Somerford, Little (St. John the Baptist)
SOMERFORD, LITTLE (St. John the Baptist),
a parish, in the union and hundred of Malmesbury,
Malmesbury and Kingswood, and N. divisions of Wilts,
3½ miles (S. E.) from Malmesbury; containing 357 inhabitants. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £8. 7. 1.; patron, the Earl of Ilchester: the
tithes have been commuted for £260.
Somerleyton (St. Mary)
SOMERLEYTON (St. Mary), a parish, in the incorporation and hundred of Mutford and Lothingland, E. division of Suffolk, 5 miles (N. W. by N.)
from Lowestoft; containing 504 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1410a. 1r. 32p., and the navigable river
Waveney forms its western boundary. The living is a
rectory valued in the king's books at £12, and in the
gift of the Rev. George Anguish: the tithes have been
commuted for £350; there is a glebe-house, and the
glebe comprises 45 acres of land.
Somersall-Herbert (St. Peter)
SOMERSALL-HERBERT (St. Peter), a parish,
in the union of Uttoxeter, hundred of Appletree, S.
division of the county of Derby, 4 miles (E. by N.) from
Uttoxeter; containing 120 inhabitants, and comprising
700 acres. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in
the king's books at £4. 18. 10., and in the gift of the
Earl of Chesterfield: the tithes have been commuted for
land, valued at £190 per annum, and the ancient glebe
contains about 20 acres.
Somersby (St. Margaret)
SOMERSBY (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Horncastle, hundred of Hill, parts of Lindsey,
county of Lincoln, 7 miles (N. W.) from Spilsby; containing 59 inhabitants. The living is a discharged
rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 16. 5½.; net
income, £92; patron, Robert Burton, Esq.
Somersetshire
SOMERSETSHIRE, a maritime county, bounded
on the north-west by the Bristol Channel, on the southwest by Devonshire, on the south-east by Dorsetshire,
on the east by Wiltshire, and on the north-east by
Gloucestershire. It extends from 50° 48' to 51° 27'
(N. Lat.), and from 2° 35' to 4° 5' (W. Lon.); and comprises an area of 1642 square miles, or 1,050,880 statute
acres. There are 82,617 houses inhabited, 4703 uninhabited, and 769 in progress of erection; and the population amounts to 435,982, of which number 209,383
are males, and 226,599 females.
At the period of the Roman Conquest, the district now
forming the county of Somerset was part of the territory
of the Belgæ, a people of Celtic origin, who had migrated
hither out of Gaul, about three centuries before the commencement of the Christian era. Between the native
Britons and this tribe continued hostilities existed, the
former attempting to regain possession of the territory;
but at length, about 250 years after the first settlement
of the Belgæ, Divitiacus, King of the Suessones, brought
over to them from the continent a considerable army of
their fellow-countrymen, and a treaty was concluded, in
which a line of demarcation between the territories of
each nation was agreed upon. This line consisted of a
large and deep fosse defended by a rampart, called
Wansdike, parts of which may still be traced. Commencing at Andover in Hampshire, it traverses the
county of Wilts, and on approaching Somerset crosses
the Avon near Binacre, and again at Bathampton,
whence it continues over Claverton down to Prior Park,
Inglish-Combe, Stanton-Prior, Publow, Norton, and
Long Ashton, and terminates on the shores of the Bristol Channel at Portished, being 80 miles in length.
Thus nearly the whole of Somersetshire was included in
the territory of the Belgæ; and of the three chief cities
of that people, two, Bath and Ilchester, were situated
within its limits. In the Roman division of the kingdom it was included in Britannia Prima.
The county is co-extensive with the diocese of Bath
and Wells, in the province of Canterbury, and is divided
into the archdeaconries of Bath, Wells, and Taunton,
the first having no archidiaconal court, and in the two
latter the bishop exercising jurisdiction concurrently
with the archdeacons. The first contains the deaneries
of Bath and Redcliffe; the second, those of Axbridge,
Cary, Frome, Ilchester, Marston, Pawlett, and the jurisdiction of Glastonbury; and the last, those of Bridgwater, Crewkerne, Dunster, and Taunton. The total
number of parishes is 469. For purposes of civil government the shire is divided into various hundreds. It contains the cities of Bath and Wells; the borough, market,
and sea-port town of Bridgwater; the borough and
market towns of Frome and Taunton, the market and
sea-port town of Watchet, the small sea-port town of
Porlock, and the market-towns of Axbridge, Bruton,
Chard, Crewkerne, Dulverton, Dunster, Glastonbury,
Ilminster, Langport-Eastover, Milverton, Minehead,
Shepton-Mallet, Somerton, Wellington, Wincanton,
Wiveliscombe, and Yeovil. Under the act 2nd of William IV., cap. 45, the county was divided into the
Eastern and the Western divisions, each sending two
members to parliament; two representatives are returned
for each of the cities, and one for the newly-enfranchised
borough of Frome. Somersetshire is included in the
Western circuit: the Lent assizes are held at Taunton;
the summer assizes at Bridgwater and Wells, alternately.
