Seend
Encyclopedia
Seend is a village and civil parish about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-east of the market town
of Melksham
, Wiltshire
. The parish includes the hamlets
of Seend Cleeve
, Seend Head and The Stocks.
Seend village is on a hilltop more than 90 metres (295.3 ft) above sea level. The hill is bordered to the west and south by Semington Brook, a tributary of the River Avon, and to the east by Summerham Brook, which is a tributary of Semington Brook.
has had other forms, notably in the 17th century: Seene (1602—1635), Scene (1650), Seend Vulgo (1670) and Seen (1675).
of 1086 does not mention a manor
of Seend. In the 11th century Seend may have been part of the royal manor of Melksham. The earliest known record of the tenancy of the manor of Seend dates from 1190 when it was held by Wigan of Cherburgh. Wigan's descendants held the manor until 1297 when John of Cherburgh granted it to Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
. After Hugh was hanged in 1326, Seend was granted to Queen Isabella
as part of her dower
.
In 1331 Seend manor was granted to Edward de Bohun, twin brother of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
. William and Edward were two of the younger sons of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
. Edward had died by 1337, when the Crown
granted Seend manor to Hugh le Despencer, 2nd Baron le Despencer
, subject to the life interest of Edward's widow Margaret. In 1341 Margaret died and livery of seisin
was granted to Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford
. After Humphrey's death in 1361, Seend was held successively by Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford
until his death in 1373 and the 7th earl's widow until her death in 1419.
In 1421 Seend Manor was granted to Anne of Gloucester
, Countess of Stafford
. In 1431 the countess placed the manor in trust for her nephew Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester. The Duke died heirless in 1447 and by 1461 Seend had passed to John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners
, a son of Anne of Gloucester's remarriage to William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu. John Bourchier's grandson John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
inherited Seend in 1447 and mortgaged it in 1506. The second Baron died in 1533 and his executors sold Seend manor to William Sharington of Lacock
in 1539. William left Seend to his brother Henry in 1553, who left it to his daughter Grace
and son-in-law Sir Anthony Mildmay
in 1581. Mildmay died in 1617 and Grace in 1620, leaving Seend to their daughter Mary and son-in-law Francis Fane
, who was created 1st Earl of Westmorland in 1624. Seend remained in the family until Charles Fane, 3rd Earl of Westmorland
sold it to Sir Richard Blake in 1668.
Sir Richard died in 1683 and his widow Elizabeth married Edward Hearst. They mortgaged Seend in 1690. After their deaths, Seend passed to Elizabeth and Sir Richard's daughter Mary, who was married to a Robert Dormer. Robert and Mary left Seend to their daughter Elizabeth and her husband John Fortescue Aland
, who in 1746 was created Baron Fortescue of Credan
in the Peerage of Ireland
. The last known record of the manor dates from 1723.
had succeeded Ingram as capellano parochiali ("parish chaplain"). Seend had its own churchwarden
s from 1663, raised its own poor rate
from 1734 but was not made a separate ecclesiastical parish until 1873.
The Church of England parish church
of the Holy Cross is built of rubble stone
faced with ashlar
. The oldest part may be the low west tower, which predates the late 15th century Perpendicular Gothic nave
. The Perpendicular Gothic north aisle is also late 15th century, paid for by the clothier John Stokes (died 1498). There are memorial brasses
to Stokes and his wife in the north aisle. Over the chancel arch are traces of either a carved rood or a wall painting
of the Crucifixion
.
Holy Cross has a west gallery
that was built early in the 18th century. It bears two dates: 1706 and 1726. The chancel
was rebuilt
in 1876 to designs by the architect A.J. Style. The font
is Perpendicular Gothic. It was dug up and restored to the church in 1939.
By 1553 the tower had three bells; it now has a ring
of six. Four of the bells, including the treble, were cast in 1636 by Roger Purdue I of Bristol
. The fifth bell was cast in 1793 by Robert and James Wells of Aldbourne. In 1880 Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
cast the present tenor bell and recast one of Purdue's 1636 bells. In 1912 W&J Taylor of Loughborough
recast Purdue's treble bell.
ministers in the Seend area by about 1648. In 1672 Benjamin Rutty of Seend was licenced to be a Presbyterian teacher and to use his house for that purpose. By 1717 Seend had a congregation of 52 Presbyterians, to whom a minister from Devizes preached once a month.
