garrisoned in the Civil War. There are three fish ponds in the grounds,
and a curious summer-house (called the "Gazébo") overlooking the road
(cp. Montacute). On Castle hill (take road to left where the highway
from Bridgwater forks at the sign-post) are the foundations and
ramparts of a castle, the last owner of which, James, Lord Audley, was
executed for supporting Perkin Warbeck. The site is worth visiting for
the prospect alone.
_Stowey, Over_, a parish 9 m. W. of Bridgwater, situated on the slopes
of the Quantocks. Its church has some carved bench ends of an ordinary
type, but otherwise contains little of interest. _Quantock Lodge_ (E.J.
Stanley) is in the parish.
_Stratton on the Fosse_, a village standing (as its name implies) on
the old Roman road, 1 m. S.E. from Chilcompton Station. The parish
church (ded. to St Vigor) is entirely overshadowed by its Roman
neighbour, Downside Abbey. It is a poor little building, with a debased
tower; but preserves one or two remnants of Norm. work (e.g. a S.
doorway and a fragment of the original apse). Within is a small 15th
cent. stone pulpit, and a Norm. font.
_Street_, a populous village 1 m. S. from Glastonbury Station. It
spreads itself at considerable length along the Bridgwater road, and is
a busy and stirring place, devoted chiefly to the manufacture of boots
and shoes. It also possesses some large lias quarries which have been
prolific in fossils. The church is a disappointing building standing
well back from the village street, mainly Perp., with a rather poor
Dec. chancel; and is made still more depressing by the addition of a
very debased modern N. aisle. There is a piscina and double sedilia in
the chancel. The village is furnished with a good modern Institute,
which contains a large assembly hall and a small museum of local
geological specimens.
_Stringston_, a small village 6 m. E. of Williton. Its little church
has a broach spire of red tiles, a great rarity in this part of the
country, and retains its piscina and the fragments of a stoup. Its most
interesting possession is its cross (14th cent.), with carvings
supposed to represent (1) the Crucifixion; (2) the Virgin and Child;
(3) a knight; (4) a bishop.
_Sutton Bingham_, a small parish on the Dorset border, 3-1/2 m. S. from
Yeovil, with a station on the L. & S.W. main line. The church is of
considerable interest and should be visited. It is a 12th-cent.
building standing on rising ground on the farther side of the station,
and shows traces of the Norm., E.E., and Dec. styles. It has no tower
or projecting bell-cot, but a couple of bells are let into the W.
gable. A good Norm. arch, only 6 ft. wide, with zigzag ornament,
divides the aisleless nave from the chancel; and other indications of
Norm. workmanship are found in the N. porch and in two windows of the
nave. The chancel is E.E. and is lighted by lancets. Round the walls
and in the splays of the windows are a series of 14th-cent. frescoes,
representing the Coronation of the Virgin, and a number of bishops,
saints, and virgins. A figure in the splay of the E. window has been
carefully erased by some "conscientious objector." Note (1) E.E.
piscina in chancel; (2) late Norm. font. In the churchyard is a curious
cross, consisting of a headless shaft mounted on a raised slab,
seemingly a tombstone.
_Sutton, Long_, a village 3 m. S. of Somerton, said to have been the
quarters of Goring before the Battle of Langport. Its church (Perp.)
will repay inspection. The tower is unusually lofty, and has triple
belfry windows; but in workmanship it is inferior to most of its class,
too much space being left between the windows and the parapet. The most
interesting feature of the church is its woodwork. The nave roof is
very good, having embattled tie-beams, ornamented with angels, and open
Perp. tracery above. There is a rich painted and gilded Perp. screen,
with loft carrying the organ, and a highly decorated wooden pulpit of
the same period (restored 1868). Note also (1) stoup outside W. door;
(2) fine niche in N. porch; (3) piscinas on N. chancel pier and in
chancel; (4) blocked squints; (5) sedilia (resembling those at Shepton
Beauchamp). In the churchyard is the carved socket of a cross.
