dunster, but then returned in
the person of Hugh Luttrell. After no little trouble he enjoyed
his possessions in peace and quietness, but had at first quite a crop
of legal battles to fight. These matters settled. Sir Hugh
Luttrell, K.C.B., married twice, had two sons, and then died in
1 52 1. He was succeeded by his eldest son Andrew, who was
married to Margaret Wyndham. Andrew Luttrell suffered much
from his stepmother, who claimed certain lands, and accused her
stepson of using her ill in money matters. Eventually the quarrel
was composed. Andrew Luttrell was knighted about 1530. He
seems to have lived mainly at East Ouantockshead, a house I
had hoped to visit, but I was unfortunately unable to parcel
out a day to get there. The next Luttrell, John, was a great
warrior, seeing much service against the Scotch and French. He
was knighted, and died in 1551, leaving three daughters and co-
heiresses, Catherine, Dorothy, and Mary. The estates were entailed
on the male issue of his brothers Thomas, Nicholas, and Andrew.
2 A
33^ SOMERSETSHIRE.
A curious case of ecclesiastical law cropped up in regard to
the marriage of Thomas Luttrell, which required to be settled in
1558 by an appeal to the pope. Thomas Luttrell died in 1571,
being sheriff of Somerset at the time of his death. He was
succeeded by his son George, at that time a boy of eleven.
George married Joan Stewkeley, the daughter of his guardian,
in 1580. He died in 1629, and was succeeded by his son
Thomas. It was during the time of this Thomas Luttrell that
Dunster was besieged. Luttrell, like most of his neighbours, was
a Parliamentarian.
By a stratagem or rather by diplomacy Colonel Wyndham
obtained possession of Dunster in 1643, ^.nd held it for the king.
He even persuaded Luttrell to pay a subsidy towards supporting
the royal army. For some time Prince Charles was resident at
Dunster. When Bridgwater fell, and the battle at Langport was
lost, Dunster became absolutely the sole remaining royal garrison
in the county. Wyndham was its governor, and found himself
shut up there by November, his opponents being Blake and
Sydenham. Despite the great straits to which the garrison was
reduced Dunster held out, nor did it surrender till April 19, 1646,
after a siege of one hundred and sixty days. Further I need not
continue the account of Dunster, save to state that for five years
the castle was a Parliamentarian garrison, and at the end of that
time it was ordered to be "slighted." Much damage was done,
though it might have been far worse. The greatest loss was the
destruction of the keep, with the chapel of St. Stephen therein.
During its occupation by the Roundheads, William Prynne was
COTHELSTONE, CLEEVE, DUNSTER, AND MINEHEAD. 339
for a time a prisoner at Dunster. It is curious to read that, finding
time hang heavily on his hands, he devoted himself to the proper
arrangement and classification of the muniments there, the which
he had found to be in the direst confusion.
I had arranged to go to Minehead, and thither I was bound
to make my way, though, beyond the church, I felt sure that there
would be little to interest me. On my way I outlined the pro-
montory on which the town is built, and insert here my sketch.
When I had arrived in Minehead itself, I found that a goodly climb
was necessary before I could reach the church. This church
':i^=sr=-wiMgKlSfl©.
presents some interesting features in the interior, having a screen
hardly inferior to that at Dunster, and evidently the work of the
same artist. The rood staircase is very peculiar, and instead of
the turret being of the usual tiny proportions, the Minehead turret
is like a large oriel window. I had heard of an inscription above
one of the windows on the outside of the church, but the failing
light rendered it impossible for me to decipher it. The church
contains one very fine monument, apparently erected at the
commencement of the fifteenth or at the end of the fourteenth
century. Traditionally, this is the tomb of Judge De Bracton,
J40
SOMERSETSHIRE.
but this, if dates are to be believed, must be an error. There is
a beautiful font in the church, though it has suffered considerable
mutilation. But the least common object is the oak arch in the
south aisle. In the eastern counties I have met with several
examples of wooden arches, but in the west they are rare. The
tower is a fine one, and dates from the first years of the sixteenth
century. On the south face is carved a representation of the
Elevation of the Host, on the
east St. Michael appears weighing
souls, in which operation the devil
is opposing him, while a female
figure (possibly the Virgin, from
the lily beneath) assists the saint.