In 1749 John Wesley
preached at Seend. Thereafter, non-conformist
Christians in Seend seem to have become part of the Methodist
movement.
Construction of Seend Methodist
Chapel began in 1774. It was completed in 1775 and opened by John Wesley. The chapel was registered for marriages in 1854. The building is red brick with ashlar stone quoin
s and lancet window
s in an Early English style grouped in pairs and triplets. It has been a Grade 2 listed building since 1981.
including a cruck
. It has brick nogging and a stone slate roof. Dial House has its origins in the 15th century with its ashlar chimney breast
, but the rest is 18th century red brick facings. There is a 16th century timber framed and painted brick farmhouse in Spout Lane.
Seend Green House, near the east end of the village, was in existence before the end of the 17th century. It is a plain, ashlar-faced building of three storeys and seven bays
. Its porch at the side with pairs of Tuscan
columns was added slightly later.
Seend House, west of the parish church, is late 18th century. It is an ashlar-faced building of three storeys and six bays, with a porch of paired Tuscan columns. It has a pair of lodges, each fronted with four Tuscan columns.
Seend Manor House
was built in 1768. It has two storeys, five bays, and an Ionic
porch.
John Aubrey
observed an iron ore field at Seend and in 1684 he noted that Seend had a chalybeate
well that attracted "much company". The ore field was evidently the source of the iron oxide in the chalybeate waters. A chalybeate spring at Seend was discovered or rediscovered in 1813. In 1815 a saline
spring was discovered and a spa company was founded, which built a pump room and houses for visitors. The Spa prospered until 1822.
The Kennet and Avon Canal
was built between 1794 and 1810. It passes about 0.4 miles (643.7 m) north of Seend village and even closer to Seend Cleeve.
The Great Western Railway
built the Devizes Branch Line between 1854 and 1857. It passes about 0.6 miles (965.6 m) north of Seend village and Seend railway station
was built to serve the area. British Rail
ways closed the line and station in 1966.
The opening of the railway encouraged quarrying of the iron ore field, which began in the middle of the 19th century and continued intermittently for the next century or so. 77,984 tons
of brown haematite
were quarried between 1855 and 1861 and a further 86,443 tons between 1871 and 1874. Quarrying was renewed during the Second World War
and was still continuing in 1950. Seend Ironstone Quarry and Road Cutting
is now a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Primary School.
.
Market town
Market town or market right is a legal term, originating in the medieval period, for a European settlement that has the right to host markets, distinguishing it from a village and city...
of Melksham
Melksham
Melksham is a medium-sized English town, lying on the River Avon. It lies in the county of Wiltshire.It is situated southeast of the city of Bath, south of Chippenham, west of Devizes and north of Warminster on the A350 national route. The 2001 UK census cited Melksham as having 20,000...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
. The parish includes the hamlets
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...
of Seend Cleeve
Seend Cleeve
Seend Cleeve is a hamlet in Seend civil parish in Wiltshire, England.A Primitive Methodist chapel and Sunday school were founded in Seend Cleeve. In 1849 the chapel was rebuilt in red brick with ashlar quoins. The chapel has since closed and in 2006 it was converted into a private home.Seend Cleeve...
, Seend Head and The Stocks.
Seend village is on a hilltop more than 90 metres (295.3 ft) above sea level. The hill is bordered to the west and south by Semington Brook, a tributary of the River Avon, and to the east by Summerham Brook, which is a tributary of Semington Brook.
Toponym
Seend's toponymToponymy
Toponymy is the scientific study of place names , their origins, meanings, use and typology. The word "toponymy" is derived from the Greek words tópos and ónoma . Toponymy is itself a branch of onomastics, the study of names of all kinds...
has had other forms, notably in the 17th century: Seene (1602—1635), Scene (1650), Seend Vulgo (1670) and Seen (1675).