_Sutton Mallet_, a hamlet near the base of the Polden Hills, 4 m. S. of
Edington Station. Its church, of "debased" character, is of no
interest.
_Sutton Montis_, a parish 2 m. S.E. of Sparkford, lying under the S.
side of Cadbury Hill (hence its name). Its church has a low W. tower,
with a massive belfry staircase and a most incongruous "classical"
porch attached to the S. door (cp. Queen Camel). Inside is a good Norm.
chancel arch, Dec. chancel windows (restored), and a large piscina
(restored). One of the bells is of pre-Reformation date.
_Swainswick_, a village 3 m. N.N.E. of Bath, reached by a lane from the
Cheltenham road. Its name is perhaps connected with the Danish chief
Swegen (Sweyn); and it was the birthplace of William Prynne (b. 1600).
The church has a gable-topped tower, and retains some ancient features.
The S. door is Norm. (note the stoup), whilst the tower arch seems E.E.
A window in the S. wall has flowing tracery with an ogee moulding. Note
(1) in N. chapel a piscina; (2) in chancel a brass (said to have once
been on an altar-tomb) of the date 1439.
_Swell_, a parish 4 m. S.W. of Langport. It has a small Perp. church
(very dilapidated) which retains a Norm. door. Note in the interior (1)
piscina and niches; (2) fragments of ancient glass; (3) pulpit and
reading-desk of 1634.
_Tatworth_, a parish 2 m. S. of Chard. The church is modern, but a
Baptist place of worship, a plain, thatched building at South Chard, is
supposed to have been an ancient chapel. It is locally known as St
Margaret's, and over the doorway is an empty niche. For a curious
custom of holding a sale by candlelight, see under _Chedzoy_.
[Illustration: TAUNTON FROM THE RIVER]
TAUNTON, county town on the Tone (whence its name), 163 m. from London,
and 44-1/2 S.W. from Bristol; pop. 21,000. A spacious station on the
G.W.R. main line, Bristol to Exeter, forms a junction for the Yeovil,
Chard, Minehead, and Barnstaple branches. The town is commodious, and
its railway facilities make it an excellent centre. The streets are
spacious and well-built, and converge upon a triangular market place
which is rather spoilt by an ugly market hall in its centre. Though
Taunton wears a prosperous and progressive air, it has behind it a very
venerable history which is not without a flavour of stirring times. It
finds a place in our national annals on four notable occasions. (1) In
710 King Ina of Wessex pushed the West Welsh beyond the Tone and
erected a castle at Taunton as a barrier against their return. The site
was subsequently fortified afresh by the Normans. (2) In 1497 Perkin
Warbeck, in his dash for the throne, seized the town, but fled in
terror at the approach of the Royal forces. (3) During the Civil War it
was alternately occupied by the Royalists and Parliamentarians, and in
1643 Blake successfully withstood here attacks from Hopton and Goring;
and the town was punished at the Restoration for this robust resistance
by the demolition of its fortifications and the loss of its charter.
(4) In 1685 the sentiments of the place were again enthusiastically
"agin the government," and Monmouth was accorded here a royal ovation
and was proclaimed king in the market-place. But this _coup de théâtre_
was only an introductory farce to the grim tragedy which followed. When
Monmouth's hopes of sovereignty were rudely shattered by the _mêlée_ at
Sedgemoor the town was handed over for pacification to the tender
mercies of Kirke and the brutal justice of Jeffreys. The rebels got
short shrift from both. Kirke, without preliminary inquiry, swung the
culprits from the sign-board of his lodgings, and Jeffreys' law was
notorious for its despatch. So numerous were the executions that Bishop
Ken complained to the king that "the whole diocese was tainted with
death." The name Tangier still attaches to the district where Kirke
penned his "lambs," and the old "White Hart" (now a shop) at the corner
of Fore Street marks the Colonel's own quarters. Jeffreys' lodgings
have been demolished, perhaps under the impression that nothing was
needed to keep alive the memory of the "Bloody Assize." The
ecclesiastical interests of Taunton were from early days associated
with the see of Winchester, and the establishment of a priory here
early in the 12th cent. was the see's acknowledgment of its
obligations. Nothing of this benefaction now remains but the monastic
barn near St James's Church.
