SHEPTON MONTAGUE
The principal part of the ancient parish of
Shepton Montague lies at the northern edge of
Norton Ferris hundred adjoining Bruton parish. (fn. 50) It is shaped like an irregular crescent c. 5.5
km. from west to east and no more than c. 1.5
km. deep, and comprises the hamlets of Higher
and Lower Shepton in the west, Knowle in the
centre, and Stoney Stoke, formerly Stoke Holloway, in the east. Two detached areas of the
parish further east were formerly within the
bounds of Selwood forest. (fn. 51) Interlocking
boundaries in the south with Charlton Musgrove
and Wincanton, and in the north with Bruton (fn. 52)
suggest the existence of a large royal manor
based on Bruton before the Conquest. (fn. 53) Some
detached fields in the north were surrounded by
Bruton parish, and their precise boundaries were
agreed only in 1811. (fn. 54) They were not considered
part of Shepton in 1839. (fn. 55) The area of the parish
was given in 1839 as 2,428 a. (fn. 56) The two detached
areas were transferred, with Folly Cottages (2
houses, 10 persons), to Charlton Musgrove in
1884-5, leaving a total of 2,168 a. in 1891. (fn. 57) A
further transfer to Charlton Musgrove in 1982
left a total of 867 ha. (2,142 a.) in 1991. (fn. 58)
Much of the northern and part of the southern
boundaries of the main part of the parish follow
streams which flow into the river Brue. From
the main stream and its feeders in the centre of
the parish below the 70-m. contour the land rises
to just over 400 m. on the boundary with Bratton
to the south-west and to more than 450 m. in
the west above Hadspen, all on limestone and
clay with Fuller's Earth. In the centre of the
main part of the parish is a small ridge of Forest
Marble clay just over 120 m. above O.D. The
clay ridge continues north-east to Stoney Stoke,
where at a height of 114 m. it merges into
Cornbrash limestone. The detached areas further east lie first on undulating ground over
Oxford Clay and then on clay and greensand
rising sharply to 793 m. on the Selwood ridge. (fn. 59)
The principal route through the parish seems
to have been that from Bruton through Stoney
Stoke to Wincanton and Gillingham (Dors.).
That part within the parish was turnpiked by
the Bruton trust in 1831 when Stoney Stoke was
by-passed. (fn. 60) An ancient east-west route, presumably linking Stoney Stoke with Knowle and
Lower and Higher Shepton, was diverted south
in the earlier 18th century when Redlynch park
was being planted. (fn. 61) Its route west from Higher
Shepton has been traced to Yarlington. (fn. 62) A
second westward route, from Redlynch, crossed
into the parish at Lower Shepton and, bypassing Higher Shepton, followed the parish
boundary towards Hadspen in Pitcombe. (fn. 63)
There is some doubt when it was taken over by
the Bruton trust, but certainly before 1831 when
the improved route from Castle Cary to Bruton
avoiding Pitcombe was adopted, which included
a stretch of road in the extreme north of Shepton
parish built after 1770. (fn. 64) The Bruton trust in
1818 also adopted a stretch of road in the west
part of the parish, providing a route to Wincanton from Castle Cary. The same trust c. 1830
took over a route south-west from Higher Shepton and extended it to Bratton. (fn. 65)
In 1861 the Dorset Central Railway built a
standard-gauge track from Cole in Pitcombe to
Wincanton and Templecombe, largely in a cutting across the parish east of Lower Shepton.
The track, taken over by the Somerset and
Dorset Railway in 1862, was doubled in 1887.
The line was closed in 1966. (fn. 66)
The eastern boundary of the most easterly of
the detached parts of the parish, on the flat top
of the Selwood ridge, ran through a univallate
Iron Age hillfort. It was known in the 13th
century as Penne berwe, Penburi, (fn. 67) or Pennebury. In the 19th century it was locally called
Kennewilkins or Kenwalk's castle. (fn. 68) The site
was ploughed in 1780. (fn. 69)
Shepton Montague in 1840
Shepton, Knowle, and Stoke had been established by the mid 11th century (fn. 70) and by the late
15th century Shepton had become two distinct
elements, known then and in the 16th century
as West and East Shepton, (fn. 71) and later as Higher,
Upper, or Over and Lower Shepton. (fn. 72) An alternative name for Higher Shepton in the late 14th
century seems to have been West Street. (fn. 73)
Higher Shepton may have included the site of
the manor house, (fn. 74) Lower Shepton the church.
A tenement known as Southtown was mentioned
in 1589. (fn. 75) In the 1780s Lower Shepton comprised 10 houses, Upper Shepton 22 houses. At
the same date there were 10 houses at Knowle
and 14 at Stoney Stoke. (fn. 76) Stoke Farmhouse,
Stoney Stoke, dates from the 17th century and
the former smithy from the later 18th century.
Higher Shepton includes several farmhouses
and cottages rebuilt by the Phelips family between 1897 and 1907.
