Church of St James, Ashwick
Encyclopedia
The Church of St James in Ashwick
, Somerset
, England has a tower dating from around 1450 and the rest of the church from 1881. It is a Grade I listed building, adjacent to Ashwick Court
.
The Victorian
gothic
building was erected between 1876 and 1881 by Browne and Gill of Bath. However, the church tower dates back to 1463.
The earliest record of a church on the site is 1413, when Bishop Bubwith
dedicated a churchyard at Ashwick and authorised burials to take place there, but it is not known when the church was first built. The church was originally a chapel of ease
connected to the vicarage at Kilmersdon
, near Radstock
. It remained so until the formation of Ashwick parish. The benefice of Oakhill was added in 1923 and Binegar
was added in 1969, since when one rector has overseen all three villages.
At the west end of the aisles in the Church of St James two memorial tablets can be seen. These are dedicated to John Billingsley
, his wife Mary, and their family. The writer of the 1794 Survey of Somerset, Billingsley was a leading agriculturalist who was one of the founders of the Bath and West Society, known today as the Royal Bath and West of England Society
.
Ashwick
Ashwick is a village in the Mendip district of Somerset, England, about three miles north of Shepton Mallet and seven miles east from Wells. It has also been a civil parish since 1826...
, Somerset
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 has a tower dating from around 1450 and the rest of the church from 1881. It is a Grade I listed building, adjacent to Ashwick Court
Ashwick Court
Ashwick Court is Grade II* listed house on Heckley Lane northwest of Ashwick, in Mendip district, eastern Somerset, England, adjacent to the Church of St James. It is a country house, dating from the late 17th century and became a listed building on June 2, 1961.Judge Jeffries tried cases at...
.
The Victorian
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
gothic
Gothic architecture
Gothic architecture is a style of architecture that flourished during the high and late medieval period. It evolved from Romanesque architecture and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture....
building was erected between 1876 and 1881 by Browne and Gill of Bath. However, the church tower dates back to 1463.
The earliest record of a church on the site is 1413, when Bishop Bubwith
Nicholas Bubwith
Nicholas Bubwith was a Bishop of London, Bishop of Salisbury and Bishop of Bath and Wells as well as Lord Privy Seal and Lord High Treasurer.Bubwith was Lord Privy Seal from 2 March 1405 to 4 October 1406...
dedicated a churchyard at Ashwick and authorised burials to take place there, but it is not known when the church was first built. The church was originally a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
connected to the vicarage at Kilmersdon
Kilmersdon
Kilmersdon is a small village located in the north of Somerset between the towns of Radstock and Frome. The settlement is recorded in William I's Domesday book and dates back at least 1,000 years; though the core of the village dates from the mid nineteenth century.-History:The name Kilmersdon...
, near Radstock
Radstock
Radstock is a town in Somerset, England, south west of Bath, and north west of Frome. It is within the unitary authority of Bath and North East Somerset and had a population of 5,275 according to the 2001 Census...
. It remained so until the formation of Ashwick parish. The benefice of Oakhill was added in 1923 and Binegar
Binegar
Binegar is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is located on the A37, east of Wells, between Shepton Mallet and Chilcompton. Its population in 2001 was 328.-History:...
was added in 1969, since when one rector has overseen all three villages.
At the west end of the aisles in the Church of St James two memorial tablets can be seen. These are dedicated to John Billingsley
John Billingsley (agriculturist)
John Billingsley was an agricultural pioneer in 18th century Somerset, England.The writer of the 1794 Survey of Somerset, Billingsley was a leading agriculturalist who was one of the founders of the Bath and West Society, known today as the Royal Bath and West of England Society...
, his wife Mary, and their family. The writer of the 1794 Survey of Somerset, Billingsley was a leading agriculturalist who was one of the founders of the Bath and West Society, known today as the Royal Bath and West of England Society
Royal Bath and West of England Society
The Royal Bath and West of England Society is a charitable society founded in 1777 to promote and improve agriculture and related activities around the West Country of England. Based at the Royal Bath and West of England Society Showground near Shepton Mallet in Somerset, the society is a...
.