ancient hexagonal cross (cp. Shepton) of no great merit, and much
doctored. The cheeses for which Cheddar is also famous are not the
exclusive product of the locality but are extensively made throughout
Somerset. The church is worth inspection. It is a fine Perp. building,
with a lofty W. tower of four stages. It has triple belfry windows, and
a spired stair turret, but the shallowness of the buttresses detracts
from its impressiveness. Within there is a good coloured roof, some
Perp. screens, a good 15th-cent. stone pulpit (also coloured), some
carved benches, and a rich S. chantry chapel of the Fitz-Walters. In
the sanctuary note the fine piscina and the brasses to the De
Cheddars--one to Sir Thomas on a recessed altar-tomb on the N., and a
smaller one to his wife on the floor below. The piers of the arcade
stand on some curious bases, probably the foundations of earlier
columns. The general effect of the interior is spoilt by the fantastic
modern colouring at the E. end.
_Cheddon Fitzpaine_, a parish 2 m. N.E. of Taunton, preserving, like
Stoke Courcy, Stoke Gomer, Norton Fitzwarren, the name of its Norman
lord. It has a nice church, which, however, contains little that is
noteworthy. The piers of the S. arcade have figures on the capitals
(cp. Taunton St Mary's), and there are a few bench ends and two
piscinas.
_Chedzoy_ (2-1/2 m. from Bridgwater) is, with its neighbour Weston
Zoyland, a village of great historic interest, since between the two is
the field of Sedgemoor. The final _-oy_ is probably identical with the
_-ey_ (isle) which occurs in Athelney and Muchelney, whilst _chedz-_
may be the possessive of _Cedda_, a Saxon personal name. The church of
St Mary well deserves inspection. The embattled tower has double belfry
windows, and is noteworthy for the unusual way in which the buttresses
are finished. From its summit, in 1685, the approach of the royal
troops towards Sedgemoor was discovered through a telescope. Over the
S. porch is the date 1579, and the initials R.B. (Richard Bere, Abbot
of Glastonbury), R.F. (Richard Fox, Bishop of Winchester), and H.P.
(unknown). The interior is remarkable for the difference in the width
of the aisles, which are separated from the nave by an E.E. arcade,
above which there is a clerestory. Over the N. aisle there is a curious
arch, with some defaced carving (apparently a crucifixion) above it.
The chancel originally had a lateral chapel on the S., of which traces
are visible both within and without. On the W. buttress of the S.
transept there are still marks where Monmouth's rustics sharpened their
scythes and axes. On both the S. and N. walls of the church there are
consecration crosses. One of its most notable features is the
excellence of its woodwork: note in particular (1) the bench ends, one
of which has _M_ (Queen Mary), surmounted by a crown, with the date
1559; (2) the lectern, dated 1618; (3) the pulpit, with linen-pattern
carving; (4) the railings near the organ, and the base of the tower,
bearing the dates 1620 and 1637. The rood-screen is partly modern, but
contains some old work. Note also the holy-water stoup, squint,
sedilia, and double piscina. Three altar frontals have been constructed
out of a beautiful cope which was discovered under the pulpit. There is
a good brass (about 1490), said to belong to a Sydenham, near the S.
entrance. Recently (1904) a curious sale took place in accordance with
a custom which is said to have been observed since 1490, when a piece
of land was left to be sold every twenty-one years to provide for the
repairs of the church, the auction to last during the burning of half
an inch of candle, and the last bidder before the candle was consumed
to become the purchaser. A similar method of sale is stated to prevail
at Tatworth, near Chard.
_Chelvey_ is a village 1 m. S.W. of Nailsea Station. Its church, ded.
to St Bridget, preserves a Norm. door within the S. porch, and a Norm.
font on the S. side of the building. There is a large chapel containing
three recesses beneath ogee canopies. Note the corbels on either side
of the chancel to support the Lenten veil, and some curious old seats.
There is some old glass in the windows, and a cross in the churchyard.
In a farmhouse near are the remains of _Chelvey Court_, once the
residence of the Tynte family, who have memorials in the church.
_Chelwood_, a small parish 2 m. S.E. of Pensford. Its little church
contains nothing of interest except an ancient font (probably Norm.)
and a medley of early glass (probably French) in the W. window.
