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The name Cheddar comes from the Old English word ceodor, meaning deep dark cavity or pouch.

There is evidence of occupation from the Neolithic period in Cheddar. Britain's oldest complete human skeleton, Cheddar Man, estimated to be 9,000 years old, was found in Cheddar Gorge in 1903.

Older remains from the Upper Late Palaeolithic era (12,000–13,000 years ago) have been found.

There is some evidence of a Bronze Age field system at the Batts Combe quarry site. There is also evidence of Bronze Age barrows at the mound in the Longwood valley, which if man-made it is likely to be a field system.

The remains of a Roman villa have been excavated in the grounds of the current vicarage.[10]


Reconstruction of the Saxon royal palace at Cheddar around 1000 AD

The village of Cheddar had been important during the Roman and Saxon eras.There was a royal palace at Cheddar during the Saxon period, which was used on three occasions in the 10th century to host the Witenagemot.

The ruins of the palace were excavated in the 1960s.

 They are located on the grounds of The Kings of Wessex Academy, together with a 14th century chapel dedicated to St. Columbanus.

Roman remains have also been uncovered at the site.

 Cheddar was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Ceder, meaning "Shear Water", from the Old English scear and Celtic dwr.

 An alternate spelling in earlier documents, common through the 1850s is Chedder.

 As early as 1130 AD, the Cheddar Gorge was recognised as one of the "Four wonders of England". Historically, Cheddar's source of wealth was farming and cheese making for which it was famous as early as 1170 AD.[17] The parish was part of the Winterstoke Hundred.

The manor of Cheddar was deforested in 1337 and Bishop Ralph was granted a licence by the King to create a hunting forest.

As early as 1527 there are records of watermills on the river. In the 17th and 18th centuries, there were several watermills which ground corn and made paper, with 13 mills on the Yeo at the peak, declining to seven by 1791 and just three by 1915. In the Victorian era it also became a centre for the production of clothing. The last mill, used as a shirt factory, closed in the early 1950s.[20] William Wilberforce saw the poor conditions of the locals when he visited Cheddar in 1789. He inspired Hannah More in her work to improve the conditions of the Mendip miners and agricultural workers.

 In 1801, 4,400 acres (18 km2) of common land were enclosed under the Inclosure Acts.

Tourism of the Cheddar gorge and caves began with the opening of the Cheddar Valley Railway in 1869.

Cheddar, its surrounding villages and specifically the gorge has been subject to flooding. In the Chew Stoke flood of 1968 the flow of water washed large boulders down the gorge, washed away cars, and damaged the cafe and the entrance to Gough's Cave.

Government

Cheddar is recognised as a village.

 The adjacent settlement of Axbridge, although only about a third the population of Cheddar, is a town. This apparently illogical situation is explained by the relative importance of the two places in historic times. While Axbridge grew in importance as a centre for cloth manufacturing in the Tudor period and gained a charter from King John, Cheddar remained a more dispersed mining and dairy-farming village. Its population grew with the arrival of the railways in the Victorian era and the advent of tourism.

The parish council, which has 15 members who are elected for four years, is responsible for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

The village is in the 'Cheddar and Shipham'electoral ward. After including Shipham the total population of the ward taken at the 2011 census is 6,842.


Cheddar Fire Station has a crew of retained firefighters

The village falls within the non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. It was previously part of Axbridge Rural District. Sedgemoor is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism . Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, the library, roads, public transport, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning, although fire, police and ambulance services are provided jointly with other authorities through the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service, Avon and Somerset Constabulary and the South Western Ambulance Service.

It is also part of the Wells county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and is part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects six MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.


CHEDDAR , a e t s C l i f f s a n a I t s C a b c s i .

T he Church— Chantries— Rood Loft— Piscixa— Stone Pulpit— Tombs— Porches— Yew Trees— De Chedder Family—Manors— Ancient Cross— Charities— National School—Mrs. Hannah More

— Friendly Societies— Manufactures—Paper— Cheese— Mines— Population.

This celebrated village, which has borne the several names of  Cheddour , Cedre , Cheddre , and now Cheddar, is supposed to have derived its name from Ced, signifying a brow or conspicuous height , and Dwr Water; it is situate at the foot of the Mendip Hills, on the southern side, about two miles from the borough-town of Axbridge, eight from the city of Wells, eighteen miles from the city of Bristol, and near twenty miles from the town of Bridgwater, in the eastern division of the county of Somerset. Its circuit is about twelve miles, and comprises 6633a. 3r. 12p. of land, of various soils (but chiefly limestone), distributed into meadow, pasture, and arable, interspersed with many orchards, whose appearance in the blooming season, when seen from the heights, adds much to the beauty of the prospect; the soil is particularly adapted to the growth of peas and potatoes, the early sorts of which are sent in large quantities to the Bristol market, where, from their excellent

6

quality, they generally obtain a preference. On the west the parish extends to the churchyard wall of Axbridge : on the southern boundary runs the river Axe, dividing it from Wedmore and Wear.

In the Cliffs rise the stream called Cheddar Water, which after turning several corn and paper mills, wends its serpentine course at the head of Cheddar Moor, through Axbridge and Cross Moors,

to a place called Redcliff, where it joins the river Axe, which thus united passes through the parishes of Loxton and Bleadon, and finally empties itself into the Bristol Channel, at Uphill.

In the year 1801, a most beneficial undertaking was completed by the enclosure and allotment in severalty of about 4000 acres of

land upon the Mendip Hills, and Lowlands, called Moors, which

before that time were held and occupied in common ; this enclosure

has been the cause of the formation of several farms on the summit

of the hill, which thentofore were applied to the feeding of sheep;

but in consequence of the enclosure and division have been cultivated, so as to produce considerable quantities of oats, barley, and

even wheat, besides potatoes and artificial grasses, whilst the more

rocky and shallow portions are still applied to the feeding of sheep

and young cattle. The total expense of perfecting the enclosure

amounted to ,£8119, of which large sum a portion was raised by

the sale of various parts of the waste lands, some in the moors, but

chiefly on the hills. The Commissioners for this enclosure were:—

F. E. Whalley, Esq., of Winscombe, John Billingsley, Esq., of

Oakhill, and John Band, Esq., of Wokey, who on the suggestion

and with the able assistance of Thomas Davis, Esq. (whose name

and merits have been most justly commemorated by the Bath Agricultural Society), and who was then the liberal steward of the

Marquis of Bath, caused the carriage road through the stupendous

chasm of Cheddar Cliffs to be formed through their whole extent;

before this incalculable benefit was conferred on the parish and on

the public, it was scarcely practicable for even a horse to pass

through from the immense masses of rock which had fallen into the

valley.

