Monument_, erected in 1768 by the Earl of Chatham to the memory of Sir
William Pynsent, who bequeathed to him the neighbouring estate of
Burton.
_Cutcombe_, a large parish 7 m. S.W. from Dunster. It includes Wheddon
Cross, the highest point of the road between Dunster and Minehead
(nearly 1000 ft. above sea-level). The scenery is very beautiful,
Dunkery being a conspicuous feature in the prospect. The church, which
is 1/2 m. from the main road, has undergone extensive restoration, and
has for the archaeologist little interest. In the graveyard is the base
of an ancient cross, with modern shaft and head.
_Dinder_, a village 2 m. E. of Wells, picturesquely situated in the
valley which runs up from the city to Shepton. The church (Perp.) forms
a graceful addition to the landscape. Within is a Jacobean stone pulpit
(1621), and there is some old glass in a window above it. In the
churchyard is the base of a cross with modern shaft. _Dinder House_
stands directly in front of the house, and another mansion,
_Sharcombe_, crowns the hill behind. The serrated ridge on the other
side of the Wells road is _Dulcot Hill_.
_Ditcheat_, a village 1-1/4 m. S.W. of Evercreech Junction. Both the
church and the former rectory are interesting. The church is cruciform,
with an embattled central tower, crowned by a small pyramidal cap, and
is remarkable for possessing a clerestory to the chancel as well as the
nave. The building seems to have been originally Norm.; but the present
chancel is Dec. (note the lower windows, with their rear foliations),
and both it and the rest of the fabric were altered in the 15th cent.,
when the Perp. clerestory was added. Features to be observed are (1)
effigies on W. face of the tower, (2) groined tower-vault, (3) wooden
roof, with traces of paint and gilding, (4) fine wooden pulpit and
reading-desk of Charles I.'s time, (5) initials of John Selwood, Abbot
of Glastonbury (1456-93), on the chancel parapet. The house which was
once the rectory, was built by John Gunthorpe, Dean of Wells, in the
15th cent. (his monogram appears on one of the windows), though it has
undergone subsequent enlargement. The thickness of the walls is
noteworthy.
_Dodington_, a small parish 7 m. E. of Williton. It has a small church,
retaining a fine stoup and some fragments of ancient glass in the E.
window. Not far from it is a fine and well-preserved Elizabethan manor
house, dating from 1581. It contains a noble hall, with fine oak roof
and screen, minstrel gallery, and a large fireplace (1581), and two
smaller rooms, one of which opens from the hall by a 15th-cent. stone
doorway, which must have been transferred from elsewhere. Of these two
rooms the one has a good oak roof, and the other a curious plaster
cornice.
_Dolbury Camp_. See _Churchill_.
_Donyatt_, a village on the Ile, 2 m. S.W. of Ilminster, from which it
is most directly approached by a footpath. The church is Perp., and has
been well restored. There is a stoup at the W. entrance, and another in
the N. chapel. Note the foliage round the capitals of the chancel arch.
In the parish are the remains of an old manor house.
_Doulting_, a small village 2 m. E. from Shepton Mallet, on the road to
Frome. Its chief interest lies in its remarkable freestone quarries
from which the mediaeval builders hewed their blocks for the walls of
Wells and Glastonbury. The quarries are still of considerable
commercial importance, as the stone is easily wrought and of great
durability. Here, too, St Aldhelm was seized with a fatal illness and
carried into the church to die. His funeral procession to Malmesbury
was an imposing ecclesiastical function, the "stations" _en route_
being subsequently marked by crosses. A spring in the vicarage garden
is still called St Aldhelm's Well. The church is a small cruciform
building with a central octagonal tower and spire. It has some E.E.
features, but has been largely rebuilt (note the E.E. columns covered
with ivy in churchyard near W. end of church). The N. porch encloses a
Norm. door (note stoup). The S. porch is an elaborate Perp. structure,
beautifully finished and vaulted (cp. Mells). Within the church is a
piscina in S. transept, and a 17th-cent. brass near the vestry door. In
the churchyard opposite the N. porch is a notable sanctuary cross,
bearing the instruments of the Passion (cp. W. Pennard). A few paces
down the Evercreech road is one of the large tithe barns once belonging
to the Abbey of Glastonbury (cp. Pilton).
_Dowlish Wake_, a village at the bottom of a slight declivity 2 m. S.E.
of Ilminster. It owes the second part of its name to the family of
Wake, the last male representative of which died in 1348. The church is
a modern antique, with a central tower partly original (15th cent.).