In Taunton I heard that the
extraordinary size of the rood
stair was to be explained thus : it
was used as a species of light-
house in former times to guide
the vessels into the little port.
The suo^crestion is reasonable, and
in a rational way explains an architectural difficulty. The final
sketch of this chapter shows the quaint, many-stepped path which
leads up to the church, a subject, I must own, better suited to
colour than to black and white. At Minehead, my wanderings
ceased, but I have reserved for my concluding chapter a brief
illustrated notice of the domestic buildings at Wells.
CHAPTER XIII.
WELLS.
My purpose In visiting the cathedral city of Wells was to inspect
the various most interesting specimens of domestic architecture
to be found in what must be for brevity termed the precincts.
'iL^^^- fox
r!?^ YABk©, wgLi.^.
Not that I personally omitted visiting the cathedral, far from it ;
but cathedrals require at least a volume each, and two portly tomes
342
SOMERSETSHIRE.
would hardly, I fear, exhaust the beauties of Wells. Besides, the
subject has been handled many times and oft, and hardly calls for
fresh treatment. Hence, I shall simply concern myself with the
Palace, the Deanery, the Vicars' Close, and the gates. One
interesting piece of purely secular architecture I feel bound to
introduce, specially because it is constructed of or rather greatly
beautified by its carved timber work. My sketch of this house,
the subject of which is to be found in what is known as the Crown
. Yard, heads this chapter. I also give detail sketches
of one of the ornamental brackets beneath the
windows, and a pargework panel of fair
design, which I noted as occurring there.
This house much resembles the type of
domestic building so frequently found in
the eastern counties, where the ornamen-
tation is perhaps more elaborate in detail than in
Tewkesbury or Evesham, but far less than the
noted examples in Chester and Shrewsbury. It was from the
street close by this house, and in the immediate neighbourhood
of the Conduit, that I took my general sketch of the Market Place;
a street scene which I venture to think could not be equalled in
any other spot in Somersetshire, despite the mutilations which its
gates have undergone, and the hardly architecturally beautiful
houses which fill in the intervening space. From the Market
Place, through the right-hand gate, where above my head in the
centre of the groining is the rebus and coat armour of Bishop
Beckington, I move on to the famed Palace of Wells. The rebus
WELLS.
343
of Beckington, by the way, is the quaint conceit of a " beacon and
tun." His arms are blazoned as follows: Arofent, on a fesse azure
a mitre with labels expanded or, between three bucks' heads
cabossed gules in chief, and in base as many pheons sable. Here
I must insert a word of explanation and apology to the reader.
By some unaccountable mistake or oversight I made use of a
WMimM'^ tm
KSt.t%' ^^3
wrong blazon of these arms in my title-page. The error was,
I regret to say, discovered too late for alteration.
The ancient Bishop's Palace at Wells stands within what is
stated to be the largest moat still in use in England. In shape
this moat is roughly a pentagon, and it is crossed by the bridge at
the gatehouse, which I shew on the next page. The history of the
<0
<3
WELLS. 345
palace is briefly as follows. That a house for the bishop existed
prior to ioS8 is probable, but of its site and extent nothing is
known. History, however, tells us that the first bishop to
enforce conventual life on the canons of Wells was Gisa, who
built a house for the worthy men to inhabit in common. Gisa died
in 1088, and was succeeded by John de Villula, who it is related
pulled down the conventual buildings of his predecessor and
utilized the site for a house for himself. Whether, however, this
dwelling was a palace or only a manor house remains doubtful ;
I however incline to the latter theory, because John de Villula was
Bishop of Bath, and had his chief abode there. Bishop Josceline,
early in the thirteenth century, commenced the present palace ; and
indeed the main block, modernized though it is at the present day.
was the work of that prelate, who also enclosed the park. The
next addition to the palace was the now ruined Great Hall, which
may reasonably be supposed to have replaced an earlier hall.
This was erected by Bishop Robert Burnell, between the years
1275 and 1292. Next in order of date of construction, and I
think built immediately afterwards, was the chapel — a chapel still
in existence, though it has been subjected to certain modifications.
Lastly, Bishop Ralph, utilizing the abundant supply of water in the
neighbourhood, dug out the moat and encircled its inner side with
a fortified bastioned wall. These operations took place between
1329 and 1363, the licence to crenellate the wall being dated 1340.