7

STfje

The Cliffs, thus made accessible, have been of late, and especially

during the last three or four years, visited by an immense number of

persons from every part of the United Kingdom, and from many

parts of the Continent, and even North America; for independent

of their natural beauties, which have been long appreciated and

celebrated in the most eulogistic style of commendation, the discovery of a very beautiful “ Stalactite Cave” at their entrance, and

the formation of tea-gardens and other accommodations, for the

pleasure and refreshment of visitors, have added greatly to the

attractions which before existed.

That the reader of this pamphlet may be made acquainted with

the estimation in which this great natural curiosity has been held

in ancient and more recent times, the following testimonies are

collected from various sources.

Shaw, in his Tour through the West of England, describes them

thus:—

“ About five miles north-west of Wookey Hole, near the small

“ town of Cheddar, remarkable for rich and large cheese, are large

“ Cliffs of the same name, and a stupendous chasm quite through

“ the body of the adjacent mountain, as if split asunder by some

“ violeut convulsion of nature, which exhibits an awful appearance

“ to strangers. Near the entrance is a remarkable spring of water

“ rising in a perpendicular direction from the rocky basis of the

“ hill, and so large and rapid is its stream that it turns a mill

“ within a few yards of its source, and afterwards falls into the

“ river Axe. Near to this is a curious Cavern, the entrance

“ of which is by an ascent of about fifteen fathoms among the rocks.

“ Neither this nor Okey Hole have any communication with the

“ mines of Mendip, though it is well known that in general among

“ lead mines there are caverns which are various both as to their

“ nature and situation.”

8

Collinson, in his History of Somerset in reference to the village

of Cheddar and its locality, says :—

“ The situation is rendered exceedingly fine by the contrast between

“ the lofty hills of Mendip on the one hand, and the rich extensive

“ level of the moors on the other. The steep slopes of the hill are

“ constantly diversified, in some parts excavated into deep recesses,

“ and in others swelling out into hold protuberances, adorned with

*• hanging woods, which, in autumn especially, exhibit in their

“ foliage the richest variety of tints and shade.

“ But what most distinguishes the place, and occasions it to be

“ visited by travellers, is that stupendous chasm, Cheddar Cliffs,

“ which certainly rivals the wildest defiles in the British islands.

“ Proceeding through the winding passage the Cliffs rise on

“ either hand in the most picturesque forms, some of them being

“ near 800 feet,* and terminating in craggy pyramids on the right

“ hand, several of them are perpendicular to the height of 400 feet,

“ and resemble the shattered battlement of vast castles. On the

“ left hand, or west side, are two also of this form, which lean over

“ the valley with a threatening aspect, and the tops of many others

“ at the height of several hundred feet project over the heads of the

“ spectators with terrific grandeur; in general the swelling proje ctio n s on one side are opposed to corresponding hollows in the

“ other, which is a strong indication that this immense gap was

“■ formed by some strong convulsion of the earth. On the right

“ hand the Cliffs are steeper than on the left, and are generally

“ inaccessible, but beautifully interspersed with ivy, shrubs, small

“ yew and other trees, which grow out of the fissures of the rocks

“ up to the very summits ; the awful scenery is continually changing,

“ but to observe all its beauties it must be traversed backwards and

“ forwards; in doing this there will be found ten points of view,

“ which are grand beyond description, and where the prospects

» Collinson was misinformed in this particular, the highest of the rochs being

no more than 429 feet from the valley or road to the upper surface on the hill,

bv actual admeasurement.

9

“ exhibit that wild and tremendous magnificence which cannot fail

“ imposing the mind of the spectator with awe and astonishment

“ at the works of that power whose voice even the obdurate rocks

“ obey and retire. Stupendous however as these Cliffs are, the top

“ of Mendip is some hundred feet higher, sloping upwards from

“ their tops in a gentle ascent, and affording a most extensive pros-

“ pect over the southern and the western parts of this county, a

“ considerable part of Wilts and Dorset, the British Channel, the

“ Holms, and long range of the coast of Wales.”

Rutter, in his history of the north-western division of the county

of Somerset, describes the Cliffs as the sides of a “ stupendous

“ chine or chasm, extending across or through one of the highest

“ ridges of the Mendip Hills, presenting one of the most striking

“ scenes of the kind in Great Britain. Here indeed, Nature, work-

“ ing with a gigantic hand, has displayed a scene of no common

“ grandeur— in one of those moments when she convulsed the world

“ with the throes of an earthquake, she burst asunder the rocky ribs

“ of Mendip, and tore a chasm across its diameter of more than a

“ mile in length— the vast opening yawns from the summit down to

“ the roots of the mountain, laying open to the sun a sublime and

“ tremendous scene, exhibiting a combination of precipices, rocks,

“ and caverns, of terrifying descent, fanstastic forms, and gloomy

“ variety.

“ The approach from the village is extremely picturesque, and at

“ the entrance all is gentle and beautiful; a brook, clear as crystal,

“ leads its murmuring course by the side of the road on the left,

“ backed by a shrubby wood, at the opposite side of which are a few

“ humble cottages, and on the opposite side the ground swells into a

“ steep, sufficiently covered, however, with verdure and vegetation

“ to form a soft feature in the scene ; but as the visitor advances

“ the abyss suddenly expands, the rocks assume a more precipitous

“ character, presenting bold and almost perpendicular points, with

“ bare and rugged tops towering many hundred feet above the level

“ of the country. A rough carriage-road winds for nearly two

10

“ miles through the Cliff until it reaches the summit of the Hills,

“ presenting various advantageous points for viewing the wild and

“ tremendous magnificence of the scenery, the rock alternately

“ projecting on one side and receding on the other, and on cither

“ hand rising almost perpendicularly into the most wild and

“ picturesque forms, sometimes resembling the round battlements

“ and solitary towers of a stupendous castle, having their perpendi-

“ cular points partially covered with ivy, and beautifully intersected

“ with verdant ledges, scattered over with the mountain ash and

“ darker yew, intermingled with the crimson mountain pink and

“ other flowering shrubs peculiar to this romantic district.”

