UPTON NOBLE
The parish of Upton Noble, (fn. 42) also known as
Upton Caboche in the 14th century, (fn. 43) may
derive its prefix from its position on the hill
above Batcombe of which it was a chapelry. (fn. 44)
Upton lies c. 6 km. NE. of Bruton. It is
rectangular in shape, measuring 2.5 km. from
north to south and 1 km. from east to west.
There are no natural boundaries apart from a
stream through Studley Bottom to the north;
part of the western boundary follows the
Bruton-Frome road, probably an old route. (fn. 45)
The parish measures 274 ha. (677 a.). (fn. 46)
The parish lies on the eastern slopes of Seat
Hill, between 190 m. and 140 m (623-459
ft.), (fn. 47) largely on Forest Marble clay except
for a small area east of Upton village, which is
on the Cornbrash limestone. (fn. 48)
The Bruton-Frome road, probably on the
route of the early medieval Old Way, (fn. 49)
was turnpiked by the Bruton trust in
1810 when improvements were made to
the route. (fn. 50) East of it the village lies around
a grid of lanes with High Street and Gunnings
Lane to the south, Top Hill to the north, and
Church Street to the west. Several houses
date from the late 17th or the early 18th
century including Gunnings Farmhouse,
west of the village, which is dated 1711.
The north-eastern half of the parish has
regular field patterns and furlong names suggesting open arable. Further north and in the
south-west it was formerly wooded. (fn. 51)
Ale was sold in the parish in 1634 (fn. 52) and there
were one or two licensed premises during the
mid 18th century but none in 1788. (fn. 53) By 1859
a butcher kept a beerhouse, (fn. 54) probably named
the Lamb inn by 1885, which remained open
until 1995. (fn. 55)
In 1563 the parish had 16 households (fn. 56) and
by 1791 there were said to be 36 houses. (fn. 57) The
population was 223 in 1801 and 285 in 1821.
Thereafter, with fluctuations, there was a steady
decline to 178 in 1901 and to 158 in 1911.
After falling further to 112 in 1961 there
was a slight rise to 125 in 1991. (fn. 58) Some new houses
have been built in the village in the later 20th
century.
Upton Noble in 1843
The Upton choir was recorded in 1787. (fn. 59)
MANOR AND OTHER ESTATES
Before 1066
Upton was held by Leofmer (fn. 60) and in 1086 by Ralph
Rufus of Geoffrey, bishop of Coutances. (fn. 61) In 1285
it was held of the earl of Gloucester but in 1294 it
was claimed for the heirs of Giles de Flori. (fn. 62)
Nevertheless, Gilbert de Clare, earl of Gloucester,
held the overlordship when he died in 1314 and
was succeeded by his eldest sister Eleanor (d.
1337), wife of Hugh le Despenser and by her son
Hugh le Despenser (d. 1349). (fn. 63) Hugh's nephew
and heir Edward le Despenser (d. 1375) was
succeeded by his widow Elizabeth and on her
death by his granddaughter Isabel. (fn. 64) In 1408
Upton Noble was said to be held of the abbot
of Glastonbury, probably by a mistake. (fn. 65)
In 1571 the manor was said to be held of the
Crown. (fn. 66)
The terre tenancy was disputed between William son of Richard and Richard son of Ralph
in 1201. (fn. 67) In the mid 13th century (Sir) John le
Noble possibly held it. (fn. 68) Augustine de Plessetis
held the manor in 1279, probably in right of his
wife Sarah, widow of John Lovel. (fn. 69) In 1291
Robert Burnell, bishop of Bath (d. 1292), acquired it from Augustine and Sarah. (fn. 70) The
bishop's nephew and heir Philip Burnell (d.
1294) was succeeded in turn by his children
Edward (d. 1315 s.p.) and Maud. (fn. 71) Maud (d.
1341) married successively John Lovel (d. 1314)
and Sir John Haudlo (d. 1346). Haudlo held by
the curtesy after his wife's death. (fn. 72) Maud's son
John Lovel (d. 1347) succeeded and the manor
descended with North Cheriton (fn. 73) until Sir John
Rogers and his son Richard sold it in 1548 to
James Bisse (d. 1569) and his brother John. (fn. 74)
John (d. 1571) was succeeded by his son James
(d. 1606), (fn. 75) his grandson James (d. 1646), (fn. 76) and
by James (d. 1652) and Edward Bisse (d. 1670),
grandsons of the last. (fn. 77) Edward's son James (d.