Wandering round the outside of the moat beneath the shady
avenue of trees which fringes it on two of its sides, I see on the
left, in a field near the south angle, the old Bishop's Barn. It is
34^ SOMERSETSHIRE.
a plain structure, unadorned by statuary or carving such as I have
already noticed on the gables and porch of the Glastonbury example.
The Bishop's Barn at Wells is a good specimen of fifteenth-century
work, probably dating from the earlier half of that century. Its
chief features are its length, one hundred and ten feet, which,
compared with its width, twenty-five feet, is excessive, and the
extraordinary number of buttresses which break the monotony of
its sides. There must be quite a dozen, exclusive of those on the
porch entrances, on each side. The south-east and north-east sides
of the moat are free from timber. It is curious to note that though
the south-west and south-east walls are of about equal length, it is
only from the latter that a circular bastion projects in the centre.
The bastion which appears in the sketch of the gateway was
formerly the prison and guard-house of the palace. Within the
south-west wall the earth, possibly excavated from the moat, was
heaped up so as to form a solid platform near the top of the wall.
Close by the south bastion is a quaint little seventeenth-century
grotto or summer-house, shaded by trees, overgrown by ivy, and
internally decorated with crystals and shells. This grotto was, by
tradition, the favourite out-of-door study of good Bishop Ken.
It was from the platform of the central bastion on the south-
east side that I took the sketch which I here insert. This shows
the ruins of the grand hall and a portion of the chapel. I will here
briefly describe this noble room. William of Worcester states that
it was about eighty paces long and forty wide ; but more accurate
measurements place it at one hundred and sixty-three feet by eighty
feet externally. The hall possessed the remarkable feature of a
WELLS.
547
double row of five central columns, which, as it were, divided it into
a nave and aisles. Of course, in these days, a roof of the span of
eighty feet would be nothing extraordinary, but in those early times
such a span was beyond the engineering skill of the workmen.
It may be remembered that immense difficulty was experienced in
buildine the arch of the " Traitor's Gate " in the Tower of London,
which fell down twice during the operations, and needed the apparition
.^c-^jrgSW&a?--
of St. Thomas of Canterbury, and the dedication of a chapel to that
departed saint, to ensure its stability. But so huge a wooden roof
as this hall required, absolutely could not have been constructed in
the thirteenth century. From one stone which is left at the north-
east end turret, the pitch of the roof can be ascertained ; and this
pitch was considerably less than 60°. Whether the columns were
of stone or wood cannot now be determined. There are indications
348 SOMERSETSHIRE.
that a gallery supported by corbels projected at the east end of the
hall ; but as the east wall has now disappeared, its details can only
be conjectured. At the west end of the hall and in the upper part of
the building was a fine room, which extended across it, cutting off
about twenty-three feet from its length. Beneath it were the pantry,
buttery, etc. This room formed a solar, and probably by means
of openings looked down on the floor of the hall below. On the
north side and jutting forth from the hall at the spot where the solar
finished, was a large projecting porch. The bishop's kitchen was
in the rear of the hall, and so in all probability were various offices.
If it were not for the fact that this solar is known to have occupied
the position I have named, I should be inclined to disbelieve it,
since, contrary to custom, this room must have been at the inferior
end of the hall, i.e. remote from the dais, and also from the
remaining rooms belonging to the bishop, which were of course
in the main building of the palace. The windows of this noble,
but now, alas, nearly demolished hall, were very fine, the remains
of the elegant tracery with which they were filled bearing sufficient
testimony thereto. Possibly a crenellated parapet ran round the
building, thus rendering it in a measure a place of strength in
troublous times, and at a pinch capable of defence, since the space
between the roof and parapet might have been manned. Still,
under such circumstances, one cannot but reflect that any foe who
surmounted the obstacles of moat, gatehouse, and outer wall, would
undoubtedly have been strong enough to have made short work
of the hall by breaking in through the windows.