An anonymous writer in Blackwood’s Magazine, under the title

of a Sketcher, thus describes the Cliffs :—

“ No one can form an idea of the peculiar beauty, I should say

“ grandeur of these Cliffs without studying them. From the

“ general line of the country no suspicion could be entertained of

“ so fine a pass existing among the Mendip Hills— there are indeed

“ many passages through them of various character, but there is

“ not one to be compared to that of Cheddar, indeed there is nothing

“ like it any vdiere so far as my judgment goes. The rocks are in

“ character the finest, in places perfectly precipitous to the depth

“ of perhaps 400 feet— they are magnificent in form and colour,

“ and the numerous caverns and holes add much to the sublime of

“ the scene— it is certainly much finer than the pass of Llambarris—

“ it is a circuitous and narrow course, and so retired and shattered

“ within its own recesses that you think not of its utter barrenness—

“ you are involved as it were in a deep wood of rock— many years

“ since I visited it and sketched there. I vras much gratified the

“ other day by a fine subject of Cheddar, sketched in on canvas by

“ a friend of mine, Mr. Jackson, of Clifton, an artist of much

“ genius, and in consequence I determined on the first opportunity

“ to revisit the rocks— such soon occured, and I must confess that

“ their sublimity, magnificence, and beauty, far surpassed my

“ recollection and expectation. An artist cannot find better studies

11

“ for rock in detail, and should he be disposed to make pictures of

“ such subjects he will find many as perfect in composition as he

“ would desire. There is a kiln at the entrance, the smoke of

“ which rolling among the rocks produces a fine effect; here too he

“ will find admirable studies of caverns of every shape and depth—

“ what a scene for a land storm; it is so treated in my friend’s

“ picture, which is promising. I think few would wind through

“ this sublime pass without a sense of fear, the rocks hanging over

“ head, threatening to crush the intruder, and the yawning chasms

“ close upon his footsteps, seem prepared, as if by magic, for his

“ prison in the grave— it is the region for genius and enchantment.

“ It may be useful to mention that the sketcher will find very good

“ accommodations, as there are two respectable inns at the little

“ village, which are close to the scenery.”

As, connected with this interesting locality, the following account

of an adventure which befel King Edward the Martyr, may be

thought curious, it is extracted from an ancient manuscript in the

possession of the Corporation of Axbridge, which Rutter describes

as being apparently written about the middle of the fifteenth century,

purporting to be compiled from an ancient Charter granted by

Edward the Confessor.

“ Sometimes, for the sake of hunting, the King spent the summer

“ about the Forest of Mendip, wherein there were, at that time,

“ numerous stags and several other kinds of wild beasts, for, as is

“ read in the life of St. Dunstan, King Edward (A.D. 975), who

“ sought retirement at Glastonbury, came to the said forest to hunt,

“ Axbridge being then a royal borough. The King, three days

“ previously, had dismissed St. Dunstan from his court with great

“ indignation and lack of honour, which done, he proceeded to the

“ wood to hunt. This wood covers a mountain of great height,

“ which being separated at its summit, exhibits to the spectator an

“ immense precipice and horrid gulph, called by the inhabitants

“ ‘ Chedder Clyffs.’ When, therefore, the King was chasing the

“ flying stag here and there, on its coming to the craggy gulph, the

12

** stag rushed into it and being dashed to atoms perished; similar

“ ruin involved the pursuing dogs, and the horse on which the King

“ rode having broken its reins became unmanageable, and in an

“ obstinate course carries the King after the hounds, and the gulph

‘•'lying before him threatens the King with certain death— he

“ trembles and is at, his last shift. In the interval his injustice

“ recently offered to St. Dunstan occurs to his mind— he wails it,

“ and instantly vows to God that he would, as speedily as possible,

“ recompence such injustice by a manifold amendment, if God would

*• only for the moment avert the death which deservedly threatened

“ him. God immediately hearing the preparation of his heart took

“ pity on him, inasmuch as the horse instantly stopped short, and

“ to the glory of God, caused the King, thus snatched from the

“ perils of death, most unfeignedly to give thanks to God. Having

“ returned to his house, that is, to the borough of Axbridge, and

“ being joined by his nobles, the King recounted to them the cause

“ of the adventure which had happened, and commanded Dunstan

“ to be recalled with honour and reverence, after which he esteemed

“ him in all transactions as his most sincere friend.”

O j c (KaDcs.

Although limestone ranges of rock generally abound with caverns

or caves, and there can be no doubt many such are within the

Cliffs, yet previously to the discovery of the Stalactite Cave, the

only one of any extent which has been exhibited to the public, is

that which lies on the right side of the Cliffs, opposite the limekiln,

about ninety feet from the road. It has been explored to the length

of about 300 feet, and takes a south-east direction; there is nothing

remarkable within it, either of stalactite or stalagmite, or mineral

incrustation. The other caverns, which are shown by the women

who attend visitors, so far as they have been explored, possess

no interesting feature. But the Stalactite Cave, discovered in 1837

13

by Mr. George Cox, proprietor of the contiguous corn mill and tea

gardens, has been found to have been an object of very great and

pleasing interest.

Mr. Cox’s description of this admired cavern is subjoined:— •

“ The roof resembles ancient sculpture, the formations are

“ grotesque and fanciful, in one part you perceive the furniture of

“ a Hindoo temple, the Black Prince, in another a mummy, elegant

“ drapery and pillars from four to fifteen feet in height, fonts,

“ transparent stalactite, likewise the substantial comforts of a farm-

“ house, v iz:— turkies, tongues, fat goose, bacon, bread, &c., are

“ naturally pourtrayed; and the cavern is so perfectly clean and

“ easy of access that the most timid and delicate may explore it

“ without inconvenience.”

The discovery was purely accidental. Mr. Cox, in removing a part

of the rock in front of his mill, for the purpose of erecting a waggon

house, broke into a hole which led into the present cave; he

explored it, and after very considerable labour, the work of several

months, in blasting and removing large masses of rock, he has

brought it to its present perfection.

Subsequent to the discovery of Mr. Cox’s Stalactite Cave, a

cavern situate at the further extremity of the Cliffs, at the distance

of about a mile and a quarter from the entrance, and on the left

side, about 180 feet above the road, has been partially explored, and

with results quite unexpected. It proves to be a bone-cavern; the

following is its description, being the substance of a communication

from Mr. William Long, which was read at the great meeting of the

British Association, held at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, in July, 1838.

“ The Cave is situated in limestone rock, and thirty feet in depth;

“ on the first entrance it has the appearance of lofty chambers

“ tapering into an archway, which opens again into lofty chambers,

“ on the bottom of which are found human skulls and bones, mixed

“ with those of bears, deer, oxen, &c., embedded in soil, evidently of

“ remote origin, and containing very few fossils, which are, however,

“ very abundant in the rocks above.

14

The reading of this paper appears to have elicited observations

from some of the eminent geologists who attended the meeting.

“ Professor Sedgwick remarked that he had not personally visited

“ the locality, but always looked with suspicion at cases where the

“ association of human bones with those of other animals of extinct

“ species was sought to be established. The occurrence of human

“ bones in caverns might be readily explained, without their being

“ coincident with the rock, and no argument could be drawn from it

“ for changing the present system of geologists, in which the

“ existence of bones belonging to the human species along with

“ those of extinct species of animals had not been established.

