ENMORE
THE main part of Enmore parish occupies a
diamond-shaped area on the lower, eastern
slopes of the Quantock ridge, 3.5 km. WSW.
from Bridgwater at the nearest point. A detached
area to the south-west occupied the slope of
Broomfield Hill above Holwell Combe. The
parish, which includes Enmore village at its
centre and the roadside hamlet of Lexworthy at
its eastern end, is just over 5 km. from east to
west and 1.5 km. from north to south. The
ancient parish was reckoned to be 1,112 a. (fn. 47) but
the addition of Quantock Durborough from
Spaxton in 1878 and of Blaxhold and Holwell
from Broomfield in 1887 (fn. 48) increased its size to
1,426 a. (577 ha.) and joined the detached area
to the main part. (fn. 49)
Almost the entire north-western and northern
boundaries follow the course of the Durleigh
brook from very near its source in Holwell
Combe to the Durleigh reservoir, and parts of
the south-eastern and southern boundaries also
follow a stream. The land falls from 244 m. in
the far south-west below the Quantock ridge at
Broomfield Hill, steeply at first over Ilfracombe slates, to the centre of the parish, at c. 75
m., west of the village; and then more gently
over Upper Keuper marls to c. 25 m. There is
a narrow band of sandstone along the line of the
present Bridgwater road and strips of valley
gravel indicating former stream courses. Limestone from a small pocket in the west was
quarried and burnt there in 1837, (fn. 50) and there
were quarries south of Barford and east of the
village. (fn. 51)
Enmore 1826
The name Enmore may derive from a mere,
from which the lake in Enmore park may have
been created. The name Lexworthy may indicate woodland clearance. (fn. 52) Enmore village lay
beside the church on a small spur from which
roads and paths radiated in all directions.
Isolated farmsteads lay north-west at Barford,
south at Tirelands, and east at Stone Hall; the
medieval hamlet of Grobham, east of Enmore
village, is indicated only by the field names
Grabhambury. (fn. 53)
Enmore village lay on a route from Bridgwater
to the Quantocks which was turnpiked to the
west end of the village in 1730. (fn. 54) The expansion
of Enmore park and the creation of drives across
it caused the closure of a route from the village
north towards Barford and culminated in the
unpopular diversion of the turnpike road in
1759. The new route by-passed Lexworthy village and Enmore village street and turnpike
jurisdiction was extended to Bishop's Lydeard. (fn. 55)
Probably the road to Barford also dates from the
same time. The old route was retained for some
of its length as a footpath until 1980, (fn. 56) and other
parts remain as an earthwork.
There were 112 a. of woodland in 1086 (fn. 57) and
at least 40 a. in 1276. (fn. 58) Timber on one estate in
1828 comprised at least nine species including
witch elm, Spanish chestnut, and hornbeam. (fn. 59)
There were several plantations in 1833 in addition to Roughmoor wood, north of the park, but
much valuable timber was said to have been
felled in 1834. (fn. 60) In 1837 there were 116 a. of
woodland, (fn. 61) but later in the century more felling
reduced the timber to 63 a. by 1905 and most of
Roughmoor wood had been cleared. (fn. 62) Only 5 ha.
(13 a.) of woodland were recorded in 1982. (fn. 63)
A warren was mentioned in 1656. (fn. 64) Parks were
laid out around the houses at both Barford and
Enmore. Barford park, probably created when
the house was rebuilt in the early 18th century,
measured c. 40 a. in 1837, and survived in 1987. (fn. 65)
Enmore park had been created by 1711 (fn. 66) and it
was extended significantly, probably by John
Perceval, earl of Egmont (d. 1770), to include
most of the land between the Barford road on
the west, the Durleigh brook to the north,
Lexworthy to the east, and the original village
street to the south, taking in some of the churchyard in 1767. (fn. 67) Further expansion south of the
church was evidently contemplated: some
houses were demolished c. 1791, the rectory
house and glebe were acquired, and provision
was made for rehousing their occupants. (fn. 68) In the
event the land south of the village street was
never taken into the park, which by 1833
measured 286 a. and seems to have been enclosed
with a high fence. (fn. 69) By 1837 the land south of
the street with the parkland west of the house
called Enmore Castle had been used to create a
farm, and parkland east of the house was later
incorporated into Castle farm. (fn. 70) In 1932 the
remaining parkland to the east became a golf
course, (fn. 71) leaving a small area of parkland between Enmore Castle and the lake.
There is no record of open-field farming in
the parish. Rights to common pasture were
disputed between the lord of Enmore manor and
another landowner before 1261, and in 1276
pasture rights in woodland in the parish were
the subject of litigation. (fn. 72)
The Enmore club was recorded in 1807 and a
friendly society, meeting at the Castle inn in
1804, was dissolved in 1893. (fn. 73) Enmore golf club
opened in 1932 and in 1987 the course occupied
the former Lower and Middle Parks and Roughmoor wood. (fn. 74)
An inn was recorded in 1619 (fn. 75) and 1630, (fn. 76) and
by the end of the 17th century there were three,
the Bell, the Enmore, and the George inns. The
Bell, whose licensee in 1683 also owned a
mercery warehouse, had two butteries. (fn. 77) The
Bell may well have originated as the parish
brewhouse, standing at the west end of the
church house. It remained open until after 1779
but had probably been demolished by 1833. (fn. 78)
The Enmore inn, recorded in 1684, was owned
or occupied by the Moone family. It closed c.
1765. (fn. 79) The George inn, recorded in 1696, continued until 1779 or later. It stood at the upper
end of the village street and marked the end of
the turnpike from Bridgwater. (fn. 80) The New Inn
was recorded between 1769 and 1782. (fn. 81) Shortly
before 1782 the Castle inn was built on the south
side of the turnpike road, south-east of the
village, and was let with a few acres of land. It
was the sole licensed house in the parish between
1786 and the early 19th century. (fn. 82) It was still
open in 1833 but as Castle Inn House it seems
to have been a private dwelling in 1837. (fn. 83) Castle
House, extended in the later 19th century, is a
five-bayed house of two storeys with a threestoreyed porch, battlemented wings, and
arcaded outbuildings. The Tynte Arms, probably the former Pound Cottage, had opened by
1848, (fn. 84) and the Enmore inn at Lexworthy by
1851. (fn. 85) Both were in business in 1987.
There were 29 taxpayers in 1327; (fn. 86) there were
probably 63 houses in the 1660s, (fn. 87) but only 45,
with c. 220 inhabitants, in 1791. (fn. 88) The population was 254 in 1801, and rose gradually to 302
in 1841 and more sharply to 343 in 1851. There
followed a gradual decline to 261 in 1901. After
several decades of stability the total fell to 191
in 1971; the normally resident population was
203 in 1981. (fn. 89)
Fifteen people from the parish were fined for
their involvement in the 1497 rebellion. (fn. 90)