1713) was succeeded by his son James who sold
a third of the manor in 1725 to Paul Daranda,
possibly in trust. (fn. 78) In 1738 Edward Halliday and
his wife sold the manor to Benjamin Beach. (fn. 79) In
1777 Hester, wife of John Maskelyn, Elizabeth
Lawrence, and Margaret Beach, probably sisters
and coheirs, sold the manor to Edward Baker
apparently in trust for his brother John. (fn. 80) John
(d. 1789) left his estates to his three children
Susannah (d. 1790), William (d. 1809), and
Thomas (d. 1833). In 1796 the brothers divided
the estate between them, Thomas taking the
lordship. (fn. 81) They died without legitimate issue
and in 1835 Thomas's widow Mary Ann and her
second husband Charles Harwood obtained a
settlement of the manor under Thomas's will. (fn. 82)
After Mary Ann's death in 1835 the will was
found to have been a forgery and in 1842 Charles
and his second wife released the manor to
Thomas's cousins and next heirs, Maria and
Sarah Baker (d. 1846). (fn. 83) The sisters conveyed
half to George Baker, who had instigated the
proceedings concerning the forged will. (fn. 84) In
1853 Maria and George assigned the manor and
two farms in trust for Dr. Michael Reynolds. (fn. 85)
Reynolds died in 1858 and was succeeded by his
daughter Thomasine (d. 1876), wife of Thomas
Harries, and her children Warenne Harries and
Mary Henrietta, wife of Howel Gwynne. (fn. 86)
Lordship was not recorded again. The estate
appears to have been divided and sold. (fn. 87)
A court, garden, and dovecot were mentioned
in 1294 but there is no record of a manor house
in 1441. (fn. 88) Upper Farm was described as the
capital messuage in 1795 (fn. 89) and was known as
Manor Farm by 1835. (fn. 90) The building known as
Manor Farmhouse dates from c. 1700 and is an
L-shaped building of two storeys and attics with
a five-bayed front with mullioned and transomed
windows.
A house and land, formerly belonging to
Longleat (Wilts.) priory, were granted in 1541
to Edward Seymour, earl of Hertford, who in
the same year conveyed them to John Thynne. (fn. 91)
In 1549 Thynne sold them to James Bisse and
John Bisse the younger and they were absorbed
into the manor. (fn. 92)
The rectory estate, part of the rectory manor
of Batcombe by the early 18th century, (fn. 93) in 1842
comprised two houses and 21 a. (fn. 94) One of the
houses, known as Ivy House in the 19th century (fn. 95) and in 1995 as Upton Noble Manor, is a
substantial early 17th-century house of two storeys with large attic gables. (fn. 96) The plan is
irregular and provides service rooms alongside
the hall whose main fireplace is in an end wall.
The north-west, kitchen, end was rebuilt in the
19th century. The interior has a staircase and
several fireplaces of the early 17th century.
ECONOMIC HISTORY
In 1086 there were
3 ploughlands and 4 teams of which 1 was in
demesne, worked by 2 servi; 5 villani, 4 bordars,
and 2 cottars farmed the remainder. There was
5 a. of meadow and recorded livestock comprised
4 cattle, 21 pigs, 11 goats, and 30 sheep. The
value of the estate was £3. (fn. 97)
In 1086 woodland ½ league long by 4 furlongs
wide was recorded. (fn. 98) In 1294 the demesne estate
included 40 a. of underwood, (fn. 99) but in 1441 the
80 a. of recorded wood was unprofitable. (fn. 1) In
1842 there was 39 a., half at Upton wood in the
north of the parish. (fn. 2) There was a small reduction
to 31 a. in 1905 (fn. 3) but Upton wood survives. A
wood called Redley, whose site is unknown, was
recorded c. 1142 and was cut down in the 16th
century. (fn. 4)
In the 13th century tenants in Batcombe had
common pasture in Upton. (fn. 5) In 1294 the demesne estate included 150 a. of arable and 7 a.
of meadow, the whole worth c. 34s.; the rents of
villein tenants produced 40s. (fn. 6) In 1441 the 105 a.
of arable was of low value, and there were 14 a.
of meadow and 8 a. of pasture. (fn. 7) Tenant farmers
probably depended on common grazing (fn. 8) and
rights for grazing cattle and pigs on the waste
still survived in the 18th century when most of
the land was in closes. (fn. 9) Farming was then said
to be indifferent and the land needed draining.