“ Professor Lyell mentioned that this subject had been minutely

“ examined by eminent French geologists, who had found in a

“ cavern in the south of France, human bones associated with those

“ of the rhinoceros and elephant, the latter were of living genera,

“ though extinct species. It was a singular fact, that some pieces

“ of pottery found along with these bones led them to examine a

“ tumulus in the neighbourhood, where they found pieces of pottery

“ of the same description, and also bones of the ox, ass, and goat,

“ but none of the extinct rhinoceros or elephant. The circumstance

“ of human bones being found in connection with those of animals

“ was no proof that they were coeval, hut only that they were of

“ high antiquity, though not referable to a geological sera.”

In confirmation of the remarks of these celebrated geologists,

who appear to have been unacquainted with the locality of the spot

where this cavern is situate, it is important to state, that in a part

of that large tract of country, known in ancient times as “ The

Forest of Mendip,”* famous for being a royal forest, visited and

* The forest of Mendip, on the Mendip Hills, was about twelve miles in

length and from three to six in breadth; it was well stocked with deer, and the

ancient kings came hither to hunt. The loftiest parts are Crook’s Peak, above

the village of Loxton, and Blackdown, north of Cheddar, both commanding

extensive prospects, from the latter (Blackdown) can be seen the higher parts

of Bath and of Clifton, near Bristol, and it is even said to be that part of

Somersetshire which is visible from Windsor Castle.

15

hunted in by some of the Kings before and since the Conquest, and

was also the scene of many bloody conflicts, in which the Saxons,

Danes, and Romans were the actors. In various parts of the

unenclosed Hill are lines of loose stones and circles, which were

probably field works, or watch or signal stations, commanding as

they do, a most extensive view of the vale from the Channel to

Glastonbury, and also the range of the Poulden and Quantock

Hills. Besides these indications of warfare, “ the continuous flat

called Cheddar Moor, was (according to Rutter), until within these

few years, studded over with British barrows, or tumuliand

there are now existing on the Hills two or three large tumuli,

covered with turf, and several small ones formed of stones; nothing

therefore is more probable than that the victors, in the various

battles fought in this vicinity, found, in caverns such as these, convenient depositories for their slaughtered friends or foes. About

twelve or fourteen human skulls were entire and sound, and fragments of a much larger number in various states of decay. This

different condition only implies that they were deposited at different

periods of time, or were more or less exposed to the action of the

air or the dampness of the cavern. It has been only partially

explored, but it is hoped that the gentleman on whose estate it is

situate, or the gentleman who has hitherto been at the expense of

the examination, will gratify his own taste and the curiosity of the

public by completing the work he has so generously begun.

The cavern is entered by a vertical fissure, which has been

enlarged to facilitate the removal of the great quantity of soil in

which the bones were imbedded. The circumstance of its having

been within a forest, will well account for the bones of boars,

deer, and oxen being found therein, and also for those of wolves,

foxes, &c., who made them their prey. It has been traversed

about 100 feet in length, and unless it takes a downward direction,

the unexplored extremity could be easily reached on the outside,

thereby displaying the treasures of its inmost recess, and probably

forming a very convenient and safe access to its chambers. The

1C

circumstance of the discovery of bones in this cavern, a few of

which nearly resembled the fossil state, and the fact of similar

bones being found in other caverns of the Mendip Hills, with those

of decidedly a more remote epoch, open a wide and instructive field

of inquiry in the investigation of these geological phenomena ; and

although we are borne out in our surmise as to the origin of the

deposit of the remains of man in this cavern, yet it is worthy of

remark that human bones have in no instance been hitherto found

embedded in the detritus of mountain limestone and earth, which

hinders the access to these places in any caverns hitherto explored

at Banwell, or elsewhere in the neighbourhood. On this subject a

most interesting statement appears in Fairholm’s geology.

m * <£?)urcfj.

The Church dedicated to St. Andrew (whose statue is visible on

the east side of the tower and in good preservation) is a fine old

building, probably erected between the years 1350 and 1450. The

chapel, or chantry,* at the north-east corner of the chancel, and

now used as a vestry-room, indicates by its external architecture a

more ancient origin than other parts of the fabric, and may have

been part of a more ancient church. The tower is nearly 100 feet

in height, with double buttresses terminating in ornamental pinacles,

with a parapet of open work. The exterior of the nave and aisles

is also highly adorned with smaller buttresses of a similar character,

connected by pierced parapets. The belfry has a finely-moulded

ceiling, with ornamented intersections terminating in a circular

opening. There is a peal of five well-toned bells.

The interior of the church is lofty and spacious, the nave being

opened to the aisles by pointed arches on octagonal columns, and

* Is a part of a church, generally in or near the chancel, endowed in ancient

times by some person of consequence in the parish, with a salary to a priest to

say daily masses for the souls of the founder or his family, and as appears was

accessible by a low door, distinct from the principal entrance at the porches.

17

lighted above by six well-formed clerestory windows on each

side, with an oak ceiling divided into deep compartments, some

of which near the chancel have gilded ornaments. The arches

extend half the length of the chancel, but the projecting ends are

divided hy a handsome oak screen, which was restored a few years

since by the Rev. C. J. Cobley, son of the late vicar, and now vicar

of Winscombe, who further contributed to the embellishment of the

church, by collecting from the floors of the public pews various

fragments of the beautiful panelling of the ancient rood-loft,* and

forming them into an appropriate reading-desk and clerk's pew.

The pulpit is of richly-sculptured stone, and is one of the finest in

the county ;f it was originally on the north side of the nave adjoining the ancient rood-loft, and was entered by a stone stair-case on

the east side of the intersection of the arches of the north-easternmost chapel or chantry; this entrance to the old pulpit was discovered a few years ago, but is now plastered up. Besides the chapel

or chantry before mentioned as being now used as a vestry-room,

is another at the north-east angle of the church, which was entered

by a low doorway, now blocked u p ; this chapel contains a piscina.J

* A loft in the church, from whence, in the times of Popery, the figure of

the cross was exhibited to the congregation. There is reason to believe that

after the Reformation this loft was, for a time, used as an organ loft, as in the

churchwardens’ account of this parish, between 1612 and 1674, there, are

frequent charges for repairing the organ, blowing the organ, &c., and also the

costs of a suit against the churchwardens in the Ecclesiastical Court for the

non-usage of the organ.

f This eastern part of Somerset is remarkable for the extraordinary architectural beauty of the towers of the churches, and for their numerous richlyornamented stone pulpits, from whence may be inferred the great wealth of

the district in ancient times, and the pious zeal of the great landholders at

whose expence those structures were, with great probability, supposed to have

been erected. A drawing of this pulpit by Mr. H. Marshall, and lately lithographed in colours, may be obtained at his academy for young gentlemen,

Clift House, Cheddar.