The quarter-sessions take place on January 11th and
April 19th at Wells; on July 12th at Bridgwater; and
on October 18th at Taunton.
To describe the variety of surface with some degree
of perspicuity, it is necessary to consider it as divided
into three districts. The first comprehends the northeastern portion of the county, included between the
harbours of Uphill and King-road on the west, and the
towns of Bath and Frome on the east. The next and
central division, which is much the largest, comprising
the entire middle part of the county, from the borders
of Wiltshire and Dorsetshire to the Bristol Channel, is
bounded on the north-east by the Mendip hills, and on
the south-west by the Quantock hills and the forest of
Neroche. The third forms the remaining western part
of the county.
The general surface of the North-Easiern district is
finely varied by lofty hills, which command magnificent
views over the fertile plains that lie beneath them; the
western part of it, however, including the hundreds of
Winterstoke and Portbury, consists of low moorlands,
as they are called, which are subject to frequent inundation. The extensive mountainous range of the Mendip
hills stretches from Cottle's Oak, near the town of Frome
on the eastern side of the county, in a direction nearly
west-north-west, immediately northward of Wells and
Axbridge, to a place called Black Rock, on the Bristol
Channel, near Uphill, a distance of more than 30 miles.
In the Middle division, the lands on the borders of Wilts
and Dorset are high, and chiefly occupied as sheep-walks
or in the production of corn. The country around Shepton, Bruton, Castle-Cary, Ilchester, Somerton, Langport,
Petherton, and Ilminster, is exceedingly productive,
both in corn and pasture, and abounds with good
orchards and fine luxuriant meadows; westward of it
rise the Polden and Ham hills, with a bold aspect. A
distinguishing feature in this middle division is its
marshes or fen lands, which are divided into two districts, called Brent Marsh, and the Bridgwater or South
Marsh. The two principal bogs of the district, comprising several thousand acres, situated one on each side of
the Brue river, a little to the west of Glastonbury, are
five or six feet higher than the adjacent lands, and consist of a mass of porous earth, saturated with, and floating in, water: some parts of the drained lands are occasionally subject to land-floods. The South-Western division of the county is about equally divided into lofty hills,
and fertile slopes and vales. In the vale of Taunton-Dean,
which comprises thirty parishes, and the market-towns
of Taunton, Wellington and Milverton, the prospect is
agreeably relieved by a mixture of arable and pasture
ground. To the north-west are wild and mountainous
tracts. The Quantock hills, extending nearly the whole
of the distance between the town of Taunton and the
sea; the Brandon hills, to the west of these; and others
in this part of the county, are noted for their romantic
scenery. The loftiest point of the Quantock hills is
1270 feet above the sea. The elevation called Dundry
beacon, also situated near the coast, is the highest land
in the division and in the county, being, according to the
ordnance survey, 1668 feet in height.
The mountainous parts of the county have a smooth,
undulating, and rounded outline, seldom presenting cliffs
or precipitous faces, except on the sea-shore. The line of
coast is very irregular, in some places projecting in lofty
and rocky promontories, and in others receding into fine
bays with low and level shores. Its general direction,
from the western extremity until near the mouth of the
Parret, is from west to east; here, however, commence
the shores of the marshes of the middle district, which,
extending in a direction nearly from south to north,
form the bay of Bridgwater, so called from the sea-port
of that name, situated some miles up the river Parret.
The bay is terminated on the north by the promontory
formed by Breane down. Beyond this are two smaller
bays and promontories, between which and the Avon
the coast runs nearly in a north-eastern direction.
For its general fertility, Somersetshire is particularly
eminent; and the variety of soil is so great, that almost
every species may be found within its limits. In the
north-eastern district the proportion of arable land is
very small; in the middle division it is greater, but
almost wholly on the south-eastern side: in the vale of
Taunton, in the western part of the county, there is
much arable land. The whole amounts to nearly
300,000 acres. The rotation of crops is various; those
commonly cultivated are wheat, barley, oats, beans, and
peas. The grass-lands are of very large extent, and the
plains are remarkable for their luxuriant herbage, furnishing a supply of produce much more than sufficient
for consumption; London, Bristol, Salisbury, and other
markets, receiving great quantities of fat oxen, sheep,
and hogs, besides cider, cheese, butter, and different
other articles, from this county. Potatoes are extensively grown in different districts, more especially on
the fertile soils in the vicinity of Castle-Cary, where
160 sacks per acre are a common crop. In the parishes
of Wrighton, Blagdon, Ubley, Compton-Martin, and
Harptree, in the north-eastern district, teasel is produced,
chiefly on a strong rich clay. Woad is also cultivated
in this district, chiefly in the vicinity of Keynsham;
three or four crops are commonly gathered in the season,
and the average produce per acre is about a ton and a
half. In the rich tract extending from Wincanton by
Yeovil to Crewkerne, a great deal of flax and hemp is
grown. The cattle of Somersetshire also form an object
of great importance in its economy.
