A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
A vision of Britain through time
A vision of Britain from 1801 to now.
Including maps, statistical trends and historical descriptions.
CREWKERNE, a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a hundred in Somerset. The town stands in the valley of the river Parret, on the Yeovil and Exeter railway, surrounded by a wide amphitheatre of hills, 2¼ miles N of the boundary with Dorset, and 8½ SW by W of Yeovil. It dates from ancient times; was known to the Saxons as Crocern or Cruaern; is now a busy place; publishes a weekly newspaper; and has a head post office, ‡ a railway station with telegraph, a banking office, two chief inns, a market-house, two churches, four dissenting chapels, a free grammar school, another endowed school, two alms-houses, and other charities with a total of £524. One of the churches succeeded a previous edifice, given by the Conqueror to Caen abbey; and is itself a beautiful cruciform structure of the 15th century, in perpendicular English, with richly-carved doors and windows, and with a lofty central tower, surmounted by turrets. The other church was built in 1853; is also in the English perpendicular style; and consists of nave, north aisle, chancel, and bell-turret. The grammar school was founded in 1499; has an endowed income of £320, with four exhibitions; and had for a pupil Mr. Justice Best, afterwards Lord Wyndford. Markets are held on Saturdays; and a fair on 4 Sept. Manufactures of sail-cloth, webbing, and girths are carried on. The father of Tom Paine, author of the "Rights of Man, " was a native. Pop., 3, 566. Houses, 725. -The parish includes also the tythings of Clapton, Coombe, Easthams, Furland, Hewish, Woolminstone, Laymore, Horn, Ash, Greenham, and part of Black Down. Acres, 5, 331. Real property, £22, 025. Pop., 4, 705. Houses, 942. The property is subdivided. The manor belonged, at Domesday, to the Crown; and passed, through the Redvers, the Courtenays, and others, to the Pouletts. Wulfric, the anchorite, who was visited by Henry I. and Stephen, lived in a cell at Hasilborough; and St. Ranns was buried in a chapel on Ranna-hill. The living is a vicarage, united with the p. curacy of Christ Church, in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Value, £300.* Patrons, the Dean and Chapter of Winchester. -The sub-district contains eight parishes; and is in the district of Chard. Acres, 13, 103-Pop., 8, 084. Houses, 1, 659. -The hundred contains six parishes. Acres, 12, 140. Pop., 7, 781. Houses, 1, 580.
(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))
| Linked entities: | |
|---|---|
| Feature Description: | "a town, a parish, a sub-district, and a hundred" (ADL Feature Type: "cities") |
| Administrative units: | Crewkerne CP/AP Crewkerne Hundred Crewkerne SubD Somerset AncC |
| Place names: | CREWKERNE | CROCERN | CRUAERN |
| Place: | Crewkerne |
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