The parish church of _St Mary Magdalene_, though far the finest church
in Taunton, was originally only a subordinate chapel-of-ease to the
monastery. It is a spacious building, noteworthy for its imposing tower
and quadruple aisles. Its probable designer was Sir R. Bray, Henry
VII.'s architect, and the king is supposed to have contributed to its
erection. The present tower is claimed to be a conscientious
reproduction of the original fabric, removed in 1858 as dangerous. It
is a lofty and ornate structure of four storeys, decorated with a
triple tier of double windows, and divided at the stages by bands of
quatrefoils. A crown of elaborate tabernacle work--a perfect medley of
battlements and pinnacles--forms the cresting. The general design,
though highly artificial, is well balanced. Note (1) the stoups on
either side of the W. doorway; (2) the carvings (part of the original
fabric) in the spandrels above. The S. porch--a very successful and
noteworthy feature of the church--is dated 1508, The rest of the
building must be nearly contemporaneous. The interior is rich, but
somewhat devoid of interest. Note (1) the four aisles--an unusual
arrangement, occurring also at Manchester Cathedral and St Michael's,
Coventry; (2) the E.E. piers to N. aisle; (3) the fine oak roof of
nave; (4) canopied figure (modern) of St Mary Magdalene on one of the
nave piers; (5) monument of Robert Gray, with a laudatory and rhyming
epitaph in N. wall; (6) figures of apostles between clerestory lights
(cp. Bruton). _St James's Church_ has a good tower with turret and
spirelet--likewise rebuilt. The interior is well proportioned and gains
an air of great spaciousness from an unusually lofty chancel. The most
noteworthy feature of the church is its splendid font, richly adorned
with figures of apostles and ecclesiastics. The pulpit is dated 1633.
Hard by, and in close proximity to the county cricket ground, is the
_Priory Barn_, the only remnant of Taunton's once considerable and
wealthy priory: note the windows--perhaps insertions from other
fragments of the monastic buildings. _The Castle_, after centuries of
complete neglect, underwent a well-intentioned but unfortunate
restoration by Sir B. Hammet, but is now in the appropriate possession
of the Somerset Archaeological Society, who have transformed it into a
museum. The buildings, as they now stand, include (1) an outer
gateway--the Castle Bow--now incorporated with Clarke's Hotel (note the
portcullis groove); (2) a rectangular block consisting of Edwardian
additions to an original Norm. keep and a great hall (fee for entrance,
2d.). Note (1) the arms of Bishop Langton, of Winchester, and Henry
VII. over central gateway; (2) the drum tower (now the committee-room
and library) at S.W. corner; (3) the immense thickness of the walls of
the keep with its Norm. buttresses, and the lighter superstructure,
with its Dec. windows, above; (4) the Great Hall, the scene of the
Bloody Assize--a remarkably spacious chamber built by Bishop Horne,
1577. The shelves of the museum are stocked with a large collection of
antiquities add natural-history specimens: the case containing the
relics from Sedgemoor is of special interest. The exhibition as a whole
would gain in point by being confined to objects connected with the
county.