Manor
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 does not mention a manor
Manorialism
Manorialism, an essential element of feudal society, was the organizing principle of rural economy that originated in the villa system of the Late Roman Empire, was widely practiced in medieval western and parts of central Europe, and was slowly replaced by the advent of a money-based market...
of Seend. In the 11th century Seend may have been part of the royal manor of Melksham. The earliest known record of the tenancy of the manor of Seend dates from 1190 when it was held by Wigan of Cherburgh. Wigan's descendants held the manor until 1297 when John of Cherburgh granted it to Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
Hugh le Despenser, 1st Earl of Winchester
Hugh le Despenser , sometimes referred to as "the Elder Despenser", was for a time the chief adviser to King Edward II of England....
. After Hugh was hanged in 1326, Seend was granted to Queen Isabella
Isabella of France
Isabella of France , sometimes described as the She-wolf of France, was Queen consort of England as the wife of Edward II of England. She was the youngest surviving child and only surviving daughter of Philip IV of France and Joan I of Navarre...
as part of her dower
Dower
Dower or morning gift was a provision accorded by law to a wife for her support in the event that she should survive her husband...
.
In 1331 Seend manor was granted to Edward de Bohun, twin brother of William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton
William de Bohun, 1st Earl of Northampton, KG was an English nobleman and military commander.-Lineage:He was the fifth son of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford and Elizabeth of Rhuddlan. He had a twin brother, Edward...
. William and Edward were two of the younger sons of Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 4th Earl of Hereford was a member of a powerful Anglo-Norman family of the Welsh Marches and was one of the Ordainers who opposed Edward II's excesses.-Family background :...
. Edward had died by 1337, when the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
granted Seend manor to Hugh le Despencer, 2nd Baron le Despencer
Hugh le Despencer, 2nd Baron le Despencer
Hugh le Despencer was the eldest son and heir of Hugh the younger Despenser, son of Hugh the elder Despenser. His father and grandfather both were executed in 1326. His mother was Eleanor de Clare, daughter of Gilbert de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and Joan of Acre...
, subject to the life interest of Edward's widow Margaret. In 1341 Margaret died and livery of seisin
Livery of seisin
Livery of seisin is an archaic legal conveyancing ceremony, formerly practiced in feudal England and in other countries following English common law, used to convey holdings in property. The term "livery" is related, if not synonymous with, the word "delivery" as used in modern contract law...
was granted to Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 6th Earl of Hereford, 5th Earl of Essex was a Lord High Constable of England.- Lineage :...
. After Humphrey's death in 1361, Seend was held successively by Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford
Humphrey de Bohun, 7th Earl of Hereford, 6th Earl of Essex, 2nd Earl of Northampton, KG was an important medieval English noble during the reign of King Edward III of England.- Lineage :...
until his death in 1373 and the 7th earl's widow until her death in 1419.
In 1421 Seend Manor was granted to Anne of Gloucester
Anne of Gloucester
Anne of Gloucester, Countess of Stafford was the eldest daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester and Eleanor de Bohun.-Family:...
, Countess of Stafford
Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford
Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford and 6th Baron Audley, KB, KG was the son of Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford and Philippa de Beauchamp....
. In 1431 the countess placed the manor in trust for her nephew Humphrey of Lancaster, 1st Duke of Gloucester. The Duke died heirless in 1447 and by 1461 Seend had passed to John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners
John Bourchier, 1st Baron Berners, KG was an English peer.Bourchier was the fourth son of William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu, and his wife Anne of Woodstock, Countess of Buckingham, daughter of Thomas of Woodstock, 1st Duke of Gloucester. Henry Bourchier, 1st Earl of Essex, and William Bourchier,...
, a son of Anne of Gloucester's remarriage to William Bourchier, 1st Count of Eu. John Bourchier's grandson John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners was a statesman and translator, born at Sherfield, Hertfordshire, England, to Sir Humphrey Bourchier and Elizabeth Tilney, and educated at Oxford University. He held various Offices of State, including that of Chancellor of the Exchequer to King Henry VIII, and...
inherited Seend in 1447 and mortgaged it in 1506. The second Baron died in 1533 and his executors sold Seend manor to William Sharington of Lacock
Lacock
Lacock is a village in Wiltshire, England, 3 miles from the town of Chippenham. The village is owned almost in its entirety by the National Trust, and attracts many visitors by virtue of its unspoiled appearance.-History:...