The four arable fields of Shepton, named east,
west, north, and south because of their positions
around Higher and Lower Shepton, survived
into the 17th century. (fn. 77) A single open arable field
is mentioned at Stoney Stoke in the mid 16th
century, and one at Knowle in 1638. (fn. 78) There was
common meadow in the late 16th century on
Shepton moor, at the southern edge of the
parish, south-east of Lower Shepton, (fn. 79) and also
on Knowle moor, which was shared with
Charlton Musgrove. The rights on Knowle
moor were by 1839 represented by two detached
fields in Charlton parish. (fn. 80)
There was a park at Knowle in 1397, (fn. 81) perhaps
deriving from grants of free warren made in 1314
and 1317. (fn. 82) In 1569 the park was a mile in
compass. (fn. 83) Redlynch park, north of Stoney
Stoke, was named in 1617. (fn. 84) New park was
formed out of land called Barnardscombe after
the disafforestation of Selwood forest in 1627-
9. (fn. 85)
The parish was well wooded in the later 11th
century (fn. 86) but woodland called Shortwood at its
western end, still in existence in the later Middle
Ages, (fn. 87) had long ago disappeared by 1840. (fn. 88)
Woodland at the eastern end of the parish
comprised by 1681 a wood known as Stoke
wood, the southern part of Moorwood in
Bruton, and a small coppice, both later incorporated into Redlynch park. (fn. 89)
There was an inn at Stoney Stoke, later named
the Swan, by 1718, (fn. 90) one of two in the hamlet
licensed between 1742 and 1765. Only the Swan
remained in business there in 1788. A house in
Shepton village was licensed between 1742 and
1755. (fn. 91) There was an inn at Higher Shepton in
1866, probably the house called the Montague
inn by 1875. (fn. 92) It was still in business in 1994.
A friendly society was founded in 1853 and
was still in existence in 1886. (fn. 93)
In 1801 the population was 365. Between 1821
and 1831 it rose from 367 to 452 and remained
roughly at that level until after 1871. Then
followed a rapid decline, to 249 by 1901. (fn. 94) There
were further falls in the decade before 1921 and
since 1931; in 1981 the total was 164 and in 1991
184. (fn. 95)
About 1648 Alexander Randal, a minister, was
shot dead by soldiers at Shepton Montague. (fn. 96)
MANORS
In 1066 Shepton was held by Toli
and Stoney Stoke by Robert son of Wimarc. In
1086 they were both owned by Robert, count of
Mortain, and were then considered a single
manor, held of him by Drew. (fn. 97) Richard de
Montagu, son of another Drew and probably a
grandson of the Domesday tenant, died in or
before 1166 and his son, known as Drew the
younger, succeeded to the fee. His tenant was
William de Montagu, probably his brother, who
held SHEPTON for a little Mortain fee in
1212. (fn. 98) William died in 1217, having survived
his son Drew, and he was followed by his
grandson William de Montagu, who inherited as
a minor. (fn. 99) William de Montagu died in 1270 and
his son Simon attained his majority in 1280. (fn. 1)
Simon held a fee until his death in 1317. (fn. 2) The
fee descended like Chedzoy manor in the Montagu family until the death in 1415 of Elizabeth,
widow of William de Montagu, earl of Salisbury
(d. 1397). (fn. 3) It then passed to her great-nephew
Thomas Montagu, earl of Salisbury (d. 1428),
and from him to his daughter Alice (d. 1462),
wife of Richard Neville, earl of Salisbury (d.
1460). (fn. 4) By 1431 the estate was assessed at ½ fee,
possibly after the separation of Knowle. (fn. 5)
Richard Neville, earl of Warwick (d. 1471),
inherited the fee from his mother and it descended to his daughter Isabel (d. 1476), wife of
George Plantagenet, duke of Clarence (d. 1478).
Their son and heir Edward Plantagenet, earl of
Warwick, was attainted and executed in 1499,
and the manor reverted to the Crown. (fn. 6) Edward's
sister Margaret, widow of Sir William Pole,
successfully petitioned for the restoration of her
estates in 1513-14 and became countess of Salis
bury. She retained Shepton manor until her
attainder in 1539, when it again reverted to the
Crown. (fn. 7)
In 1553 William Herbert, earl of Pembroke,
bought the manor from the Crown and sold it
in the same year to (Sir) James FitzJames. (fn. 8) He
died in 1579 leaving as his heir his niece
Thomasine, wife of Thomas Turbervile. (fn. 9) Three
years later Richard FitzJames, brother of Sir
James, sold the manor to Henry Bossevile. (fn. 10) In
1589 Bossevile sold it to Sir Henry Berkeley. (fn. 11)
Sir Henry died in 1601 and was followed in
succession by his son Sir Maurice (d. 1617) and
by Maurice's son (Sir) Charles. (fn. 12) Sir Charles in
1651 conveyed the manor to Hugh Wyndham,
to whom a mortgage on the property had recently been assigned, (fn. 13) and ownership descended
like that of Stoke Trister manor to the Napier
and Phelips families. (fn. 14)
A site at the west end of Higher Shepton may
be that of the manor house, abandoned by
1344. (fn. 15)
KNOWLE was owned in the later 12th century by Walter of Ashley (d. 1195) in right of
his wife Felice. (fn. 16) It evidently descended like
Stoke Trister manor to Henry Lorty (d. 1321)
who in 1284-5 held it in chief as part of his
barony. (fn. 17) His widow Sibyl was still alive in
1324, (fn. 18) but no further trace of the family interest
has been found.