The palace chapel was in two parts, like many another
WELLS. 349
collegiate chapel, possessing an ante-chapel of one bay divided by
a screen from the choir, which was twice its length beyond. This
ante-chapel had three doors, one communicating with the turret on
the north, one the main west door, and one which led out on the
south side. In this south-west corner in later times a vestry or
priest's room was erected. Architecturally, the details of the chapel
are very beautiful, the foliation of the decorations being specially
noteworthy. The floor is beneath the level of the ground on the
exterior, and as a similar condition of things would obtain if the
hall floor were still in existence, it is reasonable to suppose that all
the eround on the outside has been raised. It will be at once
seen that the window at the west end is not original. That this
beautiful chapel has undergone much modification since its erection
centuries ago is to be expected. We know that it was restored
early in the seventeenth century, and the work done in recent
years is patent. Unfortunately the original screen and stalls have
vanished entirely — not a fragment remains to give the slightest clue
to their form or decoration ; but that they must have been elaborate
and beautiful in their elaboration may well be conceded, when the
splendour of the building itself is taken into account.
Passing along the platform of the south-east wall I reached the
end bastion, and then descending, wandered along the pleasant
garden to the bastion at the east angle, which, not being filled up
by earth, gave me an opportunity of examining it. I then returned
to the garden front of Josceline's block of buildings. This front is
very picturesque, the walls being handsomely buttressed, and the
windows not without interest. The basement of this range is
550
SOMERSETSHIRE.
a beautiful room, with a central row of slender columns dividing its
vaulting. Originally this was the servants' hall, but it is now of
course devoted to a far different purpose. The projecting building
at the north-east corner has a fine though not original oriel window.
■ :V:''l
Of the remainder of the palace the present domestic buildings
and hall are in the main the work of Bishop Beckington, who
however, strangely enough, has not left his rebus sculped anywhere
within the walls. My sketch gives a view of the north side of
Beckington's buildings, but it should be borne in mind that the
WELLS. 351
oriel and also the little square turret were the work of Bishop
Clerk, to whom also the erection of some of the upper chambers
is assigned.
The garden here is very pretty indeed, and the old well of St.
Andrew is a most pleasant spot near which to linger. Returning
again within the walls, and coming to the front of the palace, it
should be observed that the porch is modern, and the upper portion
of this face has been raised. The entrance hall is rather curious,
being a long vaulted passage which extends the length of the house,
and which in width is about one-third of that of the entire block.
Of the fourteenth-century gatehouse not much needs to be said,
save that it projects much farther into the moat than such buildings
are wont to do, a fact which seems to point to its having been
constructed more for grandeur than for fortification. The doorway,
with its quaint pierced brass key scutcheon, is interesting, and the
porter's lodge, though of course internally fitted in a modern
manner, is original. Of the cloister, now destroyed, which once ran
along the south side of Beckington's addition, I need say hardly
more than that he built it. At the corner he added a gate tower,
from which the cloister at a slant joined on to the west end of the
chapel.
After the Civil War the palace was sold to one Cornelius
Burges, and he also bought the deanery, besides other church
property. This worthy did an immense amount of damage to
the fabric, despoiling it of lead, timber, etc. Some of this he sold
and some he took to the deanery, which at that time underwent
considerable alteration. At the Restoration the bishop (Piers)
J
52 SOMERSETSHIRE.
returned to Wells, to find his palace in a sadly mutilated condition.
It is however due to Burges to state that the destruction of the
great hall was not his evil work, but was the act of Bishop Barlow
in 1552. Barlow had alienated the palace two years before, when
it became the property of the Protector Somerset. When Somerset
fell, Barlow by an exchange of other property obtained a regrant
of Wells palace from the crown, to whom it had lapsed, and
immediately afterwards either obtained leave or was requested to
take down the great hall. Barlow appears to have been a sad
destroyer of ecclesiastical buildings, for he is credited with having
done immense mischief to the palace of St. David's at the time
he held that diocese.
The first deanery of Wells of which record remains was erected
in the reign of Edward III. by Dean Charlton, and somewhere
between the years 1350 and 1361. More than a century later,
i.e. between 1472 and 1498, the deanery was practically rebuilt
by Dean Gunthorp. He it was who raised the handsome west
front, which, with the exception of modern
window sashes, remains to this day as he left
it. But to my mind the most interesting ex-
. ternal feature of the deanery is the garden front,
where beneath the windows the builder dean
YMg^aEBtsT^^ placed his quaint rebus — a rebus of which I
here give a sketch. 1 he notion 01 his name is
also carried out, and in a way even more curious. From the wall
of the oriel project certain cannons' mouths. The rebus, of v/hich
the signification is patent, consists of a hand-gun encircled by a
WELLS.