Other things worthy of attention in Taunton are (1) the old Grammar
School in Corporation Street, now incorporated with the Municipal
Buildings, (2) the two fine old houses opposite the Market Hall, (3)
Gray's and Pope's alms-houses in East Street, (4) the old thatched
alms-houses (originally a lepers' hospital) at the E. extremity of the
town, in East Reach, bearing on the wall Abbot Bere's monogram and
arms. A visit should be paid to _Vivary Park_ at the end of High
Street, a tastefully laid-out public recreation ground on the site of
the old monastic fishponds. The Shire Hall, in Shuttern, a somewhat
pretentious modern building, contains a number of busts of Somerset
worthies. A rough lane striking off to the R. from the Trull road leads
to an old Roman causeway crossing a narrow, one-arched bridge locally
known as _Ramshorn Bridge_.
_Tellisford_, a small village 1 m. S. of Farleigh Hungerford. Its
church has a passing likeness to that at Farleigh; it preserves within
the porch a stoup and a fair Trans. doorway.
_Templecombe_ (or _Abbas Combe_), an inconsiderable village at the S.E.
extremity of the county, with an important station on the S. & D. and
L. & S.W. lines. The church is ancient but uninteresting, and seems to
have been considerably altered. It contains a curious E.E. font. The
tower is somewhat peculiar, and forms the S. porch. On the rising
ground at the S. of the village are the remains of a _preceptory_ of
the Knights Templars, founded in the 12th cent. by Serlo Fitz-Odo. From
this foundation the place takes its name. A long building, which was
perhaps once the refectory, but which is now used as a barn, will be
noticed abutting on a farm-house along the road to Milborne Port. In an
orchard at the back of the farm are the ruins of a small chapel.
_Thorne_ (or _Thorne Coffin_), a parish 2-1/2 m. N.W. of Yeovil. Its
small church (without a tower) contains nothing of interest except a
pulpit of the date 1624 (cp. Chilthorne Domer).
_Thorne St Margaret_, a village 3 m. W. of Wellington. Its church has
been rebuilt, and the only object of interest that it retains is a
small brass (affixed to the W. wall) with an inscription in Latin and
English, of a punning character, to a person called Worth.
_Thornfalcon_, a parish 3-1/2 m. E. of Taunton, with a station on the
Taunton and Chard line. Its Perp. church preserves some good bench-ends
dated 1542. There is a holy-water stoup inside the S. door, and an
ancient font. Not far from the church, at a spot where four ways meet,
is a roadside cross.
_Thurlbear_, a parish 3-1/2 m. S.E. of Taunton. It has a small church
which is remarkable for having fine Norm. arcades N. and S., it being
one of a very small number of churches in the immediate neighbourhood
of Taunton that retain much Norm. work. The squint is peculiar, and
there is an early font under the belfry.
_Thurloxton_, a parish half way between Taunton and Bridgwater (lying a
little off the main road), and 3 m. N.W. of Durston Station. The small
church of St Giles is noteworthy for (1) the carved oak screen, which
has rests for books attached to it, (2) the fine oak pulpit (dated
1634), with four figures in relief, three apparently representing
Faith, Hope, and Charity (cp. Stoke St Gregory), (3) the W. door, made
of one solid block of wood; over the entrance is the date 1500.
Observe, too, the piscina and the old tub font.
_Tickenham_, a village 4 m. E. from Clevedon and 3 m. from Nailsea
Station. Its church, dedicated to SS. Quiricus and Julietta, is
interesting. The tower (as at Wraxall and Brislington) is characterised
by having niches on each face rising above the parapet between the
pinnacles, and containing effigies. Externally, there should be
observed (1) the square sanctus-bell cot, (2) the E.E. porch. The
interior is very plain. The square piers of the arcades have no
capitals, and are possibly Norm., though one has at two of its angles
small pilasters with carved capitals. The chancel arch is round-headed,
probably early Norm., without mouldings. In the N. aisle there are
three life-sized effigies (two knights in full armour and a lady),
assigned to the 13th cent., and supposed to be members of the Berkeley
family. Note (1) font, (2) ancient glass.
A neighbouring farm contains some remains of an old 15th-cent. house,
once the residence of the Berkeleys.