Simon de Montagu held the estate of Henry
Lorty in the later 13th century of Cucklington
or Stoke Trister barony (fn. 19) and his grandson
William de Montagu, earl of Salisbury (d. 1344),
held it in chief as of Stoke Trister manor. (fn. 20) It
was assigned to his widow for dower. (fn. 21) In 1397,
on the death of William's son, also William, earl
of Salisbury, the manor passed to John de
Montagu, the latter's nephew. (fn. 22) It was forfeit to
the Crown on John's attainder in 1400, (fn. 23) but in
1409 passed to his heir Thomas Montagu, earl
of Salisbury (d. 1428). (fn. 24) Thomas's daughter
Alice and her husband Richard Neville, earl of
Salisbury (d. 1460), settled the manor in 1458
on their younger son John (cr. Marquess Montagu 1470, d. 1471) and his wife Isabel. (fn. 25) Isabel
died in 1476 and her heir was her son George,
duke of Bedford (d. 1483), then a minor. (fn. 26) Sir
William Norris, second husband of Isabel, was
given custody during the minority. (fn. 27) In 1487 the
heirs of Isabel were declared to be her four
daughters, (fn. 28) but no further trace of the lordship
has been found.
Robert of Draycott was the terre tenant of
Knowle in 1284-5. (fn. 29) He is said to have leased it
to Humphrey de Waldene for life and to have
been succeeded by his son John, (fn. 30) but John
Champflower was holding Knowle and the hamlet of Stoke in 1316. (fn. 31) John of Draycott was alive
in 1351 and was followed by his son Simon, and
Simon by his daughter Eleanor, wife of James
FitzJames (d. c. 1391). (fn. 32) Knowle then descended
like Redlynch manor in Bruton until the death
of Sir James FitzJames in 1579 (fn. 33) when his heir
to Knowle, Shepton Montague manor and rectory, and half Stoney Stoke manor was his niece
Thomasine, wife of Thomas Turbervile. (fn. 34) She
was evidently dead by 1590 when her uncle,
Richard FitzJames (d. 1595), was in possession. (fn. 35)
From Richard, Knowle manor passed to his son
John, who in 1618 settled it on his own son, also
John. (fn. 36) In 1650 the estate belonged to George
Grubham Howe (cr. Bt. 1660, d. 1676). Sir
James Howe, son and heir of the last, died in
1736 and was succeeded by his nephew Henry
Lee-Warner (d. 1760). (fn. 37) Henry's son, also
Henry, died unmarried in 1804 and his heir was
his cousin Daniel Henry Woodward (d. 1835),
who assumed the name Lee-Warner in 1805. His
son of the same name, a clergyman, was in
possession in 1807 but by 1812 the manor had
passed to Henry Stephen Fox-Strangways, earl
of Ilchester (d. 1858). (fn. 38) The land, divided between Knowle Rock and Knowle Park farms and
absorbed into the Redlynch estate, descended to
successive earls until 1912 when it was sold. (fn. 39)
Robert son of Wimarc held Stoke in 1066 but
by 1086 it seems to have been absorbed into
Shepton manor. (fn. 40) It may be identified with the
North Stoke mentioned in the later 13th century (fn. 41) and with an estate called Stoke Chavent,
held by John Chauvente in 1335-8 as a fee of
Shepton Montague manor. (fn. 42)
Hugh Lovel was holding North Stoke in
1271-80 (fn. 43) and it passed to his widow on his death
in 1291. (fn. 44) His son Sir Richard (cr. Baron Lovel
1348) died in 1351 and was succeeded by Richard's daughter Muriel, wife of Nicholas
Seymour, Baron Seymour. (fn. 45) Nicholas died in
1361 leaving his son a minor, and the estate,
known as STOKE HOLLOWAY, was granted
to Isabel, the king's daughter, from that date
until 1376. (fn. 46) Nicholas, son of Nicholas Seymour,
died under age later in 1361 when his heir was
his brother (Sir) Richard. (fn. 47) (Sir) Richard Seymour, who came of age in 1376, and was
summoned to Parliament from 1380, (fn. 48) held
STOKE LANE or STOKE HOLLOWAY
manor at his death in 1401 (fn. 49) and his widow held
it in dower until her death in 1410, when her
heir was her infant grand-daughter Alice. (fn. 50) The
manor descended like Wincanton manor from
Alice's husband William, Lord Zouche (d.
1462), to John, Lord Zouche. John was attainted
in 1485 and the manor was granted in the
following year to Sir William Willoughby (d.
1513). (fn. 51) Richard, Lord Zouche (d. 1552), had
evidently recovered the estate by 1551 (fn. 52) and
seems to have settled it like Wincanton on his
younger sons Richard and Charles. The younger
Richard held half the manor in 1555, (fn. 53) and in
1558 conveyed it to Sir James FitzJames (d.
