Somerset Part 9

_Emborrow_ (the first syllable perhaps a corruption of _Elm_), a small hamlet on the Mendips, 1-1/2 m. N. of Binegar Station. The church is a forlorn-looking building with a central tower containing a 14th-cent.

sanctus-bell. _Emborrow Pool_ is a dismal sheet of water bordering the main road and surrounded by trees. It has the appearance of being rapidly silted up.

_Englishcombe_, a small and rather uncouth-looking village 3 m. S.W.

from Bath, and 1-1/2 m. S.W. from Twerton Station (G.W.R.). It still retains something of the aloofness which once characterised it as an English outpost on the Welsh border, and is worth a visit. The church is of considerable antiquarian interest. It consists of a Perp. nave, a central Norm. tower, and a Norm. chancel. A Perp. chapel, now occupied by the organ, adjoins the porch. Externally, note the fantastic corbel table round chancel. Within, it has two good pointed Norm. arches, and on the N. wall of tower a well-preserved Norm., arcade. Observe (1) detached Norm. capitals on N. wall, (2) panelling round splay of W.

window of nave and S. window of chapel. Almost opposite to the S.

entrance to the churchyard is a t.i.the barn once belonging to Bath Abbey, which still shows some indication of its ecclesiastical origin.

At the W. end of graveyard is a farm-house with orchard, and beyond this is a field where may be seen a good specimen of the Wansd.y.k.e. Near the village once stood a castle of the De Gourneys. The site is marked by a mound on a neighbouring estate.

_Enmore_, a village 5 m. S.W. of Bridgwater, on the road leading to the S.E. extremity of the Quantocks. Its church has a good tower, noticeable for the pinnacles that crown the staircase turret. The tower-vault is groined, the chancel arch panelled, and there is a Norm.

S. door (belonging to a former fabric) with carved capitals and good mouldings. Note (1) the carved wooden pulpit, (2) the niche, supported by an angel, on the S. face of the tower. In the churchyard there is the broken shaft of a cross. _Enmore Park_ (W.B. Broadmead) is hard by.

It was formerly called Enmore Castle, and once belonged to the Malets.

_Evercreech_ is a large village 3-1/2 m. S.S.E. from Shepton Mallet, with a station on the S. & D. J.R. The first syllable of the name probably means "boar" (cognate with the Latin _aper_), and recurs in Eversley. It is famed for its church, which has perhaps the most graceful tower in all Somerset; its double, long-panelled windows, b.u.t.tresses, and cl.u.s.tered pinnacles are particularly fine. The earliest part of the building is the chancel (14th cent.), with Dec. windows at the E. and N.; the rest of the church is Perp., the S. aisle being modern. Note (1) wooden roof of nave, the colours of which are believed to reproduce the original; (2) carving of gallery in the tower; (3) brackets (perhaps for lights) on piers of N. arcade; (4) quaint inscription behind the organ, of the date 1596. Outside the churchyard is a much defaced cross. S.S.E. of the village is the commanding eminence of _Creech Hill_, where there seem to be traces of earthworks, and whence a fine view is obtainable, with the town of Bruton in the valley to the S., and Stourton Tower conspicuous on the hills to the E.

_Exford_, a village on the fringe of Exmoor "Forest," near the source of the Exe, 12 m. N.W. from Dulverton Station. It is one of the many rendezvous of the huntsman, as there are kennels here for staghounds and harriers. The houses are dropped into a hollow of the moors through which trickles the stream. The church braves the gale on the hill top above. It is remarkable for nothing but its exposed situation, a thousand feet above sea-level--a fact which has no doubt necessitated its frequent renewal. The tower is original, but the nave and chancel are modern. The S. aisle appears to have been built chiefly out of a legacy left by a local blacksmith about 1532. Note the Devonshire foliage on capitals. The churchyard contains the base of a cross locally known as the "Crying Stone," from its appropriation by the parish beadle as a pedestal for proclamations. At the churchyard gate is a "lipping" or mounting stone.