in 1539. William left Seend to his brother Henry in 1553, who left it to his daughter Grace
Grace Mildmay
Grace Mildmay was an English noblewoman, diarist and medical practitioner. Her autobiography is one of the earliest existing autobiographies of an English woman. Originally from Wiltshire, she married Sir Anthony Mildmay in 1567 and moved to Apethorpe Hall, his father's home in Northamptonshire...
and son-in-law Sir Anthony Mildmay
Anthony Mildmay
Sir Anthony Mildmay was a country gentleman from Northamptonshire, England, who served as Member of Parliament for Wiltshire from 1584 to 1586 and as English ambassador in Paris in 1597.-Early life:...
in 1581. Mildmay died in 1617 and Grace in 1620, leaving Seend to their daughter Mary and son-in-law Francis Fane
Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland
Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmorland, KB head of the Fane family, of Mereworth in Kent, and then of Apethorpe in Northamptonshire, was first a Member of Parliament and then an English peer...
, who was created 1st Earl of Westmorland in 1624. Seend remained in the family until Charles Fane, 3rd Earl of Westmorland
Charles Fane, 3rd Earl of Westmorland
Charles Fane, 3rd Earl of Westmorland was a British peer and member of the House of Lords. Before succeeding to the peerage, he had been a Member of Parliament for Peterborough from 1660 to 1666....
sold it to Sir Richard Blake in 1668.
Sir Richard died in 1683 and his widow Elizabeth married Edward Hearst. They mortgaged Seend in 1690. After their deaths, Seend passed to Elizabeth and Sir Richard's daughter Mary, who was married to a Robert Dormer. Robert and Mary left Seend to their daughter Elizabeth and her husband John Fortescue Aland
John Fortescue Aland, 1st Baron Fortescue of Credan
John Fortescue Aland, 1st Baron Fortescue of Credan was an English lawyer, politician and judge. He was also a writer on English legal and constitutional history, said to have influenced Thomas Jefferson....
, who in 1746 was created Baron Fortescue of Credan
Baron Fortescue of Credan
Baron Fortescue of Credan, in the County of Waterford, was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 15 August 1746 for John Fortescue Aland...
in the Peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
. The last known record of the manor dates from 1723.
Parish church
Seend was a chapelry of the ecclesiastical parish of Melksham by the latter part of the 13th century, when Hugh of TrowbridgeTrowbridge
Trowbridge is the county town of Wiltshire, England, situated on the River Biss in the west of the county, approximately 12 miles southeast of Bath, Somerset....
had succeeded Ingram as capellano parochiali ("parish chaplain"). Seend had its own churchwarden
Churchwarden
A churchwarden is a lay official in a parish church or congregation of the Anglican Communion, usually working as a part-time volunteer. Holders of these positions are ex officio members of the parish board, usually called a vestry, parish council, parochial church council, or in the case of a...
s from 1663, raised its own poor rate
Poor rate
In England and Wales, under the 1601 Elizabethan Poor Law the poor rate was a tax on property levied on the parish which was used to provide poor relief to the parish poor. The tax was collected by local magistrates or Overseers of the Poor, and later by Local Authorities....
from 1734 but was not made a separate ecclesiastical parish until 1873.
The Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
of the Holy Cross is built of rubble stone
Rubble masonry
Rubble masonry is rough, unhewn building stone set in mortar, but not laid in regular courses. It may appear as the outer surface of a wall or may fill the core of a wall which is faced with unit masonry such as brick or cut stone....
faced with ashlar
Ashlar
Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...
. The oldest part may be the low west tower, which predates the late 15th century Perpendicular Gothic nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
. The Perpendicular Gothic north aisle is also late 15th century, paid for by the clothier John Stokes (died 1498). There are memorial brasses
Monumental brass
Monumental brass is a species of engraved sepulchral memorial which in the early part of the 13th century began to partially take the place of three-dimensional monuments and effigies carved in stone or wood...
to Stokes and his wife in the north aisle. Over the chancel arch are traces of either a carved rood or a wall painting
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
of the Crucifixion
Crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion of Jesus and his ensuing death is an event that occurred during the 1st century AD. Jesus, who Christians believe is the Son of God as well as the Messiah, was arrested, tried, and sentenced by Pontius Pilate to be scourged, and finally executed on a cross...