1579). (fn. 54) In 1570 Charles conveyed his half to
William Mogg alias Kyne. (fn. 55)
That half conveyed to William Mogg, known
as STOKE HOLLOWAY or STONEY
STOKE, descended on his death in 1597 to his
heir John. (fn. 56) John, or another of the same name,
conveyed it to John Keene in 1682, and John
Keene to Charles Brawne in 1701. (fn. 57) Charles
Brawne by will dated 1702 gave the half share
to his son, also Charles, who in 1723 leased it to
his brother Stephen. From Stephen's wife Mary,
daughter of Robert Baker, ownership passed to
various members of the Baker family from whom
the earl of Ilchester bought it in 1768 to add to
the other half he had acquired before 1756. (fn. 58)
Sir James FitzJames was succeeded in the
other half in 1579 by his niece Thomasine, wife
of Thomas Turbervile. (fn. 59) Richard FitzJames, her
uncle, was in possession by 1590 and his son
John sold it in 1617 to Sir Robert Gorges. (fn. 60) The
half descended with Redlynch, (fn. 61) although no
reference has been found to lordship after 1812. (fn. 62)
Probably between 1166 and 1169 Alice de Piro
gave the church to the canons of Bruton and
Richard de Montagu added 40 a. of land. (fn. 63) The
second grant was confirmed between c. 1174 and
1184 (fn. 64) but may not have been permanent since
c. 1216 William de Montagu confirmed to the
canons 'so much as belongs to the patron', and
in 1235 Master Adam de St. Edmund, archdeacon of Oxford, was evidently compensated for
loss of the rectorial estate. (fn. 65) The rectory, which
was almost entirely tithes and which had been
farmed by the FitzJames family before the dissolution of Bruton abbey, passed to the Crown
and continued to be let. (fn. 66) In 1553 it was sold to
William Herbert, earl of Pembroke, and was by
him assigned in the same year to (Sir) James
FitzJames. (fn. 67) Sir James died in 1579 and in 1582
his brother Richard sold the rectory 'for a great
sum' to Silvestra Cottington, later the wife of
Robert Daccombe. (fn. 68) Daccombe and his wife sold
it to William Horton in 1592. (fn. 69)
In 1601 Horton sold the rectory to John
Farewell (d. 1616) of Holbrook in Charlton
Musgrove, (fn. 70) and it descended like Holbrook to
Christopher Farewell. (fn. 71) In 1714 Sir Stephen Fox
bought the rectory from Farewell in order both
to increase the salary of the minister and also to
support a charity school at Redlynch. (fn. 72) Ownership descended to successive owners of the
Redlynch estate. (fn. 73) In 1839 Henry Stephen FoxStrangways, earl of Ilchester (d. 1858), received
most of the tithes in the parish. (fn. 74)
Land called Barnardscombe in Selwood forest, said to measure 300 a., (fn. 75) was owned by
Richard FitzJames in 1582 and by 1648, after
disafforestation and the construction of a house
there, had come to be known as New Park. (fn. 76)
Ownership of the park descended like Bruton
manor through the Berkeley family to the
Hoares, and by 1839 it was held with Lower
Stavordale farm in Wincanton. (fn. 77) New Park farm
in the later 18th century measured 282 a. and
later 243 a. (fn. 78) In 1892, when it passed from the
Hoares to the Revd. L. R. M. Leir, it measured
194 a. and included some woodland. It was sold
by R. M. Leir in 1920. (fn. 79)
A 'newly erected' house at Barnardscombe
was mentioned in 1623, (fn. 80) and was said to be 'very
fair'. (fn. 81) In 1664-5 the house was taxed for 16
hearths and was later described as of brick with
stables, barns, and several large fishponds. (fn. 82)
Some building was carried out there in the 1770s
and 1780s, in part using materials from Bruton
Abbey. (fn. 83) In 1793 the contents of the house were
sold on the death of Hugh Clifford, Baron
Clifford, the lessee. (fn. 84) The house was demolished
after 1840 (fn. 85) and by 1863 the stables were converted to cottages. (fn. 86) The park was uninhabited
in 1881. (fn. 87)
In 1505 the preceptory of Temple Combe had
two small holdings in Stoney Stoke. (fn. 88) In 1545
they were granted by the Crown in fee to John
Broxolme and John Bellowe. (fn. 89)
ECONOMIC HISTORY
The three Domesday estates of Shepton, Stoney Stoke, and
Knowle, all held by Drew of Montacute, comprised together land for 12 ploughs. There were
11 teams, of which 5 were on the demesne of
nearly 5 hides. There were in total 50 a. of
meadow, mostly at Shepton, 19 villani, 13 bordars, 1 cottar, and 14 servi. Stock comprised 2
riding horses, 4 cows, 7 beasts, 60 swine, and
260 sheep. There was woodland on each of the
estates, measuring 10 furlongs by 5 furlongs, 4
furlongs by 3, and 2 a. (fn. 90) Stoke had been added
to Shepton before 1086 but both it and Knowle
remained separate manors. (fn. 91)
In 1254 Knowle manor was valued at £13 12s.