353
riband. This interesting garden front is mainly original, though
of course some slight alterations have been made to its upper
story in modern times. Still the exact line of the old work can
be at once detected.
Internally, despite the alterations which have at various times
taken place, the house remains in the main a very good example
of a high-class fifteenth-century dwelling. The state rooms were
-^oJ
-i4-j=s
v5-
■W^^"^:^
all on the first floor, the hall facing towards the north. Here
the bay windows at each end of the dais still exist — bay windows
vaulted with beautiful fan tracery ; but, like the windows at the
Court House, Chard, they are not exactly opposite one another,
neither are they on the same level. A most curious example
of a music gallery exists here. At the lower end of this hall
there is a wide stone arch with a small room above it pierced
2 15
354 SOMERSETSHIRE.
with three small windows, which look into the hall a few feet
beneath them. The whole arrangement of this gallery is
necessarily very contracted, owing to the small space occupied
in height by the hall. Outside, in that which is now a passage
and beneath a stone arch, is a lavatory niche with a drain.
In this niche is a hook, from which it is stated a vessel of water
was in former times suspended. Behind the dais of this hall is
the chief guest chamber, which contains a fine window. Tradition-
ally this was the room occupied by Henry VII. when he visited
Somersetshire at the time of Perkin Warbeck's rebellion. That
he stayed at the Deanery of Wells when in the city is assured, and
this, the chief guest chamber, might well be that occupied by the
king. It has been suggested that this room was a chapel, but
as there is a room above it I cannot readily accept the notion.
In writing of this hall I have considered the present partitions
which divide it into rooms as removed. The entire deanery is
walled, with the exception of that portion occupied by the west
front and the gatehouse.
From the deanery I passed beneath the Chain Gate, pausing
on the other side to take the sketch, which I here produce as an
etching, and I then turned under the gateway to the left, and
found myself in the interesting Vicars' Close. The incorporation
of the vicars-choral of Wells dates from the time of Bishop
Josceline. It does not appear to be certain whether he did or
did not erect any range of buildings for the vicars to inhabit in
community, unless the existence of certain beautiful fragments
built into the vicars' chapel are to be taken as evidence of a previous
y/^oa
WELLS.
355
building. In the fourteenth century Bishop Ralph of Shrewsbury
mentions in his will that he had built houses for the vicars, and
the present dwellings in their main fabric are his work. To Ralph
also is due the hall with its windows, but this has a sixteenth-
century addition {temp. Henry \'III.) above the gate. It was
in this hall that the vicars dined in common, for their houses,
which contained but two rooms and a staircase each, were destitute
of any kitchen. The two long lines of dwellings were inhabited
college-wise by the vicars with this difference, that each vicar had
his separate two-roomed house instead of living on a staircase
as is the usual college custom. On slabs on each of these now
much mutilated houses are quaint coats of arms and rebuses.
50^
SOMERSETSHIRE.
from which I selected three for illustration, and which form my
tailpiece to this chapter. It appears that the kitchen of the hall
was upon the first floor, i.e. level with the hall. This was a most
unusual place for a kitchen, but there seems no reason to doubt
the fact.
At the same time that the hall was lengthened in the fifteenth
century the vaulting of the room beneath this kitchen was begun,
but I understood that the
masonry was not completed
till about twenty-five or thirty
years ago, when a restoration
was undertaken. It is a ques-
tion which of the three chief
points in the Vicars' Close is
the most beautiful, viz. the
gatehouse and bridge, which I
have etched, the hall and arch
represented in one of my
sketches, or the chapel corner,
of which I here insert a view. Personally, however, I am bound
to add that the gatehouse and bridge appealed most to me, and
hence I give it the place of honour.
Returning past the deanery I proceeded till I made my exit
from the ecclesiastical domestic portion of Wells through a gateway
known as the Dean's Gate. This I also sketched, and here insert
it as the last sketch in my book. It is a fine old bit of work,
more rugged than anything else In the city, and to my mind very
WELLS.
357
picturesque. Here I must express my obligations to the Very
Reverend the Dean of Wells, and also to the Reverend Canon
Bernard, from whom I received on the occasion of my visit
valuable information, kindness, and hospitality.