_Cheriton, North_, a pleasant village 3 m. S.W. of Wincanton. It has a
restored church, which preserves a pulpit of Charles I.'s time (1633),
and a tub font. The screen is, in the main, modern, though part dates
from the 15th cent.
_Chesterblade_, 2 m. N.E. of Evercreech, perhaps owes the first part of
its name to its contiguity to the camp on Small Down (mentioned below).
Its church has a Norm. S. door. Note also (1) the quaintly carved Norm.
corbels at the N.E. and S.E. angles of the nave, (2) the Norm. font,
(3) the stone reading-desk (16th cent.), (4) the bell-cot, (5) the base
of a very ancient cross in the churchyard. On the adjoining height of
_Small Down_ there is a camp, defended on the E. side by two ditches.
In it remains of flint implements and pottery have recently been found,
and are now preserved in the Taunton Museum.
_Chew Magna_ (originally Bishop's Chew) is a village on the Chew, 3 m.
W. from Pensford Station. As its appearance suggests, it was once a
small town. The main street has a raised causeway and several old
houses. The church, supposed to have been built by Bishop Beckington,
whose arms appear on the fabric, is a large and stately building with a
lofty Perp. W. tower. It has N. and S. aisles, but no clerestory. The
S. arcade is Dec. A fine gilded Perp. screen stretches right across the
church. Note (1) round-headed piscinas in sanctuary and S. aisle, (2)
Norm. font. There are several interesting monuments: (1) in S. chapel
an elaborate Elizabethan tomb with recumbent effigies of E. Baber and
wife (1575), (2) in N. chapel an altar-tomb with effigies of a gigantic
knight and a diminutive lady (Sir J. St Loe and wife), (3) in recess
beneath window in S. aisle a gaudily painted wooden figure of Sir John
Hautville (_temp._ Henry VII.), said to have been brought from Norton
Hautville Church (see _Stanton Drew_). The churchyard contains the base
of a cross. At the entrance to the churchyard is a fine old mediaeval
building with a good roof, where the manorial courts were once held.
Hard by is _Chew Court_, an old manor house, possessing a Tudor gateway
with a solar above. Down a lane leading off from the Chew Stoke road is
the _Manor House_, rebuilt in 1656 on the site of an earlier residence.
_Chew Stoke_, a village 4-1/2 m. S.W. from Pensford Station. The church
stands back from the road, and has a graceful tower (restored), with
spirelet. The building is Dec., but much restored. On the R. hand side
of lane leading to the church is the old rectory, a quaint 15th-cent.
building, with small octagonal turrets and a front much decorated with
heraldic devices.
_Chewton Mendip_, a prepossessing village, held in some repute by
sightseers, on the N.E. edge of the Mendips, 5 m. N.N.E. from Wells. It
may be reached from either Hallatrow (G.W.R.) or Binegar (S. & D.)
Stations. Its chief attraction is its singularly interesting church,
which possesses one of the most stately towers in the county. This, as
the most meritorious feature, should perhaps be noticed first. The
arrangement of double belfry windows in the _two_ upper stages is
unusual, and the conventional lines of the elaborately pierced parapet
above are relieved by the projecting stair turret and spirelet. The
general effect is rich and impressive. The figure of our Lord,
surrounded by four pairs of adoring angels, over the W. doorway should
also be observed (cp. Batcombe). In the body of the church note should
be taken of the good Norm. doorway forming the N. entrance. The
interior is remarkable for an ugly bit of mediaeval vandalism. To
render the altar observable from all parts of the church, a Norm.
triplet, which once formed the chancel arch, has been mutilated; a
pointed arch has been inserted, and the corner of the S. wall pared
away. The chancel contains the only extant specimen in Somerset of a
_frid stool_, a rough seat let into the sill of the N. window of the
sacrarium for the accommodation of any one claiming sanctuary. Note (1)
piscinas of different dates in chancel; (2) change of design in
arcading of nave, showing subsequent lengthening of church--the earlier
columns stand on Norm. bases; (3) rood-loft doorway and ancient pulpit
stairs near modern pulpit; (4) Jacobean lectern and Bible of 1611. The
"Bonville" chantry, S. of chancel, contains a 15th-cent. altar-tomb
with recumbent effigies of Sir H. Fitzroger and wife, and a modern
mural tablet with medallion to Viscountess Waldegrave. In the
churchyard is a weather-worn but fine cross, with a canopied crucifix.