The N. chapel is also original, and contains some interesting
monuments. These are (1) serpentine tomb with bust of Captain Speke the
African traveller, (2) effigy of a lady (_temp._ Edward I.), under a
recessed cinquefoiled canopy, the cusps of which are worked up into
faces, (3) altar-tomb, with effigies of a knight (in plate armour) and
a lady--believed to be John Speke (d. 1442) and his wife, (4) small
brass on floor to George and Elizabeth Speke (1528). Close by is a rude
font, probably early Norm. It was brought here from West Dowlish as the
only remains of a church which existed there prior to 1700.
_Downhead_, a straggling village 2-1/2 m. N.E. of Cranmore Station. The
church is small and devoid of interest. It has been "restored"
regardless of style.
_Downside_, a scattered parish without a village 1/2 m. S.W. of
Chilcompton station (S. & D.). The church is an ugly little structure,
pseudo-E.E., built in 1837. A quarter of a mile beyond the church in a
field on the right are the "fairy slats." Here is a crescent-shaped
British camp overlooking a picturesque ravine. The precipitous nature
of the ground on the S. side forms a natural defence and accounts for
the incompleteness of the rampart The "slats" are merely slight slits
in the ground caused by the slipping of the unsupported strata. Within
the parish, but contiguous to the village of Stratton, is _Downside
Abbey_, a modern settlement of Benedictine monks, who, after their
expulsion from Douai during the French Revolution, finally found a home
here in 1814. The Abbey Church is a building of noble dimensions but
somewhat lacking in symmetry. It is still incomplete. The present block
consists of choir, transepts, a multitude of chapels, and an unfinished
tower. The choir is rather severe in style, but the chapels are very
elaborate. Attached to the abbey is a large and well-equipped college
for boys.
_Draycott_, a hamlet 4 m. E.S.E. of Axbridge, with a modern church
(note font) and a station that serves Rodney Stoke. The locality
possesses some quarries of a hard kind of conglomerate, capable of a
high polish.
_Drayton_, a village 2 m. S. of Langport. The church has been restored,
and the chief feature of interest connected with it is the fine cross
in the churchyard, with a figure on the shaft of St Michael slaying the
Dragon.
DULVERTON, a market town on the Barle, 21 m. W. from Taunton, pop. (in
1901) 1369. The station on the G.W.R. branch line to Barnstaple is 2 m.
distant. Dulverton is a primitive and not very prepossessing little
place. Its quaintness is quite unpicturesque, and it is generally
unworthy of its situation. It is, however, deservedly beloved of the
angler and the huntsman. It possesses one of the best trout streams in
the W. of England, and its proximity to Exmoor, the haunt of the red
deer, makes it an excellent centre for the chase. But the rod and the
hounds are merely adventitious attractions to Dulverton. Its real merit
lies in its scenery. It not only enjoys undisputed possession of the
lovely valley of the Barle in which it lies, but a short connecting
road enables it to appropriate the beauties of the neighbouring vale of
the Exe. Both torrents descend from the highlands of Exmoor, and it is
difficult to say which is the more beautiful. The valleys are similar,
but have characteristic differences. The Barle has all the piquant
charm of the mountain torrent, whilst the beauties of the Exe are of a
sedater though not less pleasing character. Everywhere about Dulverton
delightful landscapes may be caught, but the "show sight" is Mount
Sydenham, just above the church (ascend lane at E. end of church and
turn in at gate on L. when the first hollow is reached). Dulverton will
find less favour with the antiquarian than with the artist. Such
antiquities as it does possess are more picturesque than important. The
church has been entirely rebuilt (1855) with the exception of the
tower, which is of the plain Exmoor type and is now almost hidden by a
huge sycamore. The other antiquities in the neighbourhood are (1)
_Mouncey Castle_ (a corruption of Monceaux), a rough encampment on the
summit of a wooded hill almost encircled by the Barle, a couple of
miles above Dulverton; (2) the ivy-covered ruins of _Barlynch Priory_,
a branch "cell" from Cleve Abbey, standing in a charming situation on
the banks of the Exe, a mile above Hele Bridge; (3) _Tarr Steps_, a
rude but highly picturesque footbridge over the Barle, 5 m. above
Dulverton. It crosses the river at a ford, and is constructed of large
flag-stones, uncemented, and resting on similar stones placed edgewise.