_Exmoor_. Though generally a.s.sociated in the popular mind with Devonshire, Exmoor is really, in the main, a part of Somerset. It is the highest, wildest, and most fascinating portion of the county--a truly delightsome land, a veritable paradise for the sportsman and the painter. The red deer run wild at will over the moors, or find a congenial covert in the oak scrub which clothes the combes. Brawling brooks abound on all sides to entice the angler and interest the artist, and a charming strip of sea-coast must also be numbered amongst its attractions. Though mainly given over to the sportsman and the tourist, efforts have from time to time been made to civilise these wilds. In general they have proved futile. Mines have been sunk only to be abandoned, and the agriculturist has fared little better than the miner. Early in the last century, a Mr Knight made an heroic effort to enclose a large portion of the moor for the purposes of cultivation.

The heather, however, is still triumphant. The only memorial of his ambition is a ruined mansion at Simonsbath. The hills are all of considerable alt.i.tude--well over 1200 ft.--but with the exception of Dunkery few can pretend to any marked individuality. The landscape is a mere "tumultuous waste of huge hill-tops," which no one takes the trouble to specify. Perhaps the least praiseworthy feature of Exmoor is its weather. To adapt a Cornish description of something quite different, "when it's bad, it's execrable; and when it's good, it's only middlin'." It has a disagreeable partiality for haze and drizzle.

In such an untamed region "routes" are only an embarra.s.sment. The regulation drive is from Minehead to Dulverton, and from Dulverton through Simonsbath to Lynton, which virtually circ.u.mscribes the moor.

The best way, however, is to turn oneself loose in the district, and ramble over the moors at will. The st.u.r.dy tourist will find many an exhilarating excursion. Winsford, Exford, Withypool, and Simonsbath are all worth seeing. Dunkery Beacon (1707 ft.) may be conveniently ascended on the Porlock side from Luccombe or Cloutsham, and on the Dulverton side from Wheddon Cross, near Cutcombe.

[Ill.u.s.tration: TARR STEPS, EXMOOR]

_Exton_, a village 8 m. N. of Dulverton Station, picturesquely perched on the hillside overlooking the valley of the Exe. The church is without interest.

_Farleigh Hungerford_, a small village 7 m. S.S.E. of Bath. It is a place of some interest to the antiquarian, and should be visited in conjunction with Hinton Charterhouse from Freshford Station (2 m.). Its attractions consist of a few crumbling fragments of a castle once belonging to the Hungerfords, and the contents of the castle chapel.

The ruins stand on the shoulder of a deep defile descending into a wooded bottom called Danes' Ditch. The annals of the castle are long rather than stirring. An old manor house of the Montforts was transformed into a castle by Sir Walter Hungerford (d. 1449), who spent upon the alterations the ransom which he had obtained for the capture of the Duke of Orleans at the Battle of Agincourt. In the Great Rebellion it was, curiously enough, held for the king whilst its owner was commanding the Parliamentary forces in Wilts. To one of the existing towers a grim story is attached. In the unchivalrous days of Henry VIII. a Sir W. Hungerford, who, like his royal master, was a much married man, consigned his third wife to these uninviting quarters, and kept her under lock and key, with a chaplain for her only attendant.

The lady, however, not only survived this knightly Bluebeard, but had the courage to contract a second marriage. The general arrangements of the castle are not very obvious to the casual observer. It seems to have consisted of a gatehouse and an outer and inner court. The inner enclosure was flanked by four cylindrical towers, and contained the dwelling-rooms, which overlooked the ravine. On its accessible side the castle was protected by a moat. Nothing now remains but the gatehouse, a few fragments of the enclosing walls, the remains of two towers, and the chapel. Pa.s.sing under the gatehouse, the visitor will see the chapel and inner court on the R. The Chapel of St Leonard (keys to be obtained at inn above, fee 3d.) is now a museum, and contains a good collection of armour. Amongst other curiosities on show are a "He"

Bible, a pair of Cromwell's boots, and one of his letters. A gigantic fresco of St George adorns the E. wall, and beneath the E. window is the original stone altar. The Chapel of St Anne, on the N., is shut off by an iron grille, and contains some fine monuments: (1) in centre, a costly marble cenotaph with effigies of Sir E. Hungerford, the Parliamentarian, and his wife Margaret (1648), (2) within the grille, Sir T. Hungerford and his wife Joan (1398-1412), (3) on N., Sir E.