I The piscina in this and other old parochial churches, was connected with

tho ceremonies of the Popish forms of worship, its use is stated to have been to

B

IS

Another chapel is situate on the south side of the chancel, also

entered by a low doorway. And a fourth projecting chapel

opens from the south aisle by a broad handsome obtuse arch, with

clustered shaft on one side, and a series of canopied niches on the

other. This chapel was formerly a chantry, and is now occupied

by the family seat of Mr. Birch, and underneath is the burial

vault. It was also the seat and burial place of the family of the

Roes, one of whom was entombed there in 1595.

On the south side of the chancel, and until lately within the rails,

is a fenestella, or gothic niche, containing a double piscina; and on

the north side, beneath a richly-sculptured arch, which seems coeval

with the church, appearing to have been built within the substance

of the wall,* is the tomb with the brass effigy of Sir Thomas de

Chedder, in armour, standing on a lion, with the Chedder arms

around i t ; and on a floor slab at its side is a figure in brass

of a female, supposed to be his lady, named Isabella, with the

Chedder arms also ; portions of inscription brasses, containing the

words “ Isabella tromina," having been preserved from the destruction that has been inflicted on the inscription on the tomb.

The length of the church, including the chancel, is 129 feet, and

its breadth 54 feet. On the north and south sides are porches with

convey away the washing of the utensils employed in the different offices,

through a pipe to the foundation of the walls, thereby to avoid the possibility of

contamination. The concavity of the piscina also admitted a vessel or basin

of glass or earthenware, wherein the priests might wash their hands.

» Grose says that monuments within the substance of the walls of churches,

are good authority for supposing founders or re-founders; in this instance of

Sir Thomas de C'liedder, it is not an improbablo conjecture by reason of his

great wealth. In those times most of the churches in country parishes were

built at the charge of the great landed proprietors. Covered monuments, that

is, consisting of cnmbent figures on altar tombs under canopies of festoons, were

introduced into general use in the fourteenth century and lasted till the fifteenth.

Another order of monuments were flat stones even with the pavements, inlayed

with engraved brass plates; some of these are as old as the latter end of the

thirteenth century, and continued till the fifteenth century, and had commonly

the inscription round the side of the stone.— G bose .

19

stone seats ;* over each door is a canopied niche without a figure.

On the east side of the churchyard is a yew treef of large dimensions ; another of corresponding age was blown down five years ago.

The living is a vicarage in the patronage of the Dean and Chapter

of 'Wells. The late Bishop of Rochester (Dr. King) obtained a

lease for lives of the Great Tithes, and of the Manor called Parsonage Manor, connected therewith; and under the Tithe Commu-

» In ancient parochial churches, in the north and south porches, are generally

found stone benches on each side. The porch was a very ancient appendage to

a church, and in times of Papacy had special uses. In the will of the pious

Henry VI., respecting the foundation of his College at Eton, is the following

article :—

“ I tem .— On the south side of the body of the church a fair large door, with

“ a porch, and the same for the christening of children and for weddings.”

The most particular use of the porch was in administering the Sacrament of

Baptism, the following is the translation of an ancient missal on this ceremony :

“ The priest, standing at the end of the church, interrogates the person to be

“ baptised at the door of the church; the necessary questions being asked and

“ prayers read, he (the priest) leads him or her into the church, saying— Enter

“ into the holy church of God, that you may receive the heavenly benediction

“ from the Lord Jesus Christ."

And in regard to weddings, Somner relates that in 1299, Edward the 1st was

married at Canterbury, to Margaret, sister to the King of France, by Archbishop

Winclielsea— “ in ostio Ecclesite versus Claustrum."

The porch was also used in ancient times for the churching of women, as by

a missal printed in 1.115, it appears, “ that the priest goes to the door of the

“ church, where the woman, to receive the ecclesiastical benediction, kneeling

“ down, the 23rd psalm is said with some responses, after which she is led into

“ the church, the conclusion being made before the altar.”

J In the fifteenth century yew trees were generally planted in churchyards.

Our forefathers were particularly careful in preserving this funereal tree, whose

branches not only supplied the means of decorating the church on festival

occasions or holydays, but were also used by mourners, and carried by them in

solemn procession to the grave, and then were thrown under and upon the

bodies. The branches cut off, by shooting next spring resembled the resurrection of the body, as the perpetual verdure did the immortality of the soul.

Such are the accounts given by ancient writers, of the use to which these

venerable trees were applied.

20

tation Act the impropriate rent-charge has been fixed at <£'4-00

a-year; and the vicarial rent-charge at £ 3 0 0 per annum ; besides

which there are about thirty-eight acres of land, and some annual

payments charged on certain lands, which together constitute a

commutation of the tithe of wool and lamb, which was fixed in

perpetuity under the Cheddar Enclosure Act of 1801.

The vicarage-house is situate on the west side of the churchyard ; the former incumbent, the Rev. John Cobley, expended a

considerable sum in rebuilding the south front, and repairing other

parts of the ancient fabric; and the present incumbent, the Rev.

Richard a Court Beadon, grandson of the late Bishop of the

Diocese, inducted 22nd July, 1836, has since taken down the whole

edifice, and erected another on the same site, at a very considerable

cost, and in a stile of architecture anterior to that of Elizabeth.

CTje B e dfjeOUer JFamtlp.

This family was connected with the city of Bristol so early as

the thirteenth century, and had arrived at high civil distinction, a

John de Cheddre being a burgess in Parliament for that city

in 1298. The family mansion was near “ Brodemede.”

In 1288, 1291, and 1306, John de Cheddre was seneschal.

In 1324 Robert de Cheddre was living in Cheddre, and in 1351

he served the office of seneschal, and in 1360 and 1362 he served

the office of mayor. In 1368 Robert de Cheddre, son of the above,

obtained a grant of lands in Cheddar from some member of the

Hannam family. He had issue four sons, one of whom, namely,

Richard de Cheddre, born in Bristol, Sept. 4th, 1379, was a person

of eminence, and knight of the shire for Somerset, in the Parliaments of 1407, 1413, and 1417, soon after which he died without

issue, and was succeeded in his estates, in Chedder and elsewhere,

by his brother.

21

U ofrrt Oe (KfjriJOer.

He also was born in Bristol, and succeeded to his brother's largo

possessions in 1417. He was a burgess of Bristol, and also a

knight of the shire for Somerset, in the Parliaments of 1421

and 1426. This Robert married Joan, a daughter and co-heir of

Simon Hannam, of the county of Gloucester, and had issue by the

said Joan,* only one son.