8d. of which nearly half came from rents and a
quarter from the value of works. Demesne arable
was assessed at 1 carucate and there was some
underwood. (fn. 92) In 1270 Shepton manor was said
to be worth only £5. (fn. 93) By 1320 Knowle was
estimated at 154 a. of which half that year was
fallow and the rest produced wheat, oats, and
beans; income from rents and woodland was
substantial. (fn. 94) During the winter of 1320-1 much
of the wheat crop was delivered to the sheriff at
Bridgwater, 47 a. were sown with oats, more
than half bought in, and beans were bought and
sown on 5 a. Maslin and small quantities of oats
were given to a drover and a harrower. (fn. 95) By 1344
Knowle manor was extended at £9 2s.; (fn. 96) receipts
were £7 15s. 4d. in 1360-1, £4 6s. in 1397-8,
and £5 17s. in 1398-1400. (fn. 97)
In the 1330s there appears to have been a
sheep flock on Shepton manor and in 1339
searchers of carcasses found 18 dead of murrain. (fn. 98) In 1355 there were 21 such deaths. (fn. 99) In
1354-5 the decay of 14 or 15 tenements and the
sale of plots for short-term sowing or winter
pasture suggests emergency measures to raise
cash in face of lack of labour or vacant holdings. (fn. 1)
A freeholding called Botevylestenement in
Shepton manor, named after William de Bettevill, clerk, tenant in 1344, (fn. 2) in 1401 comprised
80 a. of arable, 5 a. of meadow, and 16½ a. of
pasture with some woodland. (fn. 3) A similar freehold
was occupied by John de Chauvente by 1335; (fn. 4)
by 1400 it was held with Stoke Holloway manor
and comprised 3 messuages with a virgate of
land, 360 a. of arable and 8 a. of meadow, all let
to a single tenant on a 20-year lease. (fn. 5) From 1453
a man leased 30 a. of arable at Stoke for the lives
of himself and his wife. (fn. 6) In 1397, also at Stoke,
a man and his seven children were manumitted. (fn. 7)
By 1484-5 Shepton and Yarlington manors
were being administered as one. Rents from
Shepton amounted to £16 17s. and new rents
and leaseholds produced a further £7 10s. (fn. 8) In
1509-10 net income and court perquisites were
reduced, (fn. 9) but in 1529-30 the total income had
risen to just over £30 although arrears on the
two estates were increasing. (fn. 10)
By the later Middle Ages the considerable
amount of woodland recorded in the later 11th
century (fn. 11) was concentrated in the eastern part of
the parish, where some was considered to be part
of Selwood forest. (fn. 12) By 1472 part of that woodland, called Montagu's leaze, was let for pasture
while birch and alders in neighbouring Barnardscombe were sold. (fn. 13)
In 1589 much of Shepton manor, comprising
the western third of the parish, was occupied by
15 copyhold arable farms ranging in size between 22 a. and 67 a. scattered across four open
fields. (fn. 14) There were also 19 leaseholds. Some
represented half the former demesne estate,
called Cattle Land and Pen Hill, amounting to
200 a. and let to 4 tenants. The rest, also mostly
former demesne, included wood pasture. (fn. 15) That
half of Stoney Stoke manor conveyed to Sir
Robert Gorges, by contrast, in 1617 was largely
under grass; one farm was reckoned at 52 a., the
four next in size at no more than 19 a. each. (fn. 16)
By 1674 the estate there comprised 6 tenements
paying cash rents of £3 2s. 8d., 7 harvest days
worth 6d. or 1s., and 6 eggs payable on St.
Thomas's day. One further tenant held a substantial farm at rack rent on an annual lease. (fn. 17)
In 1638 two closes were said to have been
'lately' inclosed out of Knowle common field. (fn. 18)
In the 1660s Hugh Wyndham continued the
process of inclosure on Shepton manor by arranging exchanges and by dividing and letting
his share of the former Cattle Land and Pen Hill.
Thus in 1668 he conveyed to Thomas Farewell
40 a. of arable 'now butted and bounded out' in
exchange for land in the common arable fields.
The process was probably completed c. 1674,
but open field names were still in use in the
1690s. (fn. 19)
In 1641 14 men in Shepton parish had goods
or land worth £20, among them members of the
Greenway and Mogg families. (fn. 20) A Mogg had
held land in the parish by 1543 and a Greenway
at least since 1589, (fn. 21) and probably before 1540. (fn. 22)
In 1661 John Mogg, then owner of half Stoney
Stoke manor, headed the parish list of gifts to
the king, and was followed by William Greenway. (fn. 23) By 1701 William Mogg held 3 farms with
a total of 144 a., part of Shepton manor which
then measured 1,016 a. with a rental of £19 17s.
from 11 farms. The land was still principally
arable. (fn. 24) The same estate in the 1780s was still
occupied by 11 farmers and smallholders among
a total of 37 tenants including cottagers. Mrs.