The Woods and Plantations occupy about 20,000 acres.
The north-eastern district is but partially covered, and
according to the demand at the collieries, the wood it
contains is cut at irregular intervals. On the borders of
Wiltshire was the forest of Selwood, extending from
Penscellwood to within three miles of Frome, and which
was disafforested in the reign of Charles I. It appears
to have extended over a vale of about 20,000 acres, 18,000
of which have been cleared and converted into arable
and pasture land, with a small portion of meadow; the
remainder continues in coppice woods, the chief sorts of
timber being oak and ash, and the underwood principally hazel, ash, alder, willow, and birch. The county
has different Uncultivated Wastes. In the north-western
district are several uninclosed commons, the principal
of which are Broadfield down and Lansdown, the former
containing about 2500 acres, the latter nearly 1000; the
surface of Lansdown is perfectly smooth, and it is remarkable for its excellence in feeding sheep. The large
open tract called Leigh down, to the west of Bristol, is
also subject to a right of commonage, and is chiefly
depastured with sheep. More than one-half of the ancient
royal forest of Mendip, on the hills of that name, is now
inclosed; the remainder is covered to the extent of
several miles with heath and fern, and furnishes pasturage for large flocks of sheep. In the middle division,
the largest uninclosed upland common is the forest of
Neroche, near Ilminster, containing 800 or 900 acres,
and upon which different parishes have a right of commonage without stint; the next in size is White-down,
near Chard: the low marshy wastes comprise several
thousand acres. At the western extremity of the county,
and partly in Devonshire (which see), is the great forest
of Exmoor, extending from east to west for a distance of
ten or twelve miles, and from north to south about eight
miles, and containing nearly 20,000 acres. There are
several hundred acres of uncultivated land on the Quantock and Brandon hills, and in some other parts; and
the wastes of that part of Black-down which lies within
this county are supposed to exceed one thousand acres:
the occupiers of estates contiguous to these hills stock
them with young cattle in the summer months.
The chief mineral productions are coal, lead, calamine, limestone, freestone, and various other kinds of
stone. Fullers'-earth, marl, and ochre are occasionally
found. The coal-beds are the nearest to London of any
yet discovered, and constitute the most southern deposit of that mineral in England; the deposit is comparatively small, and lies northward of the eastern parts
of the Mendip hills. These hills, which consist chiefly
of limestone of that kind technically called mountain
limestone, are famous for their mines, principally of lead
and lapis calaminaris. Those of lead, however, are nearly
exhausted; at least, the deep working is so incumbered
with water that little can be done in them, though, in
former times, many thousand pounds were annually paid
to the see of Wells for the lord's share (one-tenth) of
the lead dug in the forest, in the parish of Wells only.
On Broadfield down, also, are veins of lead. The Mendip
mines are governed by a set of laws and orders commonly called Lord Choke's Laws, which were enacted in
the time of Edward IV., who, on some disputes arising,
sent Lord Choke, chief justice of England, down to his
royal forest of Mendip, when the laws were agreed upon
by the "lords royal of Mendip, viz., the Bishop of Bath,
Lord Glaston, Lord Benfield, the Earl of Chewton, and
my lord of Richmond, at a great meeting held at a place
called the Forge."
The mountain limestone formation near Bristol, which
is a feature in English geology, constitutes the hills
rising from beneath the red marl to the west of that city,
and forms a range of considerable elevation, through
which the Avon passes in its course to the Severn.
These hills consist of a prodigious number of strata, of
different natures, but chiefly of limestone of several
varieties, whose dip is about forty-five degrees. Some
of the limestone strata contain various organic remains;
and an assemblage of numerous strata, called the Black
Rock, from the colour of the limestone, which is here
quarried for paving-stones, comprises numerous fossils
and rounded concretions, penetrated by petroleum, which
sometimes exudes from the rock. The strata alternating
with the limestone are beds of clay of various kinds,
which sometimes contain nodules of coral and geodes of
iron-ore: thin beds of ironstone and quartzose sand are
also found, and a bed of coal about two inches thick.