The Communion plate is pre-Reformation, dating from 1511. The
neighbouring _Priory_ (Earl Waldegrave) is an unpretentious modern
building, occupying the site of an ancient Benedictine house,
afterwards tenanted by Carthusians. Portions of the old causeway which
once connected the priory with the church are still traceable.
_Chilcompton_, a village picturesquely situated at the bottom of a
valley through which flows a rivulet. The stream forms a pretty margin
to the village street. The church was entirely rebuilt in 1839, and a
chancel of better type added in 1897. On the hill above, which commands
an attractive view of the vale, is a station (S. & D.).
_Chillington_, a small village 4 m. N.W. from Crewkerne. It has a Perp.
church possessing an early font and some well-preserved early Communion
plate.
_Chilthorne Domer_, a village 3 m. N.W. of Yeovil, has a small church
with some interesting features. Like the churches of Ashington and
Brympton, it has no tower but a curious square bell-cot over the W.
gable. There is a piscina attached to the N. pier of the chancel arch.
Some of the windows are Dec., and a lancet in the S. wall has the
interior arch foliated. The remains of a second piscina are observable
on the sill of one of the chancel windows. Under a recess in the
chancel is an effigy of a knight in chain armour, supposed to be Sir
William Domer or Dummer (_temp._ Edward I.). The Jacobean pulpit bears
the date 1624.
_Chilton Cantelo_, a village 5 m. N. of Yeovil (nearest stat. Marston
Magna, 2-1/2 m.), which gets its name from the Cantilupe family. The
church, which has been rebuilt, has a good tower, with pinnacled
buttresses and a row of quatrefoils under the belfry storey. The body
of the building retains four piscinas (in the chancel and the two
transepts). Most of the windows have foliated rear arches. Note, too,
the screen and the massive font.
_Chilton-upon-Polden_ a village 1 m. S.E. of Cossington Station,
possessing a church rebuilt in 1888-89.
_Chilton Priory_ is the church-like structure by the side of the main
road from Bridgwater to Wells, about half a mile from Chilton village.
It is a modern building, though incorporating old material said to
belong to a Benedictine priory, and was once a museum. The top of the
tower commands a fine view both of the plain of Sedgemoor and the Brue
Level, with the Quantocks and Mendips in the background.
_Chilton Trinity_, a parish 1-1/2 m. N. of Bridgwater. Its church is of
little antiquarian interest.
_Chinnock, East_, a village 5 m. S.W. of Yeovil, has a church which
retains no remains of antiquity except a piscina and a font.
_Chinnock, West_, 3 m. N.N.E. of Crewkerne, is a parish on the Parrett.
Its church has been wholly rebuilt (1889), the only parts of the
original fabric retained seemingly being a lancet-window in the N. wall
of the chancel and a Perp. one in the S.
Included in this parish is the village of _Chinnock, Middle_, which
lies a little to the E. of W. Chinnock. The church has been restored,
but retains several features of interest. The low embattled tower has a
very wide staircase-turret. The S. door is Norm., with the zigzag
moulding on the jambs and arch, and a carved tympanum. Under one of the
stone seats in the porch is a canopy, protecting the head and shoulders
of a small effigy (apparently an ecclesiastic). There is a (late) Norm.
font, with an unusual moulding. Note, too, an old carved stone built
into the exterior of the N. transept. The gable of the porch carries a
curious sundial (as at Tintinhull).
_Chipstable_, a picturesquely situated village, 3 m. W. from
Wiveliscombe. The church is of ancient origin, but it is difficult to
say how much of the original fabric survives. The Perp. W. tower
appears to have been restored merely, but the nave and aisles were
rebuilt in 1869. The window tracery is good, and the clustered columns
with angel capitals on the S. are noteworthy.
_Chiselborough_, a parish near the Parrett, 4-1/2 m. N.N.E. of
Crewkerne. Its church has a central tower and spire, built over
unusually low E.E. arches, with a groined vault. One of the bells bears
the inscription "_Carmine laetatur Paulus campana vocatur_," and the
name of the maker. The body of the church was rebuilt in 1842. The
chancel is a makeshift.