Above Tickenham on the N. lies _Cadbury Camp_, covering about 7 acres.
It is protected by double ramparts and ditches, the former consisting
of piled limestone fragments, now almost entirely covered with turf.
Roman coins have been found within it. The position commands a fine
view, both landward and seaward.
_Timberscombe_, a small wayside village, 3 m. S.W. of Dunster on the
Dulverton road. The church (Perp.) has an unimposing tower (rebuilt
1708) with slate pyramidal spire. Within is a small coloured
rood-screen resembling that at Carhampton, but with staircase intact.
Note (1) piscinas in chancel and aisle, (2) old wooden door to N.
entrance, (3) Devonshire foliage on one of the arcade piers (cp.
Luccombe). In the churchyard is a restored cross. Half a mile beyond
the village is the manor house of _Bickham_, one wing of which was
originally a chapel.
_Timsbury_, one of the colliery villages near Radstock, 1 m. N.W. from
Camerton. Like its neighbour Paulton it stands high, but it is both
more attractive and more pleasantly situated, commanding a pretty
prospect towards Camerton, which it overlooks. The church was rebuilt
in 1826, but the chancel was added later from designs by Sir G. Scott.
_Tintinhull_ (formerly _Tyncnell_), a village 1-1/2 m. N. from
Montacute Station, preserving some old houses and possessing an
interesting church. The latter appears to be E.E. with Dec. and Perp.
insertions and additions. The massive tower is unusually placed on the
N. side, and has in the basement a blocked squint. Features of the
church which deserve notice are (1) the S. porch, which has a ribbed
roof, and supports on its gable an odd kind of sundial (cp. Middle
Chinnock), (2) stone base of rood screen, on which is a mutilated
piscina, (3) double piscina (E.E.) in chancel, (4) bench-ends (1511),
with the old seats hinged to them, (5) ancient tiles (14th cent.), (6)
Jacobean pulpit; (7) brasses, one to John Stone (d. 1416), and another,
with effigy, to John Heth (d. 1464). At one end of the churchyard is a
gate-post with an inscription; and not far away is the former rectory
(now called the _Court House_). In the village, beneath a magnificent
elm, are the ancient stocks.
_Tolland_, a village 4 m. N. by E. of Wiveliscombe. Its small church
contains little of interest, except some ancient tiles and some carved
woodwork. In the parish is an old manor house called _Gaulden Farm_,
with a large hall decorated with a fine plaster ceiling, with pendant
and cornice, but inspection of it is not easily obtained. James
Turberville, Bishop of Exeter, is said to have lived here in seclusion,
when deprived of his see in 1559.
_Treborough_, a small village 6 m. S.W. of Williton. The district is
hilly, and the church small.
_Trull_, a village 2 m. S.W. of Taunton, on the Honiton road. Its
church is of no great architectural interest, but is remarkable for its
woodwork--rood-screen, pulpit, and seat ends. The screen is very good:
note above it the tympanum, projecting below the chancel arch and
formerly joined to the rood-loft by an oak addition. The pulpit has
five figures in high relief, which seem to represent an apostle, a
pope, a cardinal, and two bishops (or perhaps a bishop and a mitred
abbot). Among the bench-ends are panels representing figures in a
religious procession, including (1) a boy with a cross, (2) a man with
a candle, (3) a man with a reliquary, (4) and (5) two ecclesiastics (or
perhaps choristers) with books. The artist's name (Simon Warman) and
the date of his work (1560) are engraved at the W. end of the N. aisle.
There is also some excellent ancient glass in the E. and S. windows of
the chancel. In the churchyard, under a tree, are preserved the parish
stocks.