Barbara Wilmington held 111 a., the earl of
Ilchester 97 a., and Mrs. Barbara Kingston 83
a., the earl and Mrs. Kingston holding partly by
lease, partly freehold. (fn. 25) Rack renting had been
introduced by 1784-5, and improvements included a new orchard of 98 trees in 1771, repairs
to farmhouses in 1784-5, and planting hedges in
1795. (fn. 26)
In the eastern part of the parish, land use was
affected by the expansion of the Fox-Strangways
estate and specifically by the creation of
Redlynch park. By 1681 the former deer park
comprised 30 a. of pasture north of Stoney
Stoke. (fn. 27) It still remained largely pasture in 1762,
but by that date land to the west had become
ornamental woodland and a new deer park
whose southern bounds, erected in 1748-50,
took in land formerly cultivated by farmers from
Stoney Stoke and Knowle. (fn. 28) Much of the woodland had been planted c. 1740, (fn. 29) and by the later
18th century that part of the park within Shepton parish was heavily wooded. (fn. 30)
By 1779 the total rental of the Fox-Strangways estate in the parish, which included the
tithes, was over £336, and a few years later the
estate included three dairy farms in Stoke measuring 165 a., 82 a., and 57 a. In 1797 all three
tenants were prepared to accept substantially
increased rents in return for repairs. The tenants
of the two largest, John and Thomas Moger,
with Charles Moger of a neighbouring farm in
Brewham, also requested a limekiln. (fn. 31)
After the disafforestation of Selwood forest in
1627-9 attempts were made to keep it uninclosed, (fn. 32) but it became a private estate (fn. 33) and in
the early 18th century supported some 20 a. of
oak, ash, elm, and a few sycamores. Sir Richard
Hoare's improvements at New Park after 1779
included grubbing up furze and planting hazel
nuts, oats, and grass. Welsh steers were kept
there in 1780. (fn. 34) By 1803 woodland there covered
155 a., but much of it had been felled by 1840. (fn. 35)
In the western end of the parish c. 1782 there
were over 4,300 trees in the hedges on the
Phelips estate but no woodland. (fn. 36)
In the 1780s farming was thought to be better
practised on the rich arable land in the parish
than in some other places, for example by the
hoeing of turnips. (fn. 37) The grassland at Knowle
was found to be full of weeds and needed sunk
fences before it could become part of Redlynch
park. (fn. 38) In 1801 arable crops, grown on fewer
than 400 a., were principally grain and all crops
were said to be 'very abundant'. (fn. 39) In the 1830s
turnips were said to do well in the west of the
parish and large flocks of sheep were kept. (fn. 40) By
1839 there was twice as much grassland as
arable, and over 140 a. of woodland, more than
half belonging to the earl of Ilchester. (fn. 41) By 1857
the earl's woodland holding had increased to 108
a. (fn. 42) By 1905 there was only 413 a. of arable as
compared with 1,498 a. of grass, and woodland
amounted to 154 a. (fn. 43) By 1912 a large wood had
been felled on the Redlynch estate and only 38
a. remained in the parish. (fn. 44) In 1988 the proportion of arable to grassland was roughly the same
as in 1905. (fn. 45)
In 1839 the earl of Ilchester (1,066 a.) and
William Phelips (763 a.) were the principal
landowners, followed by Sir Henry Hugh Hoare
owning 235 a. at New Park in the east and Henry
Hobhouse with 63 a. in the extreme west forming part of the Hadspen estate. (fn. 46) The Hobhouse
holding in the parish had begun with a reversionary purchase in 1824 and continued
throughout the century. (fn. 47) The tenant farms remained largely stable in size, four of them
measuring 200 a. or more until after 1871 and
four more over 100 a. Welham farm had increased to 430 a. by 1881 (fn. 48) and by 1885, as a
result of exchanges with the Phelips estate,
Welham had become a substantial consolidated
holding employing 12 men. Among its stock in
1885 were 38 shorthorn cattle. (fn. 49) The five farms
on the Phelips estate, held until the 1850s mostly
on leases for lives, were re-arranged for better
working in 1873 (fn. 50) and by 1914, when the estate
was sold, there were seven farms. (fn. 51) By 1857 there
were five farms on the Redlynch estate; they
survived in 1912. (fn. 52) In 1939 there were 13 farms
in the whole parish (fn. 53) and in 1988 15 holdings,
half concentrating on dairying. Wheat, winter
barley, maize, and fodder crops were grown on
225 ha. (fn. 54)
A glover was living in the parish in the period
1636-8 (fn. 55) and a linen weaver in 1704. (fn. 56) In the
1780s there were a soaphouse, three barkhouses,
and a tanyard at Stoke. (fn. 57) In 1834 14 families
were said to be engaged in trade (fn. 58) but in 1867
most women were said to work in the fields when
needed although most girls were employed
either in service or in gloving for manufacturers
in Milborne Port. (fn. 59) In the 1870s there were
shops at both Shepton and Stoney Stoke and
blacksmiths in both villages. (fn. 60) There were still
two blacksmiths in 1939. (fn. 61)
Stone for tiles and paving was quarried north
of Stoney Stoke in the 17th century and near
Lushes Farm in Stoke in the 18th, and there
were limekilns at Knowle and near Stoke, both
of which were out of use before 1790. Clay was
dug and bricks made north of Stoke from the
1680s, and marl was dug in the western part of
the parish from the 17th to the 19th century. (fn. 62)
Mills
There were two mills on Shepton
manor in 1086, one of which paid no rent, the
other presumably working for the lord alone. (fn. 63)