Hungerford and wife (1607), (4) against W. wall, tomb of Mrs Shaa (1613), with panel of kneeling figures. In the S.E. corner of main building is a plain altar-tomb of Sir W. Hungerford and son (1596). The font is said to have been brought from the church. At its foot is a slab with incised figure of a chantry priest of unknown ident.i.ty.

Beneath the side chapel is a vault (to which access can be obtained outside) containing the leaded corpses of several members of the family. The parish church of St Leonard stands on the other side of the road on rising ground overlooking the ruins. It is a small plain Perp.

building with square W. tower surmounted by a short pyramidal spire. It is somewhat quaint, but contains nothing of interest except an altar made out of an ancient settle. Over the doorway is a semicircular stone bearing a curious Latin inscription, said to be not later than 1200 A.D. It is supposed to have belonged either to an earlier building or to some dismantled church in the neighbourhood. Below the church is _Farleigh House_, a picturesque modern mansion.

_Farmborough_, a biggish village 8 m. S.W. from Bath (nearest stat.

Clutton, 2-1/2 miles). The church is modern, but has a Perp. W. tower.

The chancel contains a piscina, and there is a ribbed stone squint.

Near the village is _Barrow Hill_, a conical-shaped eminence.

_Farrington Gurney_, a pleasant village on the Bristol and Wells road, 8 m. N.E. from Wells (nearest stat. Hallatrow, 1 m.). On the Midsomer Norton road is an old manor house. The church, which lies beyond the house in a field, is modern (1843), but occupies an ancient ecclesiastical site. Over the W. doorway is a small Norm. effigy, called by the natives "Old Farrington." The churchyard contains the base of an ancient cross.

_Fiddington_, a parish 7 m. N.W. of Bridgwater. Its church retains a few carved seat ends, an oak pulpit, and a piscina, but presents no other feature of interest.

_Fitzhead_, a village 2 m. N. of Milverton. The church has been rebuilt, with the exception of the tower. In the churchyard is a good specimen of an effigied cross (cp. Wivelis...o...b..). Hard by is _Fitzhead Court_, an ancient manor house said to contain a good plaster ceiling.

_Fivehead_, a parish 5 m. S.W. of Langport. The church has two Dec.

windows in the chancel, the rest are Perp. There is a 16th-cent. tomb of John Walshe, and an ancient Norm. font with double mouldings. Note in the S. aisle (1) piscina, (2) remains of canopy. The manor house, the home of the Walshes, now a farm, preserves the old hall.

_Flax Bourton_, a parish 5 m. S.W. of Bristol (with a station), is said to owe the first part of its name to the abbey of Flaxley in Gloucestershire, which possessed the princ.i.p.al estate in the parish.

The small Perp. church is noteworthy for the 12th-cent. Norm. work preserved in it, which consists of (1) a S. door, exceptionally tall and narrow, with banded pillars and a quaint carving of St Michael and the Dragon; (2) a chancel arch, recessed, with curious carvings on the chamfer of the abacus and on the capitals. Note also (1) terminals of the label of the S. chancel windows, (2) font.

_Foxcote_ (or _Forscote_) is a small hamlet 2 m. E.N.E. of Radstock.

The church is modern, with the exception of the tower.

_Freshford_, a village near the confluence of the Frome and Avon (with a station), 5 m. S.E. of Bath. The church is Perp., with a W. tower.

_Freshford Manor House_ once belonged to the priory of Hinton Charterhouse.

[Ill.u.s.tration: MARKET PLACE, FROME]

FROME, a thriving market town of some 11,000 inhabitants, on the E.

side of the county, with a station on the G.W.R. line to Weymouth.

