Blackford, Somerset
Encyclopedia
Blackford is a village in Somerset
, England, situated beside the A303 road
, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Wincanton
in the South Somerset
district. There are two other places called Blackford in Somerset — one is a village near Wedmore
, the other a tiny hamlet
between Porlock
and Minehead.
It is part of the civil parish
of Blackford and Compton Pauncefoot
. It holds a Parish Meeting
twice a year and has no Parish Council. The combined parish has approximately 130 residents and around 35 houses in each village. The civil parish is in the Blackmore Vale ward of South Somerset District Council and Somerset County Council
.
Blackford is designated as a Conservation Area
.
of 1086 the manor is recorded as held by Turstin FitzRolf
. The parish of Blackford was part of the Whitley
Hundred.
The village has a Reading Room which was given to the church in 1912 by Miss Emily Senior, who sold the land it stands on to the Fidelity Trust Ltd for £25. It is now leased to the Blackford Reading Room Trust to be used as a village hall. Following a programme of works in the 1990s and as part of a millennium project with the aid of lottery and other grants the hall has been completely refurbished.
Baron Blackford
, of Compton Pauncefoot in the County of Somerset, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
. It was created in 1935 for the barrister
William James Peake Mason. He had already been created a Baronet, of Compton Pauncefoot in the County of Somerset, in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1918. The titles became extinct in 1988 on the death of his great-grandson, the fourth Baron.
and benefitted from works in 1982 to the riverbanks in Blackford to help keep the water moving. Flooding is therefore rarer than previously in Blackford as a result. It travels from Blackford to Compton Pauncefoot
and then travels under the A303 to join the Yarlington headwaters. The River Cam flows onto the Royal Naval Station where it joins the River Yeo
and the Yeo in turn flows west to the south of Yeovilton
and through the town of Ilchester
. The river course continues to the west and at Langport
becomes the River Parrett
.
The stream has its headwaters in the hills around Blackford & Compton Pauncefoot together with a number of springs. The main waters come from 3 primary sources: 1. Maperton, 2. Quarry Hill, 3. Sigwells Hill. The first 2 combine in Blackford around the Crossroads/Hollow and further springs contribute at a number of points all the way through both villages.
The A303 is nearby and during construction major drainage pipes were laid at intervals that bring significant quantities of water into the stream. This contributes to the rapid rise in the stream during rainfall.
Blackford is fortunate that it is relatively high in the watercourse and consequently only local rainfall and runoff comes through the villages.
East Hall Farm, West Hall Farm, The Old Rectory, Manor Farm, Belstone Cottage, Chapel Cottage, Old Beams. The telephone box is the iconic K6 Telephone Kiosk and was listed Grade II by English Heritage
in July 2008 following a local campaign. There are approximately 2,500 listed telephone boxes in the country.
as a Grade II* listed building. The church is part of the Camelot Group of Parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
The tower was added in the 14th century and there were other changes around that time including the addition of south porch. More recent changes include the 17th century pulpit. There is a screen designed by Frederick Bligh Bond
that was added in 1916 and the current organ arrived in 1970. The east window was made by the Charles Eamer Kempe
studio and installed in 1882. However the paint flaked and after lengthy discussions and deliberations a replacement was commissioned from John Hayward
(who also made the new window in Sherborne Abbey
) with the subject 'The Good Shepherd'.
There was a Methodist Chapel (built circa 1840) at the end of Chapel Lane and closed in 1947. It is now art of Old Beams curtilage — but the roof was removed in the 1960s to allow a better view from the dwelling.
Chapel Cottage is the oldest house in the village and is reputed to have been a chapel with cottage attached — however there is some doubt over this. The newer, western cottage dates from the 16th Century while the eastern cottage is medieval has a stone spiral staircase and other old features.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England, situated beside the A303 road
A303 road
The A303 is a 92-mile long trunk road in England. It is the main road between Basingstoke in Hampshire and Honiton in Devon. The M3, the A303 and the A30 together make up one of the main routes from London to South West England, running from London to Land's End in Cornwall...
, 4 miles (6.4 km) south west of Wincanton
Wincanton
Wincanton is a small town in south Somerset, southwest England. The town lies on the A303 road, the main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry...
in the South Somerset
South Somerset
South Somerset is a local government district in Somerset, England.The South Somerset district covers and area of ranging from the borders with Devon and Dorset to the edge of the Somerset Levels. It has a population of approximately 158,000...
district. There are two other places called Blackford in Somerset — one is a village near Wedmore
Wedmore
Wedmore is a village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on raised ground, in the Somerset Levels between the River Axe and River Brue, often called the Isle of Wedmore. It forms part of Sedgemoor district...
, the other a tiny hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
between Porlock
Porlock
Porlock is a coastal village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in a deep hollow below Exmoor, west of Minehead. The parish, which includes Hawkcombe and Doverhay, has a population of 1,377....
and Minehead.
It is part of the civil parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Blackford and Compton Pauncefoot
Blackford and Compton Pauncefoot
Blackford and Compton Pauncefoot is a civil parish in Somerset, England.The parish covers the villages of Blackford and Compton Pauncefoot.The parish has no parish council and has a Parish Meeting which has limited responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept to cover very...
. It holds a Parish Meeting
Parish meeting
A parish meeting, in England, is a meeting to which all the electors in a civil parish are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of the parish council itself, with statutory powers, and electing a...
twice a year and has no Parish Council. The combined parish has approximately 130 residents and around 35 houses in each village. The civil parish is in the Blackmore Vale ward of South Somerset District Council and Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council
Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county.-Area covered:...
.