A mill was said to be in decay in 1354 (fn. 64) and
1484-5, (fn. 65) but was working in 1353 and 1405 (fn. 66)
and may have been in use in 1623 when it was
conveyed to Richard Adams. (fn. 67) In the late 18th
century a millhouse at Stoke was associated with
tanning. (fn. 68) Fields called Millhams and Mill Pitch
or Pits north-west of Shepton church and Millhams west of Stoney Stoke survived in 1839. (fn. 69)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
William de Montagu (d. 1270) withdrew suit to the sheriff's tourn
and refused to pay an annual rent, but his son
Simon restored both suit and rent. (fn. 70) The tithing
of Shepton continued to attend the hundred
court until 1627 or later. (fn. 71) Knowle and Wyke
Champflower formed a tithing in Bruton hundred in 1327, possibly because John
Champflower was tenant of Knowle in 1316. (fn. 72)
Knowle was in Hadspen and Honeywick tithing
in Bruton hundred in 1569. (fn. 73)
Courts leet for Shepton Montague manor
were held four times a year in the 14th and 15th
centuries, at or near the quarter days, and rolls
survive for the years 1335-6, 1338-9, (fn. 74) 1353-5,
1404-5, and 1471-2. (fn. 75) By 1484-5 courts were
held only twice a year. (fn. 76) There are also rolls for
1542-3 and 1547, (fn. 77) a copy from a manor court
for 1719, rolls for courts baron for 1760 and
1762, and a reference to a court in 1765. (fn. 78) In
1405 a halimote court was held on the same day
as the Easter leet. (fn. 79) By 1335 and until 1398 or
later a court for tenants of Montagu fees outside
the manor and parish was held after the manor
court. (fn. 80)
Officers of the court in the 14th century were
a reeve, a hayward, a shepherd, and inspectors
of carcasses, and in the later 15th century woodwards. The court was concerned with
maintenance of buildings, hedges, and ditches,
control of strays, and offences against statutes.
In the 1330s its records included losses from the
sheep flock and in the 1350s sales of pasture,
licensing of nativi, and the levy of chevage.
Courts were held for Knowle manor in the
13th and earlier 14th centuries (fn. 81) and rolls survive
for sessions in August, September, and October
1397, the last described as a court leet. Business
included fines for trespass, damage to the park,
and tree felling, and there were pleas between
tenants. (fn. 82)
There was a common pound for the whole
parish in Over or Higher Shepton by 1628. (fn. 83) By
1764 a cottage in Stoney Stoke was let to the
overseers. (fn. 84) In 1857 a building there was used as
the parish coal house. (fn. 85) In 1835 the parish
became part of the Wincanton poor-law union,
in 1894 Wincanton rural district, and in 1974
Yeovil, later South Somerset, district. (fn. 86)
CHURCH
Probably between 1166 and 1169
Alice de Piro granted the church to the canons
of Bruton. (fn. 87) The grant of 'so much as belongs
to the patron' was confirmed c. 1216 and the
patronage was confirmed to the canons of Bruton
in 1236. (fn. 88) The church was presumably appropriated and a vicarage had been ordained by
1317. (fn. 89) The living remained in the patronage of
the canons until the Dissolution, but after 1498
no formal institutions were made and from 1519
the living was effectively a perpetual curacy. (fn. 90)
Successive owners of the rectory usually appointed curates, although Edward Burton is said
to have presented in 1671. (fn. 91) Curates were regularly appointed from 1715. (fn. 92) In 1912 Giles
Stephen Holland, earl of Ilchester, transferred
the patronage to his trustees, the Cavendish
Land Co. They conveyed it in 1913 to W. F.
Pepper, and in 1914 Pepper conveyed it to the
bishop of Bath and Wells. (fn. 93) The living was
united with Pitcombe in 1929 (fn. 94) and in 1976 also
with Bratton Seymour. In 1985 it became part
of the Bruton and District team ministry. (fn. 95)
The living was valued in 1291 at £5 6s. 8d. (fn. 96)
In 1519, on the grounds of its poverty, the
canons of Bruton took over the vicarial tithes and
glebe and awarded the vicar a house and a
pension of £8 1s. (fn. 97) to which a small piece of glebe
had been added by 1535 to give a total income
assessed at £8 15s. (fn. 98) In 1636 the pension of £8
was still evidently paid. (fn. 99) In 1707 the net income
of the living was £26 2s. 8d. comprising glebe
worth £20, tithes worth £5, and Easter dues of
£2 10s. (fn. 1) In 1715 Sir Stephen Fox agreed to pay
the incumbent £30 and to repair the chancel. (fn. 2)
About 1796 the curate received £31 10s. (fn. 3) The
living was augmented by Queen Anne's Bounty
in 1803, 1820, and 1825 (fn. 4) and was worth £46 in
1815, (fn. 5) £62 net in 1829-31, (fn. 6) and £60 8s. 8d. in
1851. (fn. 7) The living was further augmented in
1863-4, (fn. 8) and the net value in 1889 was £88. (fn. 9)
In 1636 the only glebe comprised 4 a. of
meadow. (fn. 10) The chaplain of Shepton had a house
in 1242-3. (fn. 11) In 1519 the vicar was confirmed in
possession of a house on the south side of the
church by the graveyard or offered another
suitable dwelling, the house to be maintained at
the cost of the patrons. (fn. 12) Vicars were resident
until c. 1560 or later. (fn. 13) In 1715 the patron
undertook to rent a house if a cheap one could
be found. (fn. 14) A house was rented from that date
until 1751 (fn. 15) but by 1765 curates were living
outside the parish and the house was sublet. (fn. 16)
There was no benefice house in 1815. (fn. 17) A house
was built between 1861 and 1866. (fn. 18) It was sold
when the living was united with Pitcombe and
became a private dwelling.