.
Holy Cross has a west gallery
West gallery music
West Gallery Music, also known as "Georgian psalmody" refers to the sacred music sung and played in English parish churches, as well as nonconformist chapels, from 1700 to around 1850...
that was built early in the 18th century. It bears two dates: 1706 and 1726. The chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
was rebuilt
Victorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
in 1876 to designs by the architect A.J. Style. The font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
is Perpendicular Gothic. It was dug up and restored to the church in 1939.
By 1553 the tower had three bells; it now has a ring
Change ringing
Change ringing is the art of ringing a set of tuned bells in a series of mathematical patterns called "changes". It differs from many other forms of campanology in that no attempt is made to produce a conventional melody....
of six. Four of the bells, including the treble, were cast in 1636 by Roger Purdue I of Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
. The fifth bell was cast in 1793 by Robert and James Wells of Aldbourne. In 1880 Mears and Stainbank of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry
Whitechapel Bell Foundry
The Whitechapel Bell Foundry is a bell foundry in Whitechapel in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in the East End of London. The foundry is listed by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest manufacturing company in Great Britain...
cast the present tenor bell and recast one of Purdue's 1636 bells. In 1912 W&J Taylor of Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
recast Purdue's treble bell.
Chapel
There were both Quaker believers and PresbyterianPresbyterianism
Presbyterianism refers to a number of Christian churches adhering to the Calvinist theological tradition within Protestantism, which are organized according to a characteristic Presbyterian polity. Presbyterian theology typically emphasizes the sovereignty of God, the authority of the Scriptures,...
ministers in the Seend area by about 1648. In 1672 Benjamin Rutty of Seend was licenced to be a Presbyterian teacher and to use his house for that purpose. By 1717 Seend had a congregation of 52 Presbyterians, to whom a minister from Devizes preached once a month.
In 1749 John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
preached at Seend. Thereafter, non-conformist
Nonconformism
Nonconformity is the refusal to "conform" to, or follow, the governance and usages of the Church of England by the Protestant Christians of England and Wales.- Origins and use:...
Christians in Seend seem to have become part of the Methodist
Methodism
Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...
movement.
Construction of Seend Methodist
Methodist Church of Great Britain
The Methodist Church of Great Britain is the largest Wesleyan Methodist body in the United Kingdom, with congregations across Great Britain . It is the United Kingdom's fourth largest Christian denomination, with around 300,000 members and 6,000 churches...
Chapel began in 1774. It was completed in 1775 and opened by John Wesley. The chapel was registered for marriages in 1854. The building is red brick with ashlar stone quoin
Quoin (architecture)
Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...
s and lancet window
Lancet window
A lancet window is a tall narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural motif are most often found in Gothic and ecclesiastical structures, where they are often placed singly or in pairs.The motif first...
s in an Early English style grouped in pairs and triplets. It has been a Grade 2 listed building since 1981.
Secular buildings
Hill Farm house in the High Street dates from the 15th century and has partly original timber framingTimber framing
Timber framing , or half-timbering, also called in North America "post-and-beam" construction, is the method of creating structures using heavy squared off and carefully fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs . It is commonplace in large barns...
including a cruck
Cruck
A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...
. It has brick nogging and a stone slate roof. Dial House has its origins in the 15th century with its ashlar chimney breast
Chimney breast
A chimney breast is a portion of a wall which projects forward over a fireplace. Chimney jambs similarly project from the wall, but they do so on either side of the fireplace and serve to support the chimney breast. The interior of a chimney breast is commonly filled with brickwork or concrete....
, but the rest is 18th century red brick facings. There is a 16th century timber framed and painted brick farmhouse in Spout Lane.
Seend Green House, near the east end of the village, was in existence before the end of the 17th century. It is a plain, ashlar-faced building of three storeys and seven bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
. Its porch at the side with pairs of Tuscan
Tuscan order
Among canon of classical orders of classical architecture, the Tuscan order's place is due to the influence of the Italian Sebastiano Serlio, who meticulously described the five orders including a "Tuscan order", "the solidest and least ornate", in his fourth book of Regole generalii di...
columns was added slightly later.