Blackford is designated as a Conservation Area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
History
In the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
of 1086 the manor is recorded as held by Turstin FitzRolf
Turstin FitzRolf
Turstin FitzRolf was a Norman magnate, one of the few "Proven Companions of William the Conqueror" who fought at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As his name indicates, he was the son of a certain Rolf, synonymous with Rou and Rollo . His first name appears as Tosteins, Thurstan and other variants...
. The parish of Blackford was part of the Whitley
Whitley (hundred)
The Hundred of Whitley is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was...
Hundred.
The village has a Reading Room which was given to the church in 1912 by Miss Emily Senior, who sold the land it stands on to the Fidelity Trust Ltd for £25. It is now leased to the Blackford Reading Room Trust to be used as a village hall. Following a programme of works in the 1990s and as part of a millennium project with the aid of lottery and other grants the hall has been completely refurbished.
Baron Blackford
Baron Blackford
Baron Blackford, of Compton Pauncefoot in the County of Somerset, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1935 for the politician, public servant and magistrate Sir William Mason, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Compton Pauncefoot in the County...
, of Compton Pauncefoot in the County of Somerset, was a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom
Peerage of the United Kingdom
The Peerage of the United Kingdom comprises most peerages created in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland after the Act of Union in 1801, when it replaced the Peerage of Great Britain...
. It was created in 1935 for the barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
William James Peake Mason. He had already been created a Baronet, of Compton Pauncefoot in the County of Somerset, in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom in 1918. The titles became extinct in 1988 on the death of his great-grandson, the fourth Baron.
Geography
The stream through Blackford is a tributary of the River Cam (Somerset)River Cam (Somerset)
The River Cam is a tributary of the River Yeo in the south of Somerset, England.The Cam rises east of Yarlington . It flows south west past North Cadbury, Sparkford, Queen Camel and West Camel, and joins the Yeo near Yeovilton ....
and benefitted from works in 1982 to the riverbanks in Blackford to help keep the water moving. Flooding is therefore rarer than previously in Blackford as a result. It travels from Blackford to Compton Pauncefoot
Compton Pauncefoot
Compton Pauncefoot is a village in Somerset, England, situated beside the A303 road, south west of Wincanton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 130. The civil parish of Blackford and Compton Pauncefoot joins the village with Blackford and therefore population is...
and then travels under the A303 to join the Yarlington headwaters. The River Cam flows onto the Royal Naval Station where it joins the River Yeo
River Yeo (South Somerset)
The River Yeo, also known as the River Ivel or River Gascoigne, is a tributary of the River Parrett in north Dorset and south Somerset, England....
and the Yeo in turn flows west to the south of Yeovilton
Yeovilton
Yeovilton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated east of Ilchester, north of Yeovil, in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of approximately 670....
and through the town of Ilchester
Ilchester
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,021...
. The river course continues to the west and at Langport
Langport
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The town has a population of 1,067. The parish includes the hamlets of Bowdens and Combe...
becomes the River Parrett
River Parrett
The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset...
.
The stream has its headwaters in the hills around Blackford & Compton Pauncefoot together with a number of springs. The main waters come from 3 primary sources: 1. Maperton, 2. Quarry Hill, 3. Sigwells Hill. The first 2 combine in Blackford around the Crossroads/Hollow and further springs contribute at a number of points all the way through both villages.
The A303 is nearby and during construction major drainage pipes were laid at intervals that bring significant quantities of water into the stream. This contributes to the rapid rise in the stream during rainfall.
Blackford is fortunate that it is relatively high in the watercourse and consequently only local rainfall and runoff comes through the villages.
Landmarks
The village has a number of notable buildings including:East Hall Farm, West Hall Farm, The Old Rectory, Manor Farm, Belstone Cottage, Chapel Cottage, Old Beams. The telephone box is the iconic K6 Telephone Kiosk and was listed Grade II by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
in July 2008 following a local campaign. There are approximately 2,500 listed telephone boxes in the country.
Religious sites
The Church of St Michael has 11th or 12th century origins, and has been designated by English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building. The church is part of the Camelot Group of Parishes in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
The tower was added in the 14th century and there were other changes around that time including the addition of south porch. More recent changes include the 17th century pulpit. There is a screen designed by Frederick Bligh Bond
Frederick Bligh Bond
Frederick Bligh Bond was an English architect, illustrator, archaeologist, and psychical researcher.-Early life:...
that was added in 1916 and the current organ arrived in 1970. The east window was made by the Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe
Charles Eamer Kempe was a well-known Victorian stained glass designer. After attending Twyford School, he studied for the priesthood at Pembroke College, Oxford, but it became clear that his severe stammer would be an impediment to preaching...
studio and installed in 1882. However the paint flaked and after lengthy discussions and deliberations a replacement was commissioned from John Hayward
John Hayward
Sir John Hayward , English historian, was born at or near Felixstowe, Suffolk, where he was educated, and afterwards proceeded to Pembroke College, Cambridge, where he took the degrees of B.A., M.A. and LL.D....
(who also made the new window in Sherborne Abbey
Sherborne Abbey
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin at Sherborne in the English county of Dorset, is usually called Sherborne Abbey. It has been a Saxon cathedral , a Benedictine abbey and is now a parish church.- Cathedral :...
) with the subject 'The Good Shepherd'.
There was a Methodist Chapel (built circa 1840) at the end of Chapel Lane and closed in 1947. It is now art of Old Beams curtilage — but the roof was removed in the 1960s to allow a better view from the dwelling.
Chapel Cottage is the oldest house in the village and is reputed to have been a chapel with cottage attached — however there is some doubt over this. The newer, western cottage dates from the 16th Century while the eastern cottage is medieval has a stone spiral staircase and other old features.