The mountain limestone incloses Bristol in almost every
direction, forming a kind of irregular basin, and reposing
on the red-sandstone, which visibly passes beneath it.
On the top of the limestone cliffs on the side of the
Avon, lies a yellowish sandstone, which has sometimes
the appearance of breccia. The red clay in the neighbourhood of Bristol contains gypsum, and abounds with
sulphate of strontian in veins and large beds.
The mountainous part of the western district of the
county is formed of a series of rocks, differing much in
mineralogical character, but a great proportion of them
having the structure of sandstones. Some of the finest
of these sandstones graduate into a fine-grained slate,
divisible into laminæ as thin as paper, and having a
smooth, silky, and shining surface. Copper in a state
of sulphuret and of malachite, and veins of hematite, are
frequently met with; and nests of copper-ore, of considerable size, have been found in the subordinate beds
of limestone. The Quantock hills, Grabbist Hill, Croydon
Hill, Brendon Hill, and some others to the west of them,
consist chiefly of the kind of stone called greywacke, in
some places interstratified with limestone; the limestonequarries in the eastern side of the Quantock hills are very
numerous. North Hill, extending along the sea-shore
from Minehead to Porlock, and forming a bold precipitous coast, is of greywacke; and the whole of the
precipitous coast of the county presents a great variety
of mineralogical strata. The kind of limestone called
by mineralogists lias, and which extends in a direction
nearly north-east and south-west almost to the banks of
the Humber, commencing in Dorsetshire a little to the
west of Ilchester, passes by Bath, and occupies a large
tract of this county. The greatest quantity of freestone
is raised at Coombe down.
The principal Manufactures are those of woollen and
worsted goods, at Frome, Taunton, Wellington, and
Wiveliscombe; of gloves, at Yeovil, Stoke, and Martick; of lace, at Chard and Taunton; of silk, at Taunton, Bruton, and Shepton-Mallet; of crape, at Taunton;
and of knit worsted stockings, at Shepton-Mallet. Upon
the Avon are several mills for preparing iron and copper, and others for the spinning of worsted, and the
spinning and weaving of cotton. Many of the lower
classes derive cheap and wholesome food from the salmon and herring fisheries of Porlock, Minehead, and
Watchet, which are carried on to a considerable extent.
The other fish found off the coast, and which are occasionally taken at different places upon it, are tublin,
flounders, sand-dabs, hakes, pipers, soles, plaice, skate,
conger-eels, shrimps, prawns, crabs, muscles, and starfish.
The chief rivers are the Lower Avon, the Parret, the
Tone, the Brue, and the Axe. The Avon, besides constituting the harbour of Bristol, is navigable for small
craft as high as Bath, a distance of sixteen miles above
that port. The Parret forms the harbour of Bridgwater,
and falls into Bridgwater bay at Stert point; the navigable part of it commences at Langport, whence to Stert
point is a distance of about twenty miles. The Tone is
navigable from Taunton to the Parret at Boroughbridge,
about eight miles from Taunton, and near the centre of
the county. The Brue is navigable up to Highbridge, a distance of two miles from its mouth. The smaller streams
are very numerous; they mostly flow through fertile
tracts, and the banks of many of them are adorned with
extensive grounds belonging to the seats of the nobility
and gentry: some of the principal are the Yeo, the Cale,
the Chew, the Frome, the Ivel, and the Barl. The Kennet and Avon canal enters the county from Bradford in
Wiltshire, and joins the Avon at Bath. The Somersetshire Coal canal commences in the Kennet and Avon
canal at Limpley-Stoke, near Bradford, and proceeds to
Poulton; a tramway branches from it in the parish of
South Stoke to the collieries at Wilton and Clandown.
The Grand Western canal enters the county from Devonshire near the parish of Thorn St. Margaret's, and proceeds to Taunton. There is also a canal from Taunton
to Bridgwater. The Great Western railway enters the
county at Bathford, about 3½ miles from Bath, and,
crossing the Avon on a bridge near the city, proceeds
along the southern bank of the river to within a short
distance of Bristol, where it is again carried over the
Avon to Temple-Mead. It joins the Bristol and Exeter
railway, which runs through Somerset in a south-western
direction, near the towns of Bridgwater, Taunton, and
Wellington, into the county of Devon.
The remains or antiquity are very various. The
parish of Stanton-Drew, in the north-eastern district, is
remarkable as containing the remains of four clusters of
huge massive stones, forming two circles, an oblong and
an ellipsis, which are supposed to have constituted a
Druidical temple. The ancient boundary called Wansdyke may be traced in several places; and in the vicinity
of its course, near Great Bedwin, celts and ancient instruments of war have been discovered. Besides the
Roman cities of Bath and Ilchester, there are numerous
places which, although their names have been changed
or altered, still bear evident marks of Roman origin in
the foundations of some of their walls, and in various
remains that have from time to time been dug from
them. Among the many miscellaneous remains of this
people which have been discovered, more especially at
Bath, are included temples, sudatories, tessellated pavements, altars, hypocausts, and coins of different ages.