Seend House, west of the parish church, is late 18th century. It is an ashlar-faced building of three storeys and six bays, with a porch of paired Tuscan columns. It has a pair of lodges, each fronted with four Tuscan columns.
Seend Manor House
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
was built in 1768. It has two storeys, five bays, and an Ionic
Ionic order
The Ionic order forms one of the three orders or organizational systems of classical architecture, the other two canonic orders being the Doric and the Corinthian...
porch.
Economic history
In 1666 the antiquarianAntiquarian
An antiquarian or antiquary is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient objects of art or science, archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts...
John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...
observed an iron ore field at Seend and in 1684 he noted that Seend had a chalybeate
Chalybeate
Chalybeate waters, also known as ferruginous waters, are mineral spring waters containing salts of iron.-Name:The word "chalybeate" is derived from the Latin word for steel, "chalybs", which follows from the Greek word "khalups"...
well that attracted "much company". The ore field was evidently the source of the iron oxide in the chalybeate waters. A chalybeate spring at Seend was discovered or rediscovered in 1813. In 1815 a saline
Saline water
Saline water is a general term for water that contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts . The concentration is usually expressed in parts per million of salt....
spring was discovered and a spa company was founded, which built a pump room and houses for visitors. The Spa prospered until 1822.
The Kennet and Avon Canal
Kennet and Avon Canal
The Kennet and Avon Canal is a waterway in southern England with an overall length of , made up of two lengths of navigable river linked by a canal. The name is commonly used to refer to the entire length of the navigation rather than solely to the central canal section...
was built between 1794 and 1810. It passes about 0.4 miles (643.7 m) north of Seend village and even closer to Seend Cleeve.
The Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
built the Devizes Branch Line between 1854 and 1857. It passes about 0.6 miles (965.6 m) north of Seend village and Seend railway station
Seend railway station
Seend was the railway station serving Seend in Wiltshire, England. The station was a stop on the Devizes Branch Line, between Semington and Bromham & Rowde...
was built to serve the area. British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
ways closed the line and station in 1966.
The opening of the railway encouraged quarrying of the iron ore field, which began in the middle of the 19th century and continued intermittently for the next century or so. 77,984 tons
Long ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
of brown haematite
Limonite
Limonite is an ore consisting in a mixture of hydrated iron oxide-hydroxide of varying composition. The generic formula is frequently written as FeO·nH2O, although this is not entirely accurate as limonite often contains a varying amount of oxide compared to hydroxide.Together with hematite, it has...
were quarried between 1855 and 1861 and a further 86,443 tons between 1871 and 1874. Quarrying was renewed during the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and was still continuing in 1950. Seend Ironstone Quarry and Road Cutting
Seend Ironstone Quarry and Road Cutting
Seend Ironstone Quarry And Road Cutting is a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest at Seend in Wiltshire, notified in 1965.Iron ore was quarried and smelted in Seend from the 1850s with three blast furnaces fifty feet high, and employed 300 men...
is now a Geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
School
Seend Church School was built by Thomas Bruges in 1832 and opened the following year. In 1859 a report criticised the schoolmaster and schoolmistress as uncertificated and the building as damp and unsatisfactory. In 1869 a Government grant paid for a new school building and by 1872 the school was receiving regular Government funding. Attendance grew from 77 in 1872 to 132 in 1893 and 108 children and 56 infants in 1910. Thereafter attendance declined to 68 children and 32 infants in 1938. There were 114 children of all ages in 1950. It is now Seend Church of England Voluntary AidedVoluntary aided school
A voluntary aided school is a state-funded school in England and Wales in which a foundation or trust owns the school buildings, contributes to building costs and has a substantial influence in the running of the school...
Primary School.
Amenities
Seend has two public houses, the Bell Inn and the Three Magpies. Both are controlled by Wadworth BreweryWadworth Brewery
Wadworth is a regional brewery founded in 1875 in Devizes, Wiltshire, England. They are particularly famous for their 6X beer, but also are a major brewery in the South of England.-History:...
.