Though its surroundings are pretty, the town itself is an ill-arranged collection of steep and narrow streets, one of which--Cheap Street--deserves notice for its quaintness. The s.p.a.ciousness of the market-place redeems the narrowness of the streets. With the exception of a little faint-hearted sympathy shown to Monmouth, Frome has never helped to make history. Nowadays it does a brisk trade in woollen cloth, and possesses some large printing-works, breweries, and art-metal works. The visitor would do well to make his way at once to the church, which is practically the only thing in Frome worth seeing.

It is a building of much greater dignity within than the exterior suggests, and has been restored on a very elaborate scale by a former inc.u.mbent, the Rev. W.J. Bennett (1852-66), a figure of note in the early Ritualistic controversies. The tower, crowned with a spire, is somewhat eccentricly placed at the E. end of the S. aisle. The interior is remarkable for its heterogeneous mixture of styles and its mult.i.tude of side chapels, of which St Nicholas's, the Lady Chapel, and St John Baptist's are on the N., and St Andrew's on the S. A Saxon church was built on the site by St Aldhelm, and possibly a couple of carved stones built into the interior of the tower may have belonged to it. This was succeeded in the 12th cent. by a Norm. church, of which a doorway remains, leading from St Nicholas's Chapel to the Lady Chapel, and perhaps a piscina opposite the latter; in the 13th cent. the chancel arch, the lower part of the tower, and the eastern half of the arcade were erected The rest of the arcade was added in the 15th cent. The abrupt change in the mouldings is very noticeable. The Lady Chapel, originally Norm. (see above), was rebuilt at this time, as well as St John's Chapel (now the organ-chamber). The chapel of St Nicholas (the baptistery) dates from the 16th cent.; the old gla.s.s in it bears the rebus of Cable, the founder of it (K and a bell). St Andrew's Chapel is said to have been founded in 1412 (though it looks like Dec. work).

Interesting features are (1) piscinas above the rood and in the S.

aisle, (2) a _memento mori_ in the Lady Chapel (said to be a Leversedge of Vallis), (3) bra.s.s (1506) on tower wall. The rood-screen, the statues at the W., the medallions above the arcade, and the _Calvary Steps_ outside the building are all modern. In the churchyard, beneath the E. window, is the tomb of Bishop Ken, who, after his "uncanonical deposition," lived in retirement at Longleat, and, dying in 1711, was buried at his own request "just at sunrising in the nearest parish church within his own diocese."

GLAs...o...b..RY, a small market-town of some 4000 people in the centre of the county, 6 m. S. from Wells. It has a station on the S. & D. line from Evercreech to Bridgwater. The site of Glas...o...b..ry is almost as conspicuous in a Somerset landscape as its name is in Somerset history.

Its huge conical tor, crowned by a tower, rises like a gigantic sugar-loaf from the surrounding plain, and is visible to half the county. The neighbourhood is a happy hunting-ground for the antiquary, and one of the "regulation" sights for the casual tourist. No one can be said to have "done" Somerset who has not seen Glas...o...b..ry. Its a.s.sociations are romantic as well as historical. Though the modern town is commonplace enough, poetry and piety, fact and fiction, have conspired to make it famous. Here was the cradle of British Christianity. In this "deep meadowed island, fair with orchard lawns"--the fabled _Avalon_--blossomed the flower of British chivalry in the persons of Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. It was when a Glas...o...b..ry monk that Dunstan made his vigorous onslaught on the powers of darkness. And it was this "parcel of ground," already consecrated by the bones of St Patrick, King Edgar, and St David, which became the favourite burying-place of mediaeval saints and heroes. The legend which accounted for its early pre-eminence is even in these sceptical days worth retelling, for from its popularity the future importance of the abbey sprang. Joseph of Arimathaea was despatched by St Philip along with eleven companions "to carry the tidings of the blessed Gospel" to the sh.o.r.es of remote Britain. Providential winds wafted them across the waters of the Severn Sea, and at length the wayworn travellers landed at Glas...o...b..ry, then an island. As their leader, like Jacob, leant in worship on the top of his staff on Wearyall Hill, the rod took root and became a thorn tree, which blossomed every year as surely as the Feast of the Nativity came round.