Traces of ancient encampments are visible in various
parts. The principal Roman road was the Fosse-way,
which extends across the county from Bath, in a southwestern direction to Perry-Street, on the confines of
Devonshire. In a direction nearly parallel with this, ran
another road from the forest of Exmoor, through Taunton, Bridgwater, and Axbridge, to Portishead, whence
was a trajectus, or ferry, across the Bristol Channel to
the city of Isca Silurum, now Caerleon. On Salisbury
Hill are traces of the earthworks thrown up at the time
of the siege of Bath by the Saxons. An encampment
called Jack's Castle, near Wilmington, is supposed to be
of Danish formation. The intrenchments formed by the
forces of Harold, near Porlock, in 1052, are still to be
seen.
According to Tanner, the number of religious houses
in the county, of all denominations,' including two alien
priories, was about 44. There are remains of the abbey
in the Isle of Athelney, founded by King Alfred; of that
of Banwell, established in the same reign; of the abbeys
of Bath, Bruton, Cliff, Glastonbury, Hinton, Keynsham,
Muchelney, and Wells; of the priories of Barlinch, Barrow, Bath, Berkeley, Buckland, Sordrum, Cannington,
Chewton, Dunster, Frome, Hinton-Charterhouse, Ilchester, Kewstoke, Montacute, Portbury, Stavordale, Stogursey, Taunton, Woodspring, and Yeanston; and of the
nunneries of Nunney, Walton, and Whitehall. Remains
also exist of the ancient castles of Bridgwater, Dunster,
Montacute, Stoke-under-Hamdon, Stowey, Taunton, and
Walton. Combe-Sydenham, near Stogumber, is a very
old mansion, the seat of the family of Sydenham. The
more modern seats of nobility and gentry are particularly numerous. Besides the celebrated waters of Bath,
there are mineral springs of different properties at Alford, Ashill, Castle-Cary, East Chinnock, Glastonbury,
Queen-Camel, Wellington, and Wells; at Nether Stowey
is a petrifying spring. In the Mendip hills, and surrounded by wild and magnificent scenery, is Wokey Hole
(so called from the neighbouring village of Wokey), an
extensive natural cavern, the most celebrated in the west
of England, in which the waters of the Axe take their
rise, in a clear and rapid stream. In the parish of
Cheddar, in the same district, is an immense chasm in
the hills, called Cheddar Cliffs, the scenery of which is
particularly rugged and striking. Somersetshire abounds
with rare and curious plants, and on the hilly wastes
occur the dwarf juniper, the cranberry, and the wortleberry, the last being here provincially called hurts. The
rocks on the coast have great quantities of the lichen
marinus, or sea-bread; in the low moors grows the gale,
or candleberry myrtle. The county gives the title of
Duke to the family of Seymour.
Somersham (St. John the Baptist)
SOMERSHAM (St. John the Baptist), a parish,
and formerly a market-town, in the union of St. Ives,
hundred of Hurstingstone, county of Huntingdon,
8¾ miles (E. N. E.) from Huntingdon, and 64¼ (N.) from
London; containing 1517 inhabitants. This town, formerly called Summersum, is supposed to have derived its
name from an adjacent hill which was the site of a
summer camp of the Romans. It is situated in a fertile
country, abounding with springs of remarkable purity,
some of which were considered to possess medicinal
qualities. Several of the inhabitants are employed in
preparing wicks for rushlights, which are sent to various
parts of the kingdom. The market, long since discontinued, was on Friday: fairs are held on June 23rd and
November 12th, but they are very inconsiderable. The
parish comprises about 3200 acres. The living is a
rectory, with the livings of Colne and Pidley annexed,
valued in the king's books at £40. 4. 7., and annexed
to the regius professorship of divinity in the university
of Cambridge; net income, £1770. An exchange of
tithes for land and corn-rents took place in 1796, and a
commutation has been made recently for a rent-charge
of £531. 10.; there is a glebe-house, and the glebe comprises 20 acres. The Baptists have a place of worship.
A free school is endowed with the proceeds of £200,
the bequest of Thomas Hammond in 1746, and with
some land assigned in 1765; the income is £26 a year.
There is also a Feoffees' estate, yielding £55 annually,
applied to maintaining a bridge over a stream called
Cranbrook, on the road from Somersham to Colne; also
a causeway leading from the bridge to the church. The
bishops of Ely had formerly a palace here.