It is generally regarded as Celtic in origin, and is certainly a great
artistic addition to a charming bit of river. A most delightful walk is
to take the Winsford road through Higher Combe, cross the Barle at Tarr
Steps, and return by the opposite bank through Hawkridge. It is a round
of about 12 m., but well repays the fatigue involved. Another pleasant
excursion is to explore the valley of the Haddeo, a stream which flows
into the Exe from the opposite direction to the Barle, and which fully
maintains the reputation of the neighbourhood for river scenery. Near
Dulverton station is an interesting trout nursery. _Pixton Park_ (in
which there is a heronry) is the seat of the Countess of Carnarvon.
[Illustration: DULVERTON FROM MOUNT SYDENHAM]
_Dundry_, a small village 5 m. S.W. from Bristol, standing on the top
of a lofty hill, 790 ft. high. The church tower, which is a conspicuous
landmark for miles round, was built by the Merchant Venturers, _temp._
Edward. VI. It is a four-storeyed structure of plain design, crowned by
a very elaborate parapet. Its situation is remarkable. The view from
the summit is one of the most famous and extensive in Somerset. Bristol
lies spread out below on the N.E., and beyond are the Severn and the
Monmouthshire hills. On the R. are the highlands of Gloucestershire,
with Beckford's Tower indicating the position of Bath on the verge of
the picture. The S. side commands a different but scarcely less
fascinating landscape. The unbroken line of the Mendips bounds the
prospect in front. Peeping over them on the R. are the Quantocks, and
to the L. lie the Wiltshire Downs. At the foot is a wooded vale dotted
with villages. The church itself (rebuilt in 1861) is without interest.
In the churchyard are the lower portions of a cross, and a huge dole
table (cp. Norton Malreward).
_Dunkerton_, a small colliery village 2-1/2 m. N. from Wellow (S. &
D.), lying in a deep valley. The church has been rebuilt. The chancel
contains a Dec. piscina, and a fragment of diaper-work is inserted in
the porch.
[Illustration: DUNSTER CASTLE AND YARN MARKET]
_Dunster_, a village 24 m. N.W. from Taunton. It has a station 1/2 m.
distant on the G.W. branch line to Minehead. For many people
picturesque Somerset begins with Dunster, and its attractions are
hardly overrated. Here both the artist and the antiquary find
themselves in clover. The quaint wide street, with its gabled houses
commanded at one end by the frowning heights of the castle, and
overlooked at the other by a watch-tower, wears an air impressively
mediaeval. The village was once a noted emporium for cloth, and
"Dunsters" were quoted at reputable prices by every chapman. The
venerable yarn market still stands; the date 1647 is the date of its
repair by the grandson of the builder, George Luttrell. The _Castle_
claims first attention, as the history of Dunster is largely the story
of the Castle. It was, as might be expected, a legacy of the Conquest.
It was built by Wm. de Mohun, and by his successor was made a sad thorn
in the side of King Stephen. It passed into the hands of the Luttrells
(its present possessors) by purchase. In the Civil War it was
alternately held for the Parliament and the king, and in 1546 it was
regarded as Charles's last hope in Somerset. Its resistance was stout;
for 160 days Colonel Wyndham baffled the assaults of no less an
adversary than Blake, and only surrendered on the total collapse of the
Royal cause (p. 17). The grounds are entered under a gateway (Perp.),
built by Sir H. Luttrell. The oldest part of the castle lies to the R.
of this, flanked by two round towers (13th cent.), built by Reginald
Mohun. (Note door and huge knocker, replacing original portcullis:
another similar tower of the same date will be seen from the terrace).
Of the mansion the portion to the R. of the elaborate doorway is the
oldest (Elizabethan); the part to the L. dates from the 18th cent. In
the grounds should be noticed (1) a lemon tree 200 years old, (2)
cypresses, (3) magnificent yew hedge. The view obtainable from the
terrace is varied and comprehensive, embracing mountain, sea, and park.