There were four farms and labourers were paid
1s. a day and drink. (fn. 10)
In 1836 the land was said to be not very fertile
and only 36 out of 57 families were employed in
agriculture, a decline since 1821. (fn. 11) By 1841
several families, numbering c. 45 persons, had
migrated to neighbouring parishes. (fn. 12) Of the nine
holdings over 10 a. in 1842 only three were over
100 a. and a further two between 50 a. and 100
a. (fn. 13) In 1851 three of the six recorded farms were
under 100 a. and 27 labourers were employed.
There were many pauper families and people
described as unemployed or former farmers. (fn. 14) In
1861 there were two farms with over 300 a. and
four small holdings but by 1871 there was only
one large farm, Manor farm, with 360 a. (fn. 15)
In 1841 a tithe valuation recorded 110 cows
with calves and 110 pigs. Each cow could produce 3 cwt. of cheese. There was 5½ a. of orchard
producing 2 hogsheads per acre. Of 200 a. of
arable 50 a. was under wheat, 40 a. under oats,
16 a. under barley, 46 a. under clover, half fed
and half mown, 8 a. under potatoes producing
50 sacks per acre, and 40 a. was fallow. The 183
a. of meadow could produce 16 cwt. of hay per
acre. There was 12 a. of garden valued at £6 an
acre. (fn. 16)
One family made and sold cheese in the later
19th century. (fn. 17) By 1905 there was only 25 a. of
arable and 597 a. was under permanent grass. (fn. 18)
In the 1940s the land was noted for cheesemaking and two farms put up for sale in 1947 had
cheese rooms. Manor farm, reduced to 108 a.
but with additional dairying land bought in
1932, was a dairy farm. (fn. 19)
Clothmaking had been established in the parish by 1451 (fn. 20) and a local woman left a dyehouse
to her daughters in 1578. (fn. 21) In the late 18th
century the poor were employed in spinning and
knitting. (fn. 22) Three shopkeepers were recorded in
1859 and in 1861 there was a tobacco dealer. (fn. 23)
Other occupations included a carpenter with a
sawing engine in 1861 and a coach builder in
1871. The railway provided employment for
some labourers by 1861. (fn. 24) There were limekilns
beside the Bruton-Frome road in the west in the
late 19th century. (fn. 25) One shop and a post office
remained in the parish in 1947 but the shop had
closed by 1981 leaving only the post office in
business. (fn. 26)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Upton was a tithing in Bruton hundred in 1284-5, was omitted
in 1327, and formed part of a tithing with
Wanstrow in the 16th and 17th centuries. (fn. 27) No
records for Upton manor have been found but
there was a hayward in the 1280s. (fn. 28) Court
papers for Batcombe rectory manor survive for
1724-69. (fn. 29) The pound was recorded in 1842 and
adjoined the churchyard. (fn. 30)
In 1835 the parish became part of Shepton
Mallet poor-law union and in 1894 of Shepton
Mallet rural district. From 1974 it formed part
of Mendip district. (fn. 31)
CHURCH
The church probably dates from the
late 12th century. It appears to have been a
chapelry of Batcombe and c. 1985 both became
part of the Bruton and District team ministry. (fn. 32)
The patronage of Batcombe, held by Glastonbury Abbey until the Dissolution, descended
through the Bisse and Brydges families, lords of
Batcombe manor, apart from 1742 and 1790
when grantees presented, until the early 19th
century when it passed to the Brown family. (fn. 33)
John Brown (d. 1878) presented himself in 1841
and remained patron, probably until his death, (fn. 34)