JEflomau tre

It is this Thomas de Chedder whose tomb is on the north side of

the chancel in Cheddar church, and whose Lady Isabel lies in a

vault at the side. The effigies of both are in brass, the one on the

tomb and the other on the floor slab. He died in 1443, seized of the

manor of Chedder, and the advowson of the chantry of the Virgin

Mary, in the church of St. Andrew, of Cheddar. To convey some idea

of the wealth in land of this individual, it appears by a post mortem

inquisition,f that he possessed at his death in Bristol, 84 messuages,

5 gardens, and 2 closes; other estates and rent charges in the several

counties of Gloucester, 6— Devon, 9— Cornwall, 2— Somerset, 50—

and Dorset, 2. He left two daughters his co-heiresses, namely:—

Joan, who was first married to Richard Stafford, and secondly to

* This Joan married secondly Sir Thomas de Broke, to whom she brought as

dower, twenty manors in this county, besides advowsons and large estates. She

lies entombed with her said last husband, Sir Thomas de Broke, in the parish

church of Thomcombe, in the county of Devon.

f Blackstone states that this form of inquisition, post mortem, was instituted

(at the death of any man of fortune) to inquire the value of his estate, the

tenure by which it was holden, and who and of what age his heir was, in order

to entitle the king to his marriage, his wardship, relief, and other advantages, as

the circumstances of the case may turn out. When the heir came of full age,

provided he held a knight’s fee (a possession in land of £15 to £40 a-year), he

was to receive the order of knighthoodt and was compelled to take it upon him or

22

John, Lord de Lisle, of Gloucestershire, who was slain in the

memorable battle of Nibley, between himself and William, Lord

of Berkeley, and their respective retainers. This Joan, Yicountess

de Lisle, died July 15, 1464, and lies entombed in Wells Cathedral.

Isabel, the wife of John Newton, son of Richard Newton, the

recorder of Bristol. She is supposed to lie with her said husband

in Yatton church.

Between these two co-heiresses the family estates were divided,

and at length dissipated. Part of this Chedder property belonged

to the late Alexander Popham, Esq., who sold it in fee to the

tenants ; and the remainder, called the Manor of Cheddar Hannam,

is now the property of Walter Long, Esq, M.P. for North Wilts.

Part of the Manor House (and where its courts are still held) is

occupied as a farm-house ; it lies on the right side of the road, at

the entrance to the village of Axbridge.

©tljer ftlatiors.

The Royal Manor of Cheddar remained in the possession of the

Crown, from King Edward the Confessor, until the reign of King

John, who granted it to Hugh de Welles, Bishop of Wells, in 1229;

from that time until 1548, it continued in possession of the see,

when it again came to the Crown by exchange for other lands.

In 1552 King Edward the 6th granted it to Sir Edward Seymour,

who sold it in 1556 to Sir John Thynne, through whom it has

else pay a fine to the king. This prerogative of compelling the vassals to he

knighted, or to pay a fine, and was expressly recognised in parliament by the 1 st

of Edward II., was exacted as an expedient for raising money by many of our

best princes, particularly by Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth. This ancient

usage explains the circumstance of so many knights appearing on the rolls of

municipal corporations, such as the large commercial cities of London and

Bristol; they are not to be regarded as distinctions eagerly sought for as marks

of royal favour, as in the present day, but as fit objects of regal taxation in the

shape of heavy fines or fees.

2.3

descended in regular succession to the present Marquis of Bath.

From having been for many years in the possession of the Bishops

of Wells, it obtained the name of Chedder Episcopi. The noble

mansion originally belonging to this manor, and probably the

occasional residence of the bishops, was situate outside the village,

on the left of the road to Wells. In the memory of living persons,

an arched gateway was visible, and large heaps of stones denoted

the extent and magnitude of the various buildings, the remaining

vestiges of which are on lands belonging to Richard Gilling, Esq.

Another manor, called the Parsonage Manor, belongs to the Dean

and Chapter of Wells, and was by them leased out on lives to the

former Bishop of Rochester (Dr. King). A fourth manor, denominated Cheddar Fitzwalter, was granted by William the Conqueror

to one of his Norman followers of that name, and subsequently by

King Stephen to Walter Malherb, from whom it descended to the

family of De Roos, or Roe, in the sixteenth century, and from them

to the Lancasters through the seventeenth century ; through their

descendants, by intermarriages, it came to the Roses and Tillams,

who sold it in 1742 to James Birch, Esq., a barrister-at-law, of

Bristol, from whom it is derived by the present possessor. The

ancient Manor House belonging to this estate was, for the greater

part, rebuilt in the middle of the last century, by the said James

Birch, Esq., the then possessor.

ancient ©rose.

In ancient times crosses were erected in most places of public

concourse, or at the meeting of three or four roads or highways.

Such is the case with the Cheddar cross— a market cross.

From a very early period two great fairs, or markets, have been

held here, one called St. George, on that Saint’s day, the 23rd April,

but since the alteration of the style on the 4th M ay; the other on

St. Luke’s day, the 18th of October, now held on the 29th ; the

24

former of these for the supply to the dairy people and graziers

of cows and store or lean cattle, from the breeeding districts, for

the summer feeding on the extensive low lands or moors ; and the

autumnal one for the sale of surplus cattle stock, or those that had

been fattened during the summer. Large numbers of geese were

also fed on these open pastures, which, with the neighbouring moors,

were frequently flooded in the winter months for want of proper

sewers, or land drains and embankments, for stopping the influx of

the tides, which, according to very ancient tradition, flowed above

"Weare, and even so far as Glastonbury. This drainage has now

been accomplished.

The roof of the ancient market cross being greatly decayed, and

in danger of falling, was taken down in the year 1834, and the

present roof and arches erected at the sole expense of Thomas, the

late Marquis of Bath, then Lord of the Manor, and principal landowner of the parish. The shaft being octagonal, and the base,

formed into resting places or shelves, being sexagonal, seems to

imply that the shaft is of greater antiquity than the shelves, which

were only repaired in 1835.

(KTjaritite.

The more ancient charities of the parish under the control of the

churchwardens and overseers of the poor, were investigated before

the Charity Commissioners, and found to amount to the sum of

,£’ 200, which has been placed out at interest, and is disposed of in

money, at the discretion of the churchwardens and overseers for the

time being, among those poor persons or families who do not receive

parish relief.

In 1751, Mrs. Sarah Comer, a native and resident of Cheddar,

and a member of the Society of Friends, bequeathed the residue of

her estate to trustees, and directed that the annual income arising

25

therefrom should be divided into four equal parts. One part to b»

distributed amongst poor decayed housekeepers; another fourth

part to be laid out in provisions and apparel, to be also distributed

among the poor; another fourth part to provide a fit and able

schoolmaster to teach a proper number of boys and girls; and

the remaining fourth part for apprenticing poor boys and girls, or

advancing them in trade or profession. This important Charity

now produces an annual income of 181 11s. 4d., being the dividends on i?6052 3 per Cent. Consols. In carrying into effect the

objects of the will in reference to this bequest, the executor, James

Birch, Esq. (who had been the adviser of the testatrix as to the

mode in which she might most beneficially for the parish dispose of

her residuary estate), became embroiled in a chancery suit, which

was at first amicably, but afterwards hostilely carried on, and which

lasted nearly thirty years, in consequence whereof the principal

sum having been paid into court by the executor, the accumulation

of interest thereon during so long a period increased the amount

thereof to the sum above-mentioned. And the Charity has received

an augmentation in a manner the most unexpected, and perhaps

unprecedented. The gentleman, whom the executor before-named

employed as his solicitor to conduct the suit, was his intimate

friend, the late Henry Bengough, Esq., alderman of the city of

Bristol, who by his last will (in the year 1818) bequeathed to the

trustees of the Charity in augmentation thereof, the sum of i?200,

being the sum he supposed he may have benefited his own estate

by his professional charges in the suit.