The Mohuns had ecclesiastical sympathies as well as military ambitions,
for in addition to building the castle, they established a priory here
in connection with Bath Abbey. This explains the peculiarity of Dunster
_Church_, which possesses a separate monastic choir. The prior's
lodging, and the conventual barn and dovecot, may still be seen in a
yard on the N. side of the church. The church has a central tower of
rather weak design. Internally this forms the division between the
secular and monastic portion of the building. The chief feature of the
church is a magnificent rood-screen which spans the whole width of the
structure. It has been the model for many neighbouring imitations. The
western half of the church is Perp., with occasional traces of an
earlier Norm. building. The W. doorway is Norm., and on the W. side of
the tower are the piers of a Norm. chancel arch. At the base of the
tower there is a bit of masonry locally claimed as pre-Norman. The
monastic choir and its sanctuary have been restored from indications of
its original E.E. character. Besides transepts, the church has three
chapels--that of the Holy Trinity on the S., St Mary's on the N., and
beyond this the interesting chantry of St Lawrence, which contains a
fine altar slab and a tiled floor. The monuments which call for notice
are (1) in the monastic choir the effigy of a lady (said to be one of
the Everard family), under a canopy; (2) on the N. of the sanctuary the
recumbent figures of Sir Hugh Luttrell and wife (1428-33); (3) at E.
end of the Chapel of Holy Trinity an incised slab with figure of Lady
Eliz. Luttrell (1493); and (4) on S. of same chapel an altar with two
pairs of recumbent figures, also Luttrells. A small brass with the
figures of a man and woman will be found at the W. end of the S. aisle,
bearing date 1470. In addition to features already mentioned, note (1)
the unique E.E. arch at entrance of S. chapel, widened by Perp.
builders for ritual purposes; (2) old alms and muniment chests in N.
chapel; (3) old bench-end near W. doorway, from which the other
woodwork has been copied. Externally should be observed (1) priest's
house at S. entrance of churchyard; (2) recess for stocks in the wall
close by; (3) churchyard cross with round base at W. end of church; (4)
conventual barn and dovecot in yard on N.
The "Luttrell Arms," at the entrance of the village, has a mediaeval
porch with openings for cross bows, a fine timbered wing at the back of
the buildings, and some plaster work in one of the rooms. The _Watch
Tower_ on Conygar Hill (i.e. _Coney Garth_--"rabbit enclosure") is, as
will easily be seen, a mere shell, built (probably for ornament's sake)
in 1775. Amongst the old houses in which Dunster is peculiarly rich,
the curious three-storeyed building at the entrance of the street
leading to the church claims particular attention. It is locally known
as the _Nunnery_, a curious designation, which points to a possible
connection with the priory, perhaps in the capacity of guest house. The
three storeys overhang one another, and are faced with shingles. At the
bottom of the street which leads into the Dulverton road will be found
a lane to the L. This descends to a stream which is crossed by a
picturesque pack-horse bridge of two spans. There is an old market
cross (locally known as the butter cross) hidden by the hedge on the
right-hand side of the upper Minehead road.
_Durleigh_, a parish 1-1/2 m. W.S.W. of Bridgwater. It has a church
which retains its old tower (with a gabled roof); but all other traces
of antiquity have been obliterated, save for the remains of a stoup in
the porch. In this parish is an old manor house called _Bower Farm_,
with a picturesque front, showing a small window flanked by two towers.
The porch roof is, of course, modern. Belonging to the farm is a
curious _columbarium_, constructed of mud, in which the nesting niches
are said to number 900.
_Durston_, a village 5 m. N.E. of Taunton, has a church (rebuilt in
1853) which possesses a good tower. The Communion-table bears date
1635, and there are some carved bench-ends. Near here, at _Mynchin
Buckland_, there used to be a Preceptory of the Knights of St John of
Jerusalem, to which was attached a priory of women belonging to the
same order. It is said to have been very rare in this country for
communities of men and women under vows to exist side by side in this
way.
_Easton_, a village at the foot of the Mendips, 2-1/2 m. N.W. of Wells.
The church is modern (1843).
_Easton-in-Gordano_, a village 1 m. W. from Pill (G.W.R.). The church
is a large and dignified modern clerestoried structure (rebuilt in
1872), with a good Perp. W. tower (original).
_Edington_, a village on the Poldens, with a station 2 m. away. The
church has been rebuilt (1877-79), and contains no ancient features
except a very good Norm. font. On the locality, see p. 13.
_Elm_, or _Great Elm_, a village 3 m. S.W. from Frome, perched on the
edge of a vale of quite romantic picturesqueness (see _Vallis_). The
church is an unpretentious little building with a saddleback tower. It
bears one or two indications of high antiquity. Note (1) on S. external
wall, herring-bone masonry (cp. _Marston Magna_), (2) Norm, doorway to
tower, and E.E. arch within. The interior has been remodelled in
accordance with early Victorian ideas of ecclesiastical propriety.