_Twerton_, a populous working-class suburb on the W. side of Bath, with
a station on the G.W.R. main line to Bristol. The name of the place
(the town at the weir) betrays its Saxon origin, but the only thing
known of its early history is that the Bath monks had a cloth mill
here. A large clothing factory, which is one of the chief industries of
the place, after a fashion perpetuates the tradition. The old village
and church lie on the S. side of the railway embankment, and may be
found by passing under the station archway. The church has more than
once been entirely rebuilt, but still retains a commonplace Perp.
tower. A photograph in the vestry shows a curious inscription on one of
the battlements. A good Norm. doorway, now built into the N. porch, and
a Norm. font, are relics of the original church. Henry Fielding lodged
in one of the houses in the village and penned a portion of "Tom Jones"
here.
_Ubley_, a village 2 m. S.E. of Blagdon. The church tower has rather an
odd appearance, as in addition to a low spire, it has a prominent stair
turret with pyramidal cap. Within, the N. arcade has been pushed out of
the perpendicular by the weight of the roof. At the entrance of the S.
chapel is a chained copy of Erasmus' Paraphrase of the Gospels, 1522
(cp. Bruton). The pulpit is Jacobean, and the altar bears date 1637.
The churchyard is beautifully kept, and a very handsome restored cross
stands on a little "green" fronting at the churchyard gate.
_Uphill_, a village at the mouth of the Axe, 2 m. S. of
Weston-super-Mare. It is an unattractive collection of cottages without
any present-day interest. Somewhere, however, in the neighbourhood once
existed the old Roman seaport of Axium, where the lead dug from the
Mendips was shipped for export. The church is early Victorian Gothic,
with a new chancel. The old ruined church on the hill is a conspicuous
landmark from Weston. It is a Norm. building, altered in Perp. times,
with a low central tower. Note (1) the restored Norm. N. doorway; (2)
three-faced gargoyle on S. side of tower. Near the church is the shell
of a watch-tower. The old Roman road which ran across the Mendips from
Old Sarum had its terminus here. Uphill was once notable for a bone
cavern, but this has now been destroyed by the encroachments of a
quarry. The contents, which included many valuable remains of extinct
animals, have been scattered amongst neighbouring museums.
_Upton_, a village on the Haddeo, 6 m. E.N.E. of Dulverton. The
neighbourhood is very picturesque. The church has been removed to a
more convenient position at Rainsbury, but the tower of the old fabric,
which has been allowed to remain, marks the original site.
_Upton Noble_, a parish 2-1/2 m. S.W. of Witham Friary. The church has
a small gable-roofed tower, and preserves in the E. wall of a S. chapel
a defaced crucifix within a nimbus. The font is early.
_Vallis_, 1 m. N.W. from Frome--a prettily-wooded bottom, through which
flows a stream pleasantly margined by a strip of pasture. The vale is
sufficiently romantic to make it a favourite trysting-place with the
neighbouring townsfolk, but it is being rapidly ruined by extensive
quarrying operations. The rocks, however, are geologically of much
interest, as upon the edge of the upturned strata of mountain limestone
will be noticed horizontal layers of oolite. On the side of the defile
is the old manor-house of the Leversedges, now applied to farm
purposes. The ruins of the original banqueting-hall (_temp._ Henry
VII.) will repay investigation. The pedestrian should approach the vale
from Frome across the Lees, and may either return to the town by
following the course of a tributary brook to Egford, or may prolong his
walk along the banks of the main stream to Elm and Mells.
_Venn Cross_, a rural station on the G.W.R. line to Barnstaple. It
stands on the very border of the county, and serves a number of
neighbouring villages.
_Vobster_, a small village 2 m. S. of Mells Road Station. Its uncouth
name is said to be derived from some Dutch weavers who once worked a
mill on the banks of the neighbouring stream. The church is a neat
little modern building.
_Walton_, a village 3 m. S.W. of Glastonbury. The church is modern. At
the W. end of it is a thatched 15th cent. parsonage with some
ecclesiastical windows, now a farm. From the hill behind the village
(marked by a windmill) an excellent view of the full extent of
Sedgemoor may be obtained.