Somersham (St. Mary)
SOMERSHAM (St. Mary), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Bosmere and Claydon, E. division of
Suffolk, 6 miles (N. W. by W.) from Ipswich; containing 485 inhabitants, and comprising 1014a. l6p. The
living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £8, and
in the patronage of Mrs. Stubbin: the tithes have been
commuted for £270. There are places of worship for
Independents and Baptists.
Somers-Town
SOMERS-TOWN, a chapelry, in the parish of St.
Pancras, Holborn division of the hundred of Ossulstone, county of Middlesex, 2 miles (N. W.) from St.
Paul's Cathedral, London. The living is a perpetual
curacy; net income, £400; patron, the Vicar of St.
Pancras. The church was built in 1826, by the Parliamentary Commissioners, on a site provided by the
parish; it contains nearly 2000 sittings. This place has,
within the last 30 years, become a very populous neighbourhood.—See Pancras, St.
Somerton (St. James)
SOMERTON (St. James), a parish, in the union of
Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford,
3½ miles (S. E.) from Deddington; containing 329 inhabitants. It comprises about 1780 acres, and is intersected by the river Cherwell and the Oxford and Birmingham canal. The soil is sandy and loamy, and the subsoil
a blue clay, incumbent upon limestone. The locality is
celebrated for its perennial springs, affording a plentiful
supply of excellent water, and one of which, on the
glebe, is said to be the source of the river Ouse. A
powerful petrifying spring in the parish forms a small
cascade. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's
books at £15. 1. 10½.; net income, £225; patron, P.
Walsh, Esq. The tithes were commuted for land and a
money payment in 1765; the glebe consists of 47 acres.
The parsonage-house was built by Bishop Juxon, whose
arms are beautifully painted on glass in the hall window;
in the orchard is an apple-tree of the golden-pippin
species, planted by that prelate, and supposed to be one
of the largest in the kingdom. The church contains
several memorials to the Fermor family; and over the
communion-table is a fine painting of the Last Supper,
which during the commonwealth was much defaced, but
was lately restored by the Rev. H. Wintle. On the
north side of the tower of the building is represented, in
stone, Our Saviour between the Two Thieves; and in
the churchyard is a handsome stone cross, having on its
south side a crucifix in basso-relievo. Here was once a
castle, as appears from the will of Thomas Fermor, Esq.,
dated 1580, by which he bequeated "the castle-yard and
chapel therein" to his executors, who erected on its site
a free school, and endowed it with £10 per annum.
Some remains of the mansion still exist, particularly the
large western window, which gave light to the grand
hall; and until recently an apartment could be traced,
termed the Prince's chamber, from its having been occupied by James II. That king granted a charter for a fair
at Somerton, which was held in a place now called
Broad Pound.
Somerton (St. Michael)
SOMERTON (St. Michael), a market-town and
parish, in the union of Langport, hundred of Somerton, W. division of Somerset, 5 miles (N. N. W.)
from Ilchester, and 123 (W. S. W.) from London; containing 1981 inhabitants. This was anciently the chief
town in the county, and during the Saxon era a castle
was erected here, which became a royal residence. The
castle was subsequently converted into a state prison,
and was the place of custody of many distinguished
persons, among whom was John, King of France, removed hither from Hertford Castle by Edward III. Its
site was afterwards occupied by a gaol, in the erection
of which the materials of the ancient edifice were used,
and which now forms part of the premises of the White
Hart inn. The town is situated near the river Cary, over
which is a stone bridge, and consists of several narrow
streets. Glove-making is carried on to a considerable
extent in connexion with the Yeovil trade. The market
is on Tuesday: fairs take place on the Tuesday in Passion-week, and the third, sixth, ninth, and twelfth Tuesdays following, for cattle; and on September 30th and
November 8th, for cattle, sheep, hogs, and pedlery.
Somerton is governed by a bailiff and constables, annually
chosen by the inhabitants. The county magistrates
formerly presided at petty-sessions in the town-hall,
which stands in the centre of the market-place; they
now meet at the Red Lion inn. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £16. 0. 7½., and in
the gift of the Earl of Ilchester: the vicarial tithes have
been commuted for £259, with a glebe of 40 acres; and
those belonging to the Dean and Chapter of Bristol,
for £687, with 197 acres of glebe. The church is an
ancient structure, having an octagonal embattled tower
on the south side; the roof is a very curious specimen
of carving in wood. There are places of worship for
Independents and Wesleyans; also a free school founded
in the 27th of Charles II., by Thomas Glover, who endowed it with an estate producing £10. 10. per annum,
in addition to which it has a rent-charge of £5, given
by Alice Yates. On the eastern side of the hill above
the village of Hurcot, are considerable quantities of fine
white alabaster. Roman pavements have been discovered
in the immediate vicinity.