In a few brief sentences I will now conclude my attempt to
describe and illustrate a part of Somersetshire. I have first to
acknowledsfe much kindness received there — kindness which was
almost embarrassing to a stranger. Chapter and verse for my
authorities I have not given, except where needful, believing that
the constant footnote is a most irritating object to the reader, and
35«
SOMERSETSHIRE.
certainly hardly an improvement to the appearance of a page. My
wanderings were somewhat varied, and their results worked out
in rather a different form to that of my original scheme, but the
modification became a necessity, owing not to the lack, but to
the superfluity of materials at my disposal. Finally, I must
express my warmest thanks to the Assistant General Manager of
the Great Western Railway, J. I. Allen, Esq., for the kind way
in which he interested himself in my work, and placed facilities
in my way for its execution.
INDEX.
INDEX
Aelfred, 29, 233 to 235.
Arimathea, Joseph of, 24.
Armour, 131.
Arthur, King, Huntuig Causeway, 7, 9.
„ ,, Supposed Tomb, 39, 40.
Arthurian Legend, 8, 9.
Athelney, 233 to 236.
Avalon, Isle of, 23, 25, 26, 51.
B.
Barnard Family, 72.
Barrington Court, 199 to 202.
Beauchamp of Hatch, Family, 174 to 176.
Beckington, 85 to 87.
„ Bishop, Life, 88, 89
„ „ Tomb disturbed, 89.
„ Castle, 86, 87.
,, Church, 85.
„ Merchant's Mark, 86.
,, Old Houses, 87.
Bare, Abbot Richard, 38, 39, 297.
Berkeley Family, 106, 107.
Bishop's Hull, 299 to 301.
Bishop's Lydeard, 304 to 306.
Blood Spring, 24, 42, 50, 51.
Blue Anchor, 322, 323.
Boroughbridge, 236 to 238.
Bovett, Colonel, of Taunton, 22, 168, 310.
Brett Family, 227, 228.
Bridgwater, 253 to 266.
Castle, 255, 256.
Church, 257 to 260.
Picture, 257, 258.
„ St. Katherine's Aisle,
259, 260.
John Oldmixon, 258, 259.
Old House, 260, 261.
Robert Blake, 261 to 263.
Siege, 263 to 266.
Bruton, 104 to 112.
,, Bow, 104, 105.
., Carvings, in.
,, Church, 108, 109.
„ Hospital of Hugh Sexey, 112.
„ Priory and Abbey, 105, 106, 108.
,, School, 109, no.
Brympton, 139 to 148.
„ Church, 139 to 142.
„ ,, Sham Antiques, 140,
141.
„ ,, Sydenham Tomb, 141,
142.
Manor, 142, 143.
„ Manor House, 143 to 148.
>> „ ., Inigo Jones,
146, 147-
362
INDEX.
Cadbury Castle, i to 9.
Springs at, 5, 6.
Camel Tomb, 60, 61.
Camelot, 6, 7.
Carving at Glastonbury, 61, 62.
Chard, 208 to 220.
„ Babb's Trial, 218.
,, Borough, 219, 220.
,, "Borough Arms," 225.
,, Butler J'. Crouch, 214, 215.
,, Chough Inn, 213, 214.
„ "Quaker Mason," 218, 219.
,, Waterloo House, 210 to 213.
Charlton Makrell, Tombs of Lytes, 19.
Chedzoy, 269, 276.
Cleeve Abbey, 314 to 321.
„ Chapter House, 319.
,, Cloister Garth, 317 to 319.
„ Gatehouse, 317.
„ Refectory, 320, 321.
,, Sacristy, 316.
„ Seat mutilated, 318.
„ Tiles, 316.
Cothelstone, 306 to 314.
„ Church, 3T3, 314.
„ Manor House, 306 to 308.
D.
Daniel, Samuel, 86.
De Mohun Family, 335, 336.
Delamare Family, 80, 84.
Dunstan, 29 to 33, 37, 38.
Dunster, 323 to 339.
„ Castle, 331 10335.
„ Castle Mill, 331.
Church, 327 to 330.
,, Luttrell Arms, 324 to 326.
„ Market House, 323, 324.
Dunster, Old Houses, 326.
Priory, 330, 331.
,, The High House, 327.
„ Tiles, 330.
Dyer Family, 215, 216.
Eleutherius, 26.
Elton, Sir Abraham, 228.
F.
Fitz-James Family, 109, no.
Fosse Way, 10, 188.
Frome, 76.
„ Church, 76, 77.