The "Holy Grail" (the cup of blessing from the Last Supper), which Joseph brought with him, he buried at the foot of Glas...o...b..ry Tor, and from the place of its sepulchre gushed forth the b.l.o.o.d.y Spring, which may be duly inspected to this day. The pilgrims made more friends than disciples, and the king, after a dilatory conversion, set apart for the maintenance of the newcomers "twelve hides of land." Here the evangelists possessed their souls in patience and built for worship a little shrine of wattle and daub, which was many generations afterwards found intact when fresh missionaries came to re-evangelise the islanders. Round this _vetusta ecclesia_ gathered the subsequent glories of the monastery. This long-cherished tradition enshrines sufficient fact to justify Glas...o...b..ry's claim to be "the only tie still abiding between the vanished Church of the Briton and the Church of the Englishman." Its authentic history begins with its foundation as a monastery by that ecclesiastically-minded layman, King Ina (688-726), who built a church here and dedicated it to St Peter and St Paul.

Dunstan, himself a Glas...o...b..ry man, by the austerity of his conduct and the vigour of his administration, made the fame of this early religious house. With the coming of the Normans grander ideas prevailed. Abbots Thurstan (A.D. 1082) and Herlewinus (1101-20) both projected buildings of some pretensions, but Henry of Blois, brother of King Stephen, abbot in 1126, was the first great builder. Henry's church was a fabric of much magnificence, but it completely perished in a fire in 1184, and Henry II., in one of his occasional fits of piety, charged himself with its rebuilding, and entrusted the work to his chamberlain Ralph, who, upon the site of Joseph's legendary shrine, erected the present beautiful chapel of St Mary (_c._ 1186). With the death of the king the work languished, for no funds were forthcoming from the empty pockets of his "lion-hearted" successor; and it was not until 1303 that the great church whose ruins still survive was finally dedicated. Even then the fabric was not complete. It took two centuries to add the finishing touches. Abbot Sodbury (1322-35) vaulted the nave, and it was left for one of his successors, Walter Monington (1341-74), to fill in the vaulting of the choir. Not content with the already considerable dimensions of the church, Monington extended the chancel two bays eastwards; and Abbot Bere (1493-1524) added another chapel, and propped the tower by inverted arches. Characteristic traces of the respective periods may still be observed. Until the Reformation the abbey had a career of unrivalled influence and splendour. It yielded precedence only to St Albans, and the abbot was said never to travel abroad with a retinue of less than 100 retainers. Such wealth was not likely to elude the comprehensive grasp of Henry VIII. Glas...o...b..ry was involved in the general ruin of the monasteries. The fate of its last abbot, Richard Whiting, is one of the tragic stories of the time. Though a "weak man and ailing," he refused to surrender the property of his abbey. But Thomas Cromwell had a "short way" with pa.s.sive resisters. In his private "remonstrances," amongst other jottings was found, "Item--The Abbot of Glaston to be tried at Glaston, and also executed there." In accordance with this pre-arranged programme Whiting was arraigned at Wells, November 14, 1538, on a quite unsupported charge of treason, and in the great hall of the palace sentenced to death. The next day he was drawn on a hurdle to the tor, and there hanged, and his head fixed on the abbey gateway. After this judicial murder the monastic property at once fell to the Crown.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ST. JOSEPHS CHAPEL, GLAs...o...b..RY]

The entrance to the ruins is through a gateway opposite the George Hotel. The abbey cannot be seen from the street, but this obscure entry conducts the visitor to the porter's lodge (entrance 6d.). The most perfectly preserved portion of the buildings is the chapel of St Mary, commonly known as _St Joseph's Chapel_. It stands on the site of St Joseph's legendary shrine, and formed a kind of Galilee to the W.

entrance of the church. It is rectangular in plan, with a square turret crowned by a pyramidal cap rising from each corner, only two of which now remain. It is one of the most beautiful specimens of Trans. work in England. The decoration is rich and abundant--"no possible ornament has been omitted." Note (1) fine N. doorway (which should be compared with the S. porch of Malmesbury), (2) arcading round interior face of wall, (3) triplet at W. end, (4) remains of vaulting, (5) shallow external b.u.t.tresses. Beneath the now demolished flooring is a small crypt of 15th-cent. work. It was probably excavated to provide extra burial accommodation. Observe on S. side a well within a round-headed recess.