_Christon_, a parish 3 m. S.W. of Sandford and Banwell Station, has a
small but very interesting church. It is without aisles or transepts,
but has a low central tower. The tower-vault has quadripartite
groining, with curious ornaments at the base of the ribs, and is
supported by two Norm. recessed arches, with double chevron and other
mouldings, resting on fluted pillars. The S. door has likewise a fine
Norm. arch with the lozenge moulding. The chancel windows have rear
foliations. The other windows are modern restorations.
A fine view is obtainable by crossing the hill on the N. which
separates Christon from Hutton.
_Churchill_, a parish 1-1/2 m. E. of Sandford and Banwell Stations.
Like Wellington, it is associated (though perhaps distantly) with one
of the greatest soldiers our history has known, for _Churchill Court_,
a mansion near the church, was once the home of the family from a
branch of which the Duke of Marlborough sprung. The church itself is
not without interest. There are two aisles, separated from the nave by
arcades of different styles. The N. aisle has a good wooden roof,
whilst the S., in which are hung some pieces of armour, contains a
brass (protected by a carpet) to "Raphe Jenyns" and his wife (1572),
who are said to have been ancestors of Sarah Jennings, who became
Duchess of Marlborough. Note (1) the old font, (2) the carved seat
ends, (3) the squint looking from the S. aisle, (4) the monument to
Thomas and Sarah Latch, with a quaint inscription, said to have been
written by Dr Donne.
A little way S.E. of Churchill, on the summit of a conspicuous hill, is
_Dolbury Camp_. It occupies 22 acres, is irregularly oblong in shape,
and is defended by a rampart, constructed of fragments of limestone
piled together, outside of which is a ditch, traceable in places. The
camp is presumably British in origin, but was used by the Romans, who
seem to have made their ramparts within the British earthwork.
_Clandown_, a small unlovely village on a hillside a little to the R.
of the Bath road, 1-1/2 m. N. from Radstock. The church, which is
almost screened from observation by the workings of a colliery, is a
small, modern building, rather foreign in appearance. The Fosse Way
strikes right through the village, and may here be inspected with
advantage. The modern Bath road deserts the Roman trackway to make an
easier descent into Radstock, but the Roman road, _more suo_,
regardless of obstacles, clambered up hill and down dale, and made
straight for Stratton. The lane which passes in front of the
post-office and mounts the opposite embankment keeps the line of the
original route.
_Clapton-in-Gordano_, a parish 4 m. N.E. of Clevedon. The description,
_in Gordano_, still attached to four places in this neighbourhood,
Clapton, Easton, Walton, and Weston, and formerly affixed to Portbury
and Portishead besides, goes back to the 13th cent. The prevailing
English form seems to have been _Gorden_ or _Gordene_, and the name was
probably applied to the triangular vale in which all these places are
situated, from _gore_, a wedge-shaped strip of land (cp. the
application of the term to a triangular insertion in a garment), and
_dean_ or _dene_, a valley (as in Taunton Dean). Clapton Church and
manor house are both of considerable antiquity. The church has a plain
W. tower, which is said to be of the 13th cent., though the main
building has Perp. windows; it contains a large monument to the Winter
family. At the entrance to the tower is a curious wooden screen, which
is not ecclesiastical but domestic, and originally belonged to _Clapton
Court_, the 14th-cent. manor house mentioned above, which is near the
church.
_Clatworthy_, a village 4 m. N.W. from Wiveliscombe. The church is a
small Dec. building, of no particular interest, though it contains an
ancient font. About a mile away is an encampment.
_Claverton_ (said to be a corruption of _Clatfordton_; cp. Clatworthy)
is a parish 3 m. E.S.E. of Bath, situated near the Avon in very
picturesque surroundings. In 1643 it had its peace rudely disturbed by
an engagement between the Parliament forces (under Sir W. Waller) and
the Royalists. The parish church, which has a squat tower surmounted by
a gable, contains within the chancel rails the coloured effigies of Sir
W. Bassett and his wife, whilst in the churchyard is buried Ralph
Allen, the friend of Fielding and Pope. His tomb is under an ugly
canopy, supported on arches. Above the village, to the N.W., is
_Hampton Down_, where there is a large British encampment.
_Cleeve_, a parish 2 m. E. from Yatton, on the Bristol and Bridgwater
road, with a modern church. Near it is _Goblin Combe_ (take the road
that leaves the highway near the "Lord Nelson" inn, and when past a
schoolhouse enter through a gate). It is a long cleft in the mountain
limestone, wild and solitary, and covered with tangled vegetation. The
whole neighbourhood round is picturesque.