This noble instance of retributive charity entitles the memory of

Mr. Bengough to the gratitude of the parish, and to the applause

and admiration of the public. This gentleman, who united the

soundest knowledge to the most honorable practice of his profession,

having been many years connected with the old Corporation of

Bristol, became one of its members, and in this character distinguished himself as an able counsellor in its affairs, and a vigilant

guardian of its interests.

26

At the eastern extremity of the parish, on the road to Wells, is

the hamlet of Draycot, lying partly in the parish of Cheddar, and

partly in Rodney Stoke; the hamlet thus parochially united possess

a very valuable endowment, called the Draycott Charity. Its

income, amounting to more than X’ 300 a-year, is derived from

freehold lands in the parishes of Badgworth, South Brent, East

Brent, and Burnham. The benevolent founder was Mr. Card, a

resident in that part of the hamlet belonging to the parish of

Rodney Stoke, who bequeathed this large property by his will.

A decree in the Court of Chancery has been obtained regulating

this noble Charity, which is invested in trustees, and its income

dispensed at their discretion in consonance with the will and decree.

N ational Scfjool.*—iftannatj Itto rc.t

In the year 1789, the celebrated Mrs. Hannah More, at the

instigation of her intimate friend, Wm. Wilberforce, Esq., and

aided by his pecuniary support, and that of Sir Wm. Pepys (father

of Lord Cottenham), and Henry Thornton, Esq., undertook the

formation and superintendence of a large Sunday-school in this

parish, and also a small Weekly-school. These schools were continued at their joint expense until their respective decease, when

* A lithographed drawing of the new school buildings, by Mr. John

Walker, jun., of Axbridge, may be obtained at Mr. R. G. Bartlett’s, bookseller,

Axbridge.

f This most distinguished lady, whose extraordinary talents and virtues were

united to a benevolence almost unexampled, and who by the literary labours of

her long life had acquired a fortune of nearly £30,000, besides having bestowed

very large sums in annual subscriptions and donations during her life, bequeathed

by her will upwards of £20,000 in charities of various kinds, and more than

seventy in number, dispersed over the whole civilized world— in Europe, Asia,

Africa, and America

27

the whole charge fell on Mrs. More, who, nevertheless, continued

the schools, although at the annual expense of upwards of £ 100,

until her death, which occurred in 1833.

By her will she bequeathed £ 5 0 to the school; this became the

nucleus of a subscription for the erection of two large school-rooms

of sufficient area for the accommodation of 300 boys and girls, and

also a house for the residence of the master and mistress. These

school buildings were erected at an expense very considerable and

unexpected, but which, however, has been nearly provided for by

the subscriptions of the many benevolent individuals in the subjoined list, and more especially by the very liberal grant of ,£150,

as royal bounty, by the Lords of her Majesty Treasury, who in

their minute conferring the grant, after expressing their regret that

they could not apply any part of the parliamentary grant towards

erection of the schools, were pleased to say—

“ Adverting, however, to the history of these schools, their great

“ usefulness, the laudable motives which have induced the memo-

“ rialists to make exertions for their continuance, and the interest

“ such an undertaking must create, my lords have been pleased to

“ direct an issue of £ 150, as of her Majesty’s royal bounty, in

“ aid of these schools.”

There still remains a debt of ,£130 for the purchase of the site,

which it is hoped the benevolence of the public will soon enable the

trustees to discharge.

LIST OF SUBSCRIPTIONS TOWARDS THE BUILDING AND FIT.

TIN G UP OF THE CHEDDAR NATIONAL SCHOOL.

Her Majesty Queen Victoria’s Royal Bounty £150 0 0

Her Royal Highness the Princess Sophia Matilda of Gloucester 5 0 0

Thomas, the late Marquis of Bath 100 0 0

The Marchioness of Bath 5 0 0

The Right Rev. the Bishop of Bath and Wells (Dr. Law) 5 0 0

28

SUBSCRIPTIONS Contixuxd.

The Dean and Chapter of Wells . . .. .. . . £25 0

The Vicars Choral of ditto . . . . . . . . 5 0

Mrs. Hannah More’s Legacy . . . . . . . . 45 0

Mrs. Roberts, one of the Executors of Mrs. H. M ore.. . . 40 0

Miss Mary Frowd, one of the Executors of Mrs. II. More . . 5 0

Ditto, second Subscription . . . . . . •. 3 0

Mrs. Savidge, Blackford . . . . . . . . 20 0

J. Lintom Simmons, Esq., one of the Executors of Mrs. Patty More 20 0

Mrs. Sarah Comer’s Trustees . . . . , . . . 95 0

Richard Godolphin Long, Esq. . . . . . . . . 50 0

General Popliam . . , . . . . . . . 20 0

Wm. Gore Langton, Esq., M.P. . . . . . . . . 10 0

Wm. Miles, Esq., M.P. .. . . . . . . 5 0

Rev. John Cobley, late Vicar . . . . . . . . 10 0

Rev. C. J. Cobley, Winscombe .. . . , . , . 5 0

Rev. Dr. Symons, Oxford .. . . . . . . 10 0

Richard Gilling, Esq., Cheddar . . . . . . . . 10 0

Robert Allford,, Esq., Ditto . . . . . . . . 1 0 0

Samuel Birch, Esq., Ditto . . . . . . . . 10 0

Mr. Samuel Birch, Jun., Ditto . . .. . . . . 5 0

Anonymous, Ditto . . . . . . . . 5 0

Ditto, 2nd Subscription, Ditto . . . . . . . . 5 0

Mrs. Lax, Wokey . . . . . . . . . . 5 0

Mrs. Counsel, Murk . . .. . . . . . . 5 0

Robert Phippen, Esq., Badgworth . . . . . . . . 5 0

Mrs. Phippen, Ditto . . . . . . 5 0

Mr. James Birch, Newport . . . . . . . . 10 0

Mrs. King, Cossington . . . . . . . . 10 0

Rev. W. King, Ditto . . . . , . . . . . 10 0

John Hare, Esq., Bristol .. . . . , . . 5 0

Richard Jones, Esq., London .. . . . . . . 10 0

Thomas Davis, Esq., Warminster . . . . . . . . 5 5

Mr. John Lawrence, Cheddar . . . . . . 5 0

Mrs. (Levy) Star Ditto . . . . , , , . 5 0

Dr. New, UJfculm . . . . . . 5 0

A Stranger . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 0

A Clifton Family .. . . . . . . . . 6 1

Sundry Subscriptions of 2 guineas and under . . . . 16 14

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

0

6

0

0

dF rtenU lp S o c ie t ie s .