The chapel originally stood apart from the great church, but was eventually joined up to the larger building by a continuation of the chapel walls. The extension is at once detected by the late character of the work. Note change of arcading from Norm. to E.E., and the E.E.

entrance to the church. Of the latter very little now remains. There still stand the piers of the chancel arch, portions of the walls of the choir and nave aisles, and a little chapel which opened out of the N.

transept. But these remains, slight though they are, are sufficient to indicate the general design of the church and its huge dimensions.

Though there is an evident attempt to keep up the character of the ornamentation displayed in St Mary's chapel, the workmanship is much later; and a still later development is noticeable in the two easternmost bays of the choir, thrown out by Abbot Monington (1371-74).

Note (1) lancets of nave, pointed externally, rounded internally, (2) pointed lancets of choir, (3) square abaci to pilasters of lancets (cp.

Wells), (4) traces of Dec. work in vaulting ribs of nave, (5) absence of bench-table in Monington's additions, (6) fragment of Perp.

panelling on E. side of chancel arch. The general plan of the church followed the arrangements of the great Benedictine abbeys, which were all designed with a view to a stately ritual and imposing processions.

There was a lofty nave of ten bays, with corresponding aisles, a choir of three bays, also with processional aisles (Monington's extension was evidently intended to form a further path behind the high altar), and N. and S. transepts, each with a pair of E. chapels. A large central tower surmounted the whole, which, like that of Wells, is said to have been braced internally with inverted arches. The cloisters ab.u.t.ted on to the S. aisle of the church (note the higher sills of the windows), and beyond these again were the cloister garth, the refectory, dormitory, and domestic offices. The only remains of this part of the monastery is the _Abbot's Kitchen_, with a contiguous fragment of the almonry, and a portion of the great gateway of the monastery, now incorporated in the "Red Lion" inn. The flowering thorn tree--a descendant of Joseph's budding staff--should be noticed near the porter's lodge. The _Abbot's Kitchen_ may be inspected at an extra charge of 6d. (entrance in Magdalene Street, just below Museum). It is a handsome stone building, now standing by itself in the middle of a field, and not at all suggestive of culinary appointments. Externally it is square at the base, but is crowned with an octagonal superstructure carrying a pyramidal roof and lantern. Within, huge fireplaces, once surmounted externally by chimneys, are set across the four corners, making the interior altogether an octagon. On one face is the effigy of a mitred abbot. The vaulted roof is supported by stone ribs, and egress for the steam is cunningly contrived in the windows.

Its date is 1435-40. Another surviving remnant of monastic property will be found in Bere Lane at the top of Chilk-wall Street. This is a very fine cruciform barn similar to those at Doulting and Pilton, but rather richer in detail. The windows are traceried, and have above them figures of the four Evangelists, and ecclesiastical effigies stand as finials on two of the gables.

The other objects of interest in Glas...o...b..ry are (1) the _George Inn_ in High Street opposite the abbey entrance--a fine 15th-cent. structure (said to have been built by Abbot Selwood) which once served as the pilgrims' hostelry; (2) the _Tribunal_--a few doors higher up--probably the court-house where the abbey officials interviewed their clients (observe escutcheon above doorway); (3) the almhouses and chapel in Magdalene Street (entrance through Red Lion gateway, once part of the main entrance of the monastery), founded by Abbot Bere in 1512 (note founder's rebus above gateway of court); (4) Market Cross, a modern structure of good design standing on the site of an ancient hexagonal cross; (5) museum in Magdalene Street, containing several "finds" from the neighbouring lake village (see _G.o.dney_); (6) the churches of St John and St Benignus. The latter, in St Benedict Street, has a well-designed tower, but is not otherwise noteworthy (observe stoups in porch and Abbot Bere's rebus on parapet above porch). A flood which in 1606 inundated the neighbourhood is said to have reached to the foot of the tower. St John's Church in High Street, built by Abbot Selwood in 1465, has, on the contrary, some pretensions to magnificence. The tower especially is worthy of observation, as it is considered by some to be amongst the finest in the county. This, however, is an extravagant opinion. The arrangement of the windows superficially resembles that at Chewton Mendip, those of the belfry being reproduced in the stage below; but the lower pair are not an exact repet.i.tion of the pair above. It will be noted that the string courses are carried round the b.u.t.tresses. The elaborate cresting is rich but meretricious. The interior, Perp. throughout, is lofty and s.p.a.cious, but the general effect is spoilt by the timber supports which are found necessary to sh.o.r.e up the chancel arch. Note externally (1) bell-cot above chancel (cp. Wrington), (2) groined S. porch with parvise above: internally (1) plain altar-tombs on either side of sanctuary, (2) groined vault to tower, (3) at S.W. end the tomb, with effigy, of one Camel, an abbey official (observe camels on panels below), (4) finely carved stone pulpit, (5) wooden roof of nave, (6) good E. window.