[Illustration: ENTRANCE TO CLEEVE ABBEY]
_Cleeve Abbey_, the ruins of a Cistercian monastery, 1/2 m. S. from
Washford Station (G.W.R. branch to Minehead). Leave the station by the
Taunton road, and take first turning to R. It is only recently that
these interesting remains have been rescued from the farmer and made
accessible to the public. The abbey was founded in 1188. With the
proverbial monkish eye for a fine situation and a trout stream, its
builders set it in a fertile valley, to which old chroniclers gave the
name of the Flowery Vale. Contrary to the usual fate of such ruins, the
domestic portions of the monastery have survived; the church has gone.
Entrance is gained through a gatehouse standing well apart from the
main block of buildings. It is generally believed to have been a kind
of combined guest-house and porter's lodge, where the casual visitor
found temporary entertainment. Over its hospitable doorway is graven
the salutation "_Patens porta esto, nulli claudaris honesto_" (This
gate shall ever open be To all who enter honestly). The floor which
divided the upper chamber from the passage below has disappeared. Note
on the front face (1) Perp. window; (2) empty niche; (3) niched figure
of Virgin and Child; and on the back (1) name of the last abbot,
Dovell; (2) crucifix flanked by two empty niches. Crossing a rough
field, the visitor enters the monastery proper by a doorway pierced in
the cloister wall. (Admission 1s. for one, 6d. for each additional
person.) The entrance opens at once into the quadrangle. Immediately on
the L. are the W. cloisters (Perp.), once surmounted by the sleeping
apartments of the lay brothers. Opposite on the E., and easily
distinguishable by its E.E. lancet windows, is the large dormitory
which occupies the whole length of the upper storey of the E. side of
the quadrangle. The chambers beneath this on the ground floor should be
carefully inspected. In succession, from L. to R., are (1) sacristy,
lighted by a broken rose window and containing a painted piscina and
aumbry; (2) treasury; (3) chapter-house, partly vaulted and entered
from the quadrangle by a beautiful E.E. doorway; (4) library and
staircase to dormitory; (5) a passage; (6) entrance to monastic common
room. This last was a kind of parlour running under the S. end of the
dormitory and divided from it by a vaulted ceiling of which only the
supporting piers now remain. On the R., or S. side, of the quadrangle
is the refectory, the most striking feature of the whole group of
buildings. It is a beautiful room, finely proportioned, and well
lighted by some lofty Perp. windows. It still retains its original roof
and some faded wall paintings. Note the stairs for reader's pulpit, and
contrast outer doorway of entrance staircase with doorway of dormitory.
The basement below is taken up by various offices of E.E. date, and the
rest of the block consists of the buttery, abbot's lodgings, and
kitchens. The "lie" of the refectory (parallel with the church) is
unusual for a Cistercian house, but it is the exception which proves
the rule, for in the garden outside, standing in the orthodox position
at right angles to the present structure, is the tiled floor of the
original building. The church stood on the N. side of the quadrangle
and was divided from the cloister garth by a blank wall in which will
be noticed a recess. It has now entirely disappeared, but the site may
be inspected by passing through an opening at the N.E. corner of the
quadrangle. The foundations are traceable, and a few fragments of the
tiled pavement and the bases of the piers are still visible. A stone
cross in the turf marks the site of the high altar.
_Cleeve, Old_, village half way between Washford Station and Blue
Anchor, 5 m. from Minehead. From the Minehead road the church tower
will be seen picturesquely protruding above the trees. The village has
nothing to recommend it but its rural seclusion. The church has a fair
Perp. W. tower, in which the usual string course is replaced by a band
of quatrefoils. Within, it contains by N. wall under an ogee canopy an
effigy in lay costume (cp. Norton St Philip), with a cat at its
feet--perhaps some local Dick Whittington. Note also (1) foliated
squint; (2) good Perp. font. In the porch are some rough oak benches.
The churchyard contains the base and shaft of a cross, and the remains
of another cross will be passed on the road to Washford. Between here
and Blue Anchor is an ancient lady chapel, once a shrine of
considerable local repute.
[Illustration: CLEVEDON]