although the advowson was put up for sale in
1876. By 1878 it had been acquired by the Revd.
Walter Baker, whose mortgage trustees sold it in
1905 to Admiral Sir George Morant. In 1947
the Revd. George Morant sold it to the Guild
of All Souls who are represented on the patronage board of the team ministry. (fn. 35)
The chapel was served by curates from Batcombe. (fn. 36) In 1649 the income was said to be £13
6s. 8d. but the chaplain received £30 paid by the
rector of Batcombe. (fn. 37) In 1842 the tithes were
commuted for a rent charge of £132 7s. (fn. 38)
In 1623 the curate was unlicensed. (fn. 39) Em
manuel Harford, curate at the age of 20, was
ejected in 1662. (fn. 40) In the early 18th century one
service was held a month (fn. 41) and in the 1780s
and 1815 every three weeks. (fn. 42) By 1843 there
was a weekly evening service and communion
was celebrated four times a year. (fn. 43) Average
attendance in 1851 was said to be 50-60. (fn. 44)
There was a weekly afternoon service in
1870. (fn. 45)
The church of ST. MARY MAGDALENE, so dedicated by 1865, had earlier
been dedicated to St. Margaret. (fn. 46) It is built of
coursed rubble with ashlar dressings and has
a chancel with north vestry and south chapel,
a nave with a short aisle in continuation of the
chapel, and a south porch over which there is
a saddleback tower. Except for the tower and
part of the south chapel it was rebuilt in
1878-80 by R. J. Withers of London. (fn. 47) The
south chapel was restored externally and the
arch to the chancel was retained but the chancel and nave were lengthened and the
late-medieval fenestration was reproduced.
The old church is said to have been blown
down c. 1600 (fn. 48) and to have been in poor
condition in the late 18th century, (fn. 49) but it was
in good repair in 1840. (fn. 50) Its surviving south
doorway is of the late 12th century, probably
the date of the exceptionally small nave and
square chancel. The porch and tower were
added in the late 13th century and the chapel
and aisle in the 15th. An early medieval roundel of the crucifixion, now set in the east wall
of the chapel, may be the head of a cross which
was in the churchyard in 1791. (fn. 51) The font is
of the 13th century.
There are two bells without inscription. (fn. 52) The
plate includes a cup of 1647 given in the 18th
century and a silver flagon of 1876 given in
1880. (fn. 53) The registers date from 1677 but are
evidently incomplete; some Upton entries are to be
found in the Batcombe registers. (fn. 54)
NONCONFORMITY
In 1705, 1791, and
1798 houses were licensed for worship. (fn. 55) A
Wesleyan chapel was built west of High
Street c. 1818 (fn. 56) and in 1837 there were 17
members. (fn. 57) In 1851 29 adults and 32 Sunday
schoolchildren attended morning service on
Census Sunday and 52 adults in the evening. (fn. 58)
In 1861 there were three resident Methodist
preachers. (fn. 59) The chapel was closed in 1995.
EDUCATION
In 1818 a Dissenting school
taught 20 children. (fn. 60) A Sunday school for 40
children supported by the curate started in
1822. In 1833 the parents of 13 children paid
for them to go to a day school. (fn. 61) By 1847 a
National school had been established, shared
with Batcombe and attended by 103 children. (fn. 62)
A school board was formed compulsorily in
1881 and the school was transferred to it. In
1882 a new school was built to designs by R.
J. Withers (fn. 63) on a site given under the will of
Michael Reynolds (d. 1858). (fn. 64) There were 50
children on the books in 1898 but only 39 in
1906. (fn. 65) Numbers continued to fall and, following the transfer of senior pupils to Bruton in
1932, there were only 18 children on the
register. (fn. 66) A large number of evacuees attended
in the 1940s but from 1945 there were fewer
than 20 children on the register (fn. 67) and the
school closed in 1958, the children transferring
to Bruton. (fn. 68)
In 1962 plans were drawn up for a new
mixed primary school at Upton Noble to serve
surrounding villages and in 1965 the school,
of voluntary controlled status, had 150 children on the register. There were 137 children
in 1992. (fn. 69)
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR
By will of
1790 Susannah Baker gave the residue of
£1,000 stock during the life of her brothers
to poor women of the parish and of Wilton
(Wilts.). In 1825 one woman from each parish received 1s. 6d. per week. (fn. 70) The capital
in 1841 was £278 (fn. 71) but the last brother had
died in 1833 and by 1873 the charity had
lapsed. (fn. 72)