Osbert the chaplain was murdered by burglars
in 1242-3. (fn. 19) Two canons of Bruton served successively as vicars up to 1498. (fn. 20) From c. 1560 to
c. 1576 the chaplain of Redlynch served the cure
'of good will'. (fn. 21) Matthew Bulgin (d. 1669), both
priest and surgeon, was curate from 1645 until
his death. (fn. 22) During the later 18th century the
church was served with Redlynch (fn. 23) and in 1815
the perpetual curate lived at Bruton and also
served Brewham; services at Shepton were then
held each Sunday, alternately morning and afternoon. (fn. 24) In 1827 the curate was resident rector
of Charlton Musgrove and held services each
Sunday at Shepton. (fn. 25) H. C. Leaver, vicar by
1851, was resident rector at Penselwood. (fn. 26) By
1866 and until 1929 vicars were resident (fn. 27) and
by 1870 services were held twice each Sunday
and communion was celebrated monthly. (fn. 28) The
former schoolroom at Stoney Stoke was used for
services between 1894 and 1927 or later. (fn. 29)
The church of ST. PETER, destroyed by fire
on 27 November 1964, (fn. 30) comprised a chancel,
and a nave with a south porch tower. After the
fire only the walls and the tower were left
standing, and it was subsequently decided not
to rebuild the chancel, but to lower the height
of its walls and form a garden on its site.
Demolition revealed fragments of 12th-century
carved stone embedded in the walls of the
13th-century chancel. The 13th-century capitals
and columns of the chancel arch and the contemporary font were destroyed in the fire. The
present building, re-ordered and furnished in
1965-6 to the designs of Kenneth Wiltshire, (fn. 31)
now comprises the nave of the original church,
refenestrated in the later Middle Ages, with the
original Perpendicular south tower. In the 18th
century the nave roof was coved and the chancel
roof ceiled, and a singers' gallery had a painted
panelled front. (fn. 32) The north wall was also said to
have been rebuilt 'in the Italian style'. (fn. 33) The
building was restored in 1854 and 1893. (fn. 34) Over
the entrance door is an inscription perhaps
referring to St. Thomas of Canterbury. (fn. 35)
There are three bells, the first of 1661 by
Robert Austen II, the second from the medieval
Salisbury foundry, the third of 1620 by Robert
Austen I. (fn. 36) The plate includes a cup and cover
of 1573 by 'I.P.', and a paten made in 1684 and
renovated in 1848. (fn. 37) The registers, which date from
1560, were extensively damaged in the fire of 1964. (fn. 38)
NONCONFORMITY
Recusants were reported in the parish in the late 16th century and
1629. (fn. 39) A licence was issued for an unspecified
congregation in 1704. (fn. 40) Wesleyan Methodists
were meeting in 1824 and a house was licensed,
probably for their use, in 1829. (fn. 41) Hope Congregational chapel was opened in 1869 as a mission
station from Wincanton. It was rebuilt in 1904
and was closed between 1965 and 1971. (fn. 42)
EDUCATION
In 1818 there were two small
day schools each with 12 children and a Sunday
school with c. 30 children. (fn. 43) One of the day
schools seems to have been run by the church
by 1825, (fn. 44) and presumably became the National
school, built beside the churchyard in 1846,
which in 1846-7 had 25 children attending on
weekdays and Sundays. There was also a school
at Stoney Stoke for 30 children which was held
on weekdays and Sundays. (fn. 45) By 1851 it was
supported by the earl of Ilchester, and continued
until soon after 1872. (fn. 46) In 1867 it was reported
that an evening school for boys was held in the
winter months at the vicarage house. (fn. 47) The
National school was enlarged in 1895 and had
48 children on the books in 1903. By 1915 it had
21 and in 1919, when it closed, only 11. The
children were transferred to Pitcombe. (fn. 48) The
former school was used in 1993 as a village hall.
CHARITY FOR THE POOR
Hugh Wyndham (d. 1684) by will gave a rent charge of 10s.
on his manor of Shepton Montague to be paid
to the poor at Christmas. (fn. 49) Twenty people were
said to be recipients in 1787-8, (fn. 50) but by 1824 the
charity had been lost. (fn. 51)