Somerton (St. Margaret)
SOMERTON (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
of Sudbury, hundred of Babergh, W. division of Suffolk, 9 miles (S. S. W.) from Bury St. Edmund's; containing 143 inhabitants, and consisting of 995 acres.
The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at
£6. 16. 8., and in the gift of the Marquess of Downshire:
the tithes have been commuted for £287. 10.; the glebe
comprises 40 acres. The church, which stands on high
ground, and commands an extensive prospect, has some
remains of Norman architecture, and contains the family
vault of Viscount Blundell.
Somerton, East (St. Mary)
SOMERTON, EAST (St. Mary), a parish, in the
East and West Flegg incorporation, hundred of West
Flegg, E. division of Norfolk, 9½ miles (N. by W.)
from Yarmouth; containing 61 inhabitants. It comprises 798a. 1r. 27p., of which about 439 acres are arable,
and the remainder pasture; the scenery is generally
pleasing. The living is annexed to the rectory of Winterton: the tithes have been commuted for £270. The
church has been long since demolished.
Somerton, West (St. Mary)
SOMERTON, WEST (St. Mary), a parish, in the
East and West Flegg incorporation, hundred of West
Flegg, E. division of Norfolk, 8½ miles (N. N. W.)
from Yarmouth; containing 248 inhabitants. It comprises 1199a. 2r. 37p., of which 539 acres are pasture, and
10 wood: the village consists of several detached houses
at the foot of a gentle eminence. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £56; patron, Thomas Grove,
Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £320. The
church was repaired in 1839; the chancel contains a
neat monument to a member of the Rising family. In
the reign of Henry II., Ralph de Glanville, lord chief
justice of England, founded an hospital here for three
lepers, subject to Butley Priory, in Suffolk.
Sompting
SOMPTING, a parish, in the union of Steyning,
hundred of Brightford, rape of Bramber, W. division
of Sussex, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Shoreham; containing 515 inhabitants. The parish comprises 2854
acres, of which 1800 are arable, and the remainder pasture, common, or waste. The surface gradually rises
from the southern extremity, and terminates in the north
in steep downs, comprehending bold scenery, and commanding extensive views. At Sompting Abbots, the
residence of Thomas Compton, Esq., Queen Caroline
dwelt for some time. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £8. 7.; net income,
£150; patron, C. Marshall, Esq. The church is a cruciform structure, principally in the early English style,
with a tower at the west end, and contains a private
chapel and an oratory, the latter of which is now used
as a baptistery; the edifice was enlarged and repaired
in 1828, and again in 1838. An hospital dedicated to
the Virgin Mary and St. Anthony was founded at Cokeham, at an early period, by William Bernchius.
Sonning (St. Andrew)
SONNING (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union of
Wokingham, partly in the hundred of Binfield, county
of Oxford, but chiefly in the hundreds of Charlton
and Sonning, county of Berks, 3½ miles (E. N. E.)
from Reading; containing, with the liberty of Early,
that of Eye with Dunsden, and that of Woodley with
Sandford, 2712 inhabitants, of whom 550 are in Sonning
Town liberty. This parish, which is of considerable
antiquity, is said to have been the seat of a diocese
during the separation of Berks and Wilts from the ancient see of Sherborne; but the fact has not been satisfactorily established. The bishops of Salisbury had a
palace here, in which Isabel, queen of the deposed monarch Richard II., resided from the time of his imprisonment in Pontefract Castle till his lamentable death in
1399. The village is situated on the bank of the river
Thames, over which is a wooden bridge; and the surrounding scenery is agreeably diversified: the Great
Western railway intersects the parish. The living is a
vicarage, valued in the king's books at £20. 7. 1.; net
income, £451; patron, the Bishop of Oxford; impropriator, R. Palmer, Esq. The vicarial tithes were exchanged for corn-rents in 1816, under an inclosure act;
and the impropriate tithes have been recently commuted
for a rent-charge of £1762. An act for establishing a
general cemetery was passed in 1842. Here is a place
of worship for Independents. Sir Thomas Rich, in
1766, founded a free school, which he endowed with
an estate now producing £52. 10. per annum; and
there are other benefactions for education yielding
£26. 14. a year.
Soothill, Upper and Nether
SOOTHILL, UPPER and NETHER, a township, in
the parish and union of Dewsbury, Lower division of
the wapentake of Agbrigg, W. riding of York, 1 mile
(N. E. by N.) from Dewsbury; containing 4453 inhabitants. It comprises by admeasurement 2326 acres; the
lands are in good cultivation, and the substratum
abounds with freestone, which is extensively quarried.