G,
Glastonbury, 24 to 62.
Abbey Barn, 50.
Almonry, 46, 47.
Almshouses, 49, 56.
Chapel of St. James, 61.
Chapel of St. Mary, 25 to
41.
Church of St. John Baptist,
59 to 61.
Condition of Ruins, 45, 46.
Crypt, 41 to 43-
Fire, 34> 35-
Flemish Weavers, 66, 67.
Galilee, 42, 43.
Gatehouse, 46.
George Hotel, 56 to 58.
Gildas Albanius, 27.
Gildas Badonicus, 27.
Kitchen, 47 to 49.
Norman Well, 41, 42.
Relics, 36 to 38.
INDEX.
363
Glastonbury, Tor, 9, 23, 50, 52, 55, 237.
„ Tribunal 58, 59.
Gray, Robert, 296.
Gurney, Matthew de, 175, 176.
H.
Hamdon Hill, 170 to 173.
Henry of Blois, 33, 34.
Henry de Soliaco, 36.
Heraldry, Barnard, 72.
,, Beauchamp of Hatch, 174.
Beckington, 343.
„ Berkeley, 107.
,, Bonner, 221.
Brett, 225.
„ Delamare, 84.
„ Dyer, 300.
„ Farewell, 300.
„ Ferrers, 224.
„ Fitz-James, no.
„ Gerard, 125, 126.
,, Hawker, 136.
,, Hopton, 103.
„ Horner, 73.
„ Horsey, 13, 17, 19.
„ Knoyle, 121.
Leversedge, 77, 78.
Luttrell, 335.
Lyte, 13, 17, 19.
,, Mohun, III, 112.
„ Montacute, 223.
,, Phelips, 170.
Prater, 84.
,, Staunton, 223.
,, Stawell, 308.
„ Strode, 72.
,, Sydenham, 142.
,, Wadham, 206.
„ Walrond, 204.
,, Welman, 302.
Heraldry, Wyndham, 103.
„ Young, 129, 130.
Holy Grail, 24.
Horner Family, 73, 74.
Hucker, Captain, 273.
Huish Episcopi Church, 245 to 247.
Ilchester, 188 to 198.
,, Breaking out of Gaol, 197, 198.
„ Hanging Chapel, 192.
„ Mace, 195, 196.
„ White Hall, 193, 194-
Ilminster, 202 to 207.
Ine, 28, etc.
J.
"Jack Horner," 73, 74.
Joseph of Arimathea, 24.
K.
Kirke, Percy, 275, 276.
Knoyle Family, 119 to 122.
Langport, 242 to 245.
,, Church, 244.
,, Hanging Chapel, 242 to 244.
„ Mace, 245.
Leland's Itinerary, 33, 149, 174 to 176,
188, 253 to 256.
Lucius, 26.
Lullington, 93 to 95.
Luttrell Family, 336 to 338.
364
INDEX.
Lytescary, 10 to 19.
Chapel, II, 12.
Exterior, 17.
Family of Lyte, 17 to 19.
Finials, 12, 13.
Great Parlour, 15.
Hall, 13.
Oriel,
M-
Porch, 12.
Upper Room, 16, 17.
M.
Martock, 182 to 187.
,, Church, 182, 183.
„ Lord Monteagle, 187.
,, Manor House, 183 to 185.
„ Non-juring Chapel, 185, 186.
Meare, 62 to 66.
Abbot's Way, 66.
„ Church, 65, 66.
„ Fish House, 63, 64.
„ Manor House, 64, 65.
Minehead, 339, 340.
Montacute, 149 to 170.
„ Church, 156, 157.
„ House, 157 to 164.
„ „ Gallery, 162, 163.
„ „ Library, 163, 164.
„ Legend, 150 to 152.
„ Priory, 152 to 156.
„ Village, 157.
Muchelney, 247 to 252.
„ Abbey, 249 to 252.
„ Church, 247, 248.
„ Old Vicarage House, 248,
249.
„ Tiles, 248.
N.
Nine Worthies, 159.
Norton Fitzwarren, 301 to 304.
Camp, 303, 304.
„ „ Church, 301 to 303.
Norton St. Philip, 89 to 93.
„ „ Church, 92, 93.
„ „ Skirmish, 92.
„ ,, The George, 89 to 92.
Nunney Castle, 79 to 83.