[Ill.u.s.tration: GLAs...o...b..RY TOR]

A climb should be taken to the top of the _Tor_--500 ft. above sea-level. The original chapel of St Michael was destroyed by a landslide in 1271. The Perp. tower subsequently erected still remains, though deprived of its upper storey. Note _bas-reliefs_ over doorway, and tablet with figured eagle below parapet. A spring, called the "Blood Spring," near the Tor is said to mark the spot where St Joseph buried the Holy Grail. _Wirrall_, or _Weary All Hill_, near the station, may also be scaled with advantage, if only for its traditional a.s.sociations. It was here that St Joseph landed, and his staff, taking root, developed into the miraculous thorn tree. The tree, however, no longer exists, for it was hewn in pieces by a Puritan soldier, who is said to have cut off his leg in the process as a penalty for his profanity. An offshoot of the parent thorn grows in the Abbey grounds.

_Goathurst_ is a village lying at the foot of the S.E. spur of the Quantocks, 4-1/2 m. S.W. from Bridgwater. It has an old church, with a heavy battlemented tower. The N. chapel contains a large monument with the effigies of Sir Nicholas Halswell (d. 1633) and his wife, surrounded by the kneeling figures of their nine children. The S.

chapel belongs to the Kemeys-Tyntes, and is decorated with numerous coats-of-arms round the cornice. Note the piscina in the chancel. Near the church is _Halswell House_ (C.T.H. Kemeys-Tynte), originally built in the Tudor period, containing some fine carving by Grinling Gibbons, and pictures by Salvator Rosa, Van Dyck, Ostade, Ruysdael, Reynolds, and others.

_G.o.dney_ (1-1/2 m. N.E. of Meare, 2 m. N. of Glas...o...b..ry) is famous for the remains of a lake village which have been discovered here. The village consisted of a number of dwellings, each built on a substructure of timber and brushwood, resting upon the marsh which once occupied the site, and held in position by small piles. Upon this base was laid a floor of clay, in the centre of which was a circular stone hearth (about 4 ft. in diameter); whilst the walls of the huts were made of timber, wattles, and daub. As the floors and hearths gradually sank in the yielding marsh, they had to be renewed from time to time; so that several successive layers of them have been found, resting upon one another. Round the collective huts which formed the village ran a palisade of piles, the enclosure being irregular in shape. The articles found in the village (many of which are in the Glas...o...b..ry Museum) show that the inhabitants practised agriculture, spinning, and weaving, and were acquainted with iron weapons. They are supposed to have been Celts by race; and the period to which they are a.s.signed falls between 300 B.C. and 100 A.D.

_Greinton_, a small parish on the S.W. flank of the Poldens (nearest stat. Shapwick, 4 m.). The church has an embattled tower with pyramidal top. The interesting features within are(1) carved bench-ends, dated 1621 (note lily on one); (2) two good wooden doors, N. and S.; (3) piscina on sill of S. window in chancel.

_Hallatrow_, a hamlet in the parish of High Littleton, 11 m. S. from Bristol, with a station on the Frome branch.