At Soothill Hall, the ancient seat of the Soothill family,
now let out in farm-tenements, is a small room called the
Bishop's parlour, which afforded an asylum to the Bishop
of Elphin, who in the rebellion of 1645 was driven from
his diocese, and died here in 1655. The township includes the two villages of Earls-Heaton and HangingHeaton (which see), and various scattered hamlets. An
old building here, now used as a malt-house, is supposed
to have been originally a church or chapel.
Sopley (St. Michael)
SOPLEY (St. Michael), a parish, in the union and
hundred of Christchurch, Ringwood and S. divisions
of the county of Southampton, 2¾ miles (N.) from
Christchurch; containing, with the tythings of Avon,
Ripley, and Shirley, 939 inhabitants, of whom 325 are
in Sopley tything. The parish comprises 4400 acres, of
which 1400 are common or waste land. The village is
pleasantly situated on the eastern bank of the river
Avon, over which is a ford, said to have been crossed
by Sir Walter Tyrrel on his way to Poole, after the death
of Rufus. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's
books at £12. 16. 10½.; patron, H. Compton, Esq.;
impropriator, W. Wyndham, Esq. The great tithes
have been commuted for £550, and the vicarial for £330;
there is a glebe-house, and the glebe contains 40 acres.
The parochial church is one of the smallest cruciform
structures in the kingdom. An additional church was
consecrated on the 5th December 1839, containing 337
sittings, of which 250 are free; £700 for the erection,
and £1000 for the endowment, were given principally by
the Diocesan Church-Building Society at Winchester,
and a grant was also made by the Pastoral-Aid Society.
There are places of worship for Baptists and Independents. In Derrat Lane, or Danes-rout Lane, so called
from the rout of the Danes at the place, are two large
sepulchral barrows.
Sopworth (St. Mary)
SOPWORTH (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of
Malmesbury, and in a detached portion of the hundred
of Chippenham, Malmesbury and Kingswood, and N.
divisions of Wilts, 7½ miles (W. by S.) from Malmesbury; containing 216 inhabitants. It is situated about
a mile from the road between Bath and Oxford, and
comprises 1000a. 2r. The soil rests upon oolite, the
surface of which is loose and broken, and, being mixed
in several parts with clay, forms a kind of subsoil frequently called stone-brash. The living is a rectory,
valued in the king's books at £8. 10. 5., and in the gift of
the Duke of Beaufort: the tithes have been commuted
for £198; the glebe comprises 100 acres.
Sotby (St. Peter)
SOTBY (St. Peter), a parish, in the union of Horncastle, E. division of the wapentake of Wraggoe,
parts of Lindsey, county of Lincoln, 5 miles (E. by
N.) from Wragby; containing 156 inhabitants, and
comprising 1606 acres by admeasurement. The living
is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at
£9. 0. 10., and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £193. The tithes were commuted for land in
1801; the glebe altogether contains 300 acres.
Sotherton (St. Andrew)
SOTHERTON (St. Andrew), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Blything, E. division of Suffolk,
2 miles (W. by N.) from Wangford; containing 222 inhabitants, and comprising an area of about 1000 acres.
The living is a discharged rectory, annexed to that of
Uggeshall, and valued in the king's books at £5. 6. 8.:
the tithes have been commuted for £275, and the glebe
consists of 12 acres.
Sotterley (St. Margaret)
SOTTERLEY (St. Margaret), a parish, in the union
and hundred of Wangford, E. division of Suffolk,
4½ miles (S. E. by S.) from Beccles; containing 223 inhabitants. The living is a discharged rectory, valued
in the king's books at £10, and in the gift of Frederick
Barne, Esq., whose ancestor, Sir George Barne, was lord
mayor of London in the time of Edward VI. The tithes
have been commuted for £295; there is a glebe-house,
and the glebe contains 17 acres. The church is pleasantly situated in Sotterley Park, near the mansion, and
consists of nave and chancel, with an embattled tower;
a gallery was erected in 1836. The chancel contains
several brasses to the ancient family of Playters, and on
its northern side is a splendid monument of marble and
alabaster to Sir Thomas Playters.
Sotwell (St. James)
SOTWELL (St. James), a parish, in the union and
parliamentary borough of Wallingford, hundred of
Moreton, county of Berks, 1¾ mile (N. W. by W.)
from Wallingford; containing 148 inhabitants, and comprising 672a. 2r. 5p. The living is annexed to the
rectory of St. Leonard, Wallingford. The rector's
tithes have been commuted for £119. 11.: Queen's College, Oxford, and God's House, Southampton, own a
portion of the impropriate tithes, which have been commuted for £102. 11.; and the remainder have been
commuted for £51.