„ Court House, 84.
Penruddock's Rising, 217.
Plielips Family, 164 to 170, 197, 198.
Prater Family, 80, 82 to 84.
Preston-Bermondsey, 137 to 139.
Prynne, William, 338, 339.
Pucklington, 202.
R.
Radulphus, 35, 36.
" Resurrectionists," 273 to 275.
" Riding Skimmington," 160 to 162.
St. David, 28.
St. Patrick, 27.
St. Philip, 24.
Sandford Orcas, 118 to 122.
„ ,, Church, 121, 122.
„ „ Manor House, 119 to 12 f.
Scenery, from Cadbury, 9.
Sedgmoor, 269 to 277.
Shepton Beauchamp, 199.
INDEX.
365
Shepton Mallet, 68 to 76.
„ Church, 71, 72.
„ „ Guilds, 72, 73
„ „ Longbridge, 69.
,, „ Market Cross, 70, 71.
Somerton, 19 to 22.
South Petherton, 198, 199.
Spring of the Chahce, 24.
Stavordale Priory, 113 to 117.
„ „ Merchant's Mark, 115.
Stawell Family, 308 to 313.
Stoke St. Gregory, 238 to 242.
,, „ Church, 240 to 242.
„ „ Slough Farm, 239, 240.
Stoke-sub-Hamdon, 173, 182.
„ „ Beauchamp College,
174, 176 to 179.
„ ,, Church, 179 to 182.
„ „ Fleur-de-Lis Inn, 173,
174.
Storke Family, 131, 132.
Strode Family, 21, 22, 53, 72, 74 to 76.
Taunton, 278 to 298.
„ Almshouses, 290.
,, Castle, 279 to 282.
,, Church of St. James, 289.
,, Church of St. Mary Magdalene,
288, 289.
Civil War, 282, 283.
,, Courts, 291.
,, East Reach, 296, 297.
,, Embroidery, 297, 298.
,, Gray's Almshouses, 294, 295.
„ Hospital of St. Margaret, 297.
„ Merchant's Mark, 289.
„ Mr. Atton's House, 292.
„ Mr. Fry's House, 292.
,, Mr. C. Lewis's House, 293,
294.
Taunton, Mr. Whittaker's House, 292,
293-
„ Priory, 290, 291.
„ relieved, 284, 287.
Siege, 283, 284, 285 to 287.
Thorpe, John, 158, 159.
Trent, 122 to 133.
Chantry House, 132, 133.
Church, 130 to 132.
„ Bench-ends, 131.
Dated Bier, 132.
Heraldic Trees, 131, 132.
Church Farm, 128 to 130.
Hiding-places, 127.
Manor, 123 to 1 26.
Turstinus, ^^.
V.
Vallis, 77, 78.
Village, Prehistoric, 62.
W.
Wadham Family, 204 to 206.
Walrond Family, 204, 216, 217.
Wells, 341 to 358.
Bishop's Palace, 343 to 352.
Crown Yard, 342.
Dean's Gate, 356.
Deanery, 352 to 354.
Market Place, 342.
Vicars' Close, 354 to 356.
West Bower, 266 to 269.
„ ,, Ancient Glass, 267, 268.
Weston Farm, 220, 221.
Weston Zoyland, 269 to 273.
,, ,, Missing MS., 271.
?66
INDEX.
VVhitestaunton, 119, 221 to 232.
,, Bench-ends, 225.
,, Church, 222 to 225.
„ Guild of St. Mary, 222.
,, Manor House, 225 to 232.
„ Roman House, 228 to 232.
„ Roman Well, 229.
,, Tiles, 224.
Whiting, Richard, 33, 53 to 55.
Wirrall Hill, 24, 49, 50.
Witham Friary, 96 to 104.
„ „ Buildings, loi.
„ „ Church, 99 to loi.
„ „ Episode, 103, 104.
„ „ Hugh of Avalon, 97 to 99.
Witham Friary, Sir Ralph Hopton, loi to
103.
Wolsey, Cardinal, 53.
Wyndham Family, 207, 263 to 266, 283,
284, 338.
Yarmouth Star Hotel, 17, 293.
Yeovil, 134 to 137.
„ Castle Inn, 134.
,, Church, 134 to 136.
., Church Crypt, 135.
George Inn, 134, 136, 137.
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