_Elworthy_, a village 4 m. S.W. of Stogumber Station. The small church
(Perp.) contains a carved illuminated Caroline screen (1632). The
pulpit, approached by the rood staircase, is of the same date. In a
small window in the N. wall is some ancient glass. Above the village is
a British camp, called _Elworthy Barrows_, which can be reached from
near the church. Towards Wiveliscombe, on the L. of the road, rises
_Willett Hill_ (950 ft.), crowned by a tower.
_Emborrow_ (the first syllable perhaps a corruption of _Elm_), a small
hamlet on the Mendips, 1-1/2 m. N. of Binegar Station. The church is a
forlorn-looking building with a central tower containing a 14th-cent.
sanctus-bell. _Emborrow Pool_ is a dismal sheet of water bordering the
main road and surrounded by trees. It has the appearance of being
rapidly silted up.
_Englishcombe_, a small and rather uncouth-looking village 3 m. S.W.
from Bath, and 1-1/2 m. S.W. from Twerton Station (G.W.R.). It still
retains something of the aloofness which once characterised it as an
English outpost on the Welsh border, and is worth a visit. The church
is of considerable antiquarian interest. It consists of a Perp. nave, a
central Norm. tower, and a Norm. chancel. A Perp. chapel, now occupied
by the organ, adjoins the porch. Externally, note the fantastic corbel
table round chancel. Within, it has two good pointed Norm. arches, and
on the N. wall of tower a well-preserved Norm., arcade. Observe (1)
detached Norm. capitals on N. wall, (2) panelling round splay of W.
window of nave and S. window of chapel. Almost opposite to the S.
entrance to the churchyard is a tithe barn once belonging to Bath
Abbey, which still shows some indication of its ecclesiastical origin.
At the W. end of graveyard is a farm-house with orchard, and beyond
this is a field where may be seen a good specimen of the Wansdyke. Near
the village once stood a castle of the De Gourneys. The site is marked
by a mound on a neighbouring estate.
_Enmore_, a village 5 m. S.W. of Bridgwater, on the road leading to the
S.E. extremity of the Quantocks. Its church has a good tower,
noticeable for the pinnacles that crown the staircase turret. The
tower-vault is groined, the chancel arch panelled, and there is a Norm.
S. door (belonging to a former fabric) with carved capitals and good
mouldings. Note (1) the carved wooden pulpit, (2) the niche, supported
by an angel, on the S. face of the tower. In the churchyard there is
the broken shaft of a cross. _Enmore Park_ (W.B. Broadmead) is hard by.
It was formerly called Enmore Castle, and once belonged to the Malets.
_Evercreech_ is a large village 3-1/2 m. S.S.E. from Shepton Mallet,
with a station on the S. & D. J.R. The first syllable of the name
probably means "boar" (cognate with the Latin _aper_), and recurs in
Eversley. It is famed for its church, which has perhaps the most
graceful tower in all Somerset; its double, long-panelled windows,
buttresses, and clustered pinnacles are particularly fine. The earliest
part of the building is the chancel (14th cent.), with Dec. windows at
the E. and N.; the rest of the church is Perp., the S. aisle being
modern. Note (1) wooden roof of nave, the colours of which are believed
to reproduce the original; (2) carving of gallery in the tower; (3)
brackets (perhaps for lights) on piers of N. arcade; (4) quaint
inscription behind the organ, of the date 1596. Outside the churchyard
is a much defaced cross. S.S.E. of the village is the commanding
eminence of _Creech Hill_, where there seem to be traces of earthworks,
and whence a fine view is obtainable, with the town of Bruton in the
valley to the S., and Stourton Tower conspicuous on the hills to the E.
_Exford_, a village on the fringe of Exmoor "Forest," near the source
of the Exe, 12 m. N.W. from Dulverton Station. It is one of the many
rendezvous of the huntsman, as there are kennels here for staghounds
and harriers. The houses are dropped into a hollow of the moors through
which trickles the stream. The church braves the gale on the hill top
above. It is remarkable for nothing but its exposed situation, a
thousand feet above sea-level--a fact which has no doubt necessitated
its frequent renewal. The tower is original, but the nave and chancel
are modern. The S. aisle appears to have been built chiefly out of a
legacy left by a local blacksmith about 1532. Note the Devonshire
foliage on capitals. The churchyard contains the base of a cross
locally known as the "Crying Stone," from its appropriation by the
parish beadle as a pedestal for proclamations. At the churchyard gate
is a "lipping" or mounting stone.