This benevolent lady (Mrs. H. More), not satisfied with what

she had effected in regard to the school, whereby she hoped to save

future generations from the condition of ignorance and vice, in

which she found the lower classes of the parish involved, projected

in the year 1792 a Female Friendly Society, by means of which

she and all her benevolence came in direct contact with the heads

of those families whose temporal and eternal welfare she sought

most zealously to promote. This being the first institution of the

kind in this county, and anxious that it should he fixed on a basis

that should secure its perpetuity, she availed herself of the friendly

assistance of Mr. Morgan, the eminent actuary of the Equitable

Life Assurance Society, and adopted his calculations. The Society

is possessed of an endowed fund of £G30, invested in the public

funds, entirely derived from the contributions of Mrs. H. More’s

numerous friends, annually assembled by her invitation* at the

school-house. The savings have been more than <£300, so that its

total capital amounts to nearly £1000.

Through the unwearied exertions of F. H. Synge, Esq., of

Weston-super-Mare, this parish and the neighbouring district are

» During the lifetime of the Misses More, the assemblage at the annual

meeting of this female society was thus conducted:— A long train of carriages,

containing their invited friends, proceeded from Cowslip Green, and afterwards

from Barley Wood, to the school-house. Here a cold collation, provided by the

ladies, was laid before the company. The quiet procession on foot from the

school-house to the church, first— the visitors, then the lady patronesses, trustees, and officiating clergymen, followed by the members two and two, without

music or flags, or any other display than blue breast-knots wont by the members— the return of the procession from the church in the same order— the

regale of the women with tea and buttered cake— the statement of the finances—

afterwards an address to the members, usually delivered by Mrs. Patty More—

the whole proceedings concluding with prayer, and the doxology sung by the

whole assembly— altogether combined such a series of circumstances as rendered

the whole scene peculiarly interesting and delightful.

*29

30

indebted for the establishment of the Axbridge and West Mendip

Friendly Society in 1837, on a safer basis and more comprehensive

plan than the old system. Its objects are pay to the sick members of

different classes ; endowment for children ; payment on death ; with

many special privileges. Its last report shews an invested capital

of more than <£1000, and being well supported by the donations of

the clergy and gentry of the district, and more especially by the

active and able superintendence of the president, vice-presidents,

and honorary district members, it cannot fail to be both prosperous

and permanent. Cheddar supplies a full proportion of benefit

members. Two men’s friendly or benefit societies, upon the old

system, still exist. There is also a clothing club, supported by its

members, and aided and superintended by the ladies of the parish,

and also a Dorcas Society.

m anufactures.

In ancient times as many as thirteen or fourteen grist or corn

mills were worked by the stream of water flowing from the Cliffs ;

there are now only three. The principal manufactures are of paper.*

The first paper mill was erected in the year 1765 ; it stands on

the left side of the road leading and near to the Cliffs; another,

now the property of Mr. Allford, is at the bridge on the approach

to the Cliffs, lower on the stream, and was erected about the

* The art of making paper from fibrous matter reduced to pulp in water,

appears to have been first invented by the Chinese in the first century of the

Christian mra. About 1100 years after, the manufacture was introduced into

England by John Tate, who had a paper mill at Hertford. Previous thereto

this kingdom was supplied with the article from Venice, Holland, Germany, and

France. The first book printed on John Tate’s paper was entitled, “ Bartholomwus de Proprietalibus Serum, by Wynkyn de H orde," about 1491, with this

announcement.

“ John Tate the younger joye mote he broke,

Which late liathe in Englond doo make this paper thvnne.

That now in our English this boke is printed inne."

31

year 1805. This mill possesses many improvemements upon the old

system; and in the mill lately reconstructed by Messrs. Tanner, still

lower on the stream, are introduced all the modern machinery of

ingenious construction, such as well deserves the inspection of the

curious.

The only other manufacture is a tan-yard. But this parish has been

for centuries famous for another species, perhaps more deserving the

name of manufacture than the others whose operations are conducted by machinery, namely, cheese making.

Camden’s Britannia records :—

“ East of Wells, just under Mendip Hills, lies Cheddar, famous

“ for the excellent and prodigious cheeses made there, some which

“ require more than one man’s strength to set them on the table,

“ and are of a delicate taste, equalling, if not exceeding, the

“ Parmesan.”

The celebrity of this cheese still continues, and is not confined

to this kingdom. It has not only reached the table, and received

the approval, of our most gracious Queen, but has also been supplied to the King af Hanover and the President of the United

States of America. The cheeses of the present day range from

30 to 501bs., and rarely exceeds 561bs. each ; they have been made,

merely as objects of curiosity, not of profit, as high as 1201bs.;

all these are flat cheeses, the sort provincially called truckles, are

from 10 to 201bs.

art& fttmn-ale.

In the adjoining parishes of Shipham and Rowberrow, large

quantities of calamine and lead have been raised for seventy or

eighty years past; the same minerals were formerly raised in some

parts of this parish, but have been long discontinued. Iron stone

and manganese have been found in small detached portions on the

surface of the Hills, and it is probable workable mines would be

discovered if scientifically searched for.

32

{population.

In order to deduce the population of the parish in ancient times,

it was thought the register of baptisms and burials furnishing

annual numbers might become a basis of calculation, and accordingly the oldest registers now existing were referred to, but the

very first result (1678) baffled all calculation ; it shewed the baptisms of that year to be twenty-seven, whilst the burials of the

same year were sixty-six, more than double; and only in one year

of the Decennary did the burials fall short of the baptisms. The

baptisms and burials for 122 years in Decennaries were as follows:

Baptisms. Burials. Baptisms. Burials. Baptisms. Buria

1678 1728') 1778

to 265 392 to ► 248 281 to 367 219

1687 1737J 1787

1688 17381 1788

to 259 246 to y 199 200 to 342 196

1697 1747 J 1797

1698 17481 1798

to 234 228 to ^ 210 194 to 114 44

1707 1757J 1800

1708 17581

to 197 278 to ^ 284 227

1717 1767J

1718 17681

to 215 198 to ^ 361 218

1727 1777 J

From the above list it appears eighty years elapsed (viz., from

1678 to 1758) before the population was restored to its numbers at

the commencement of the series, at least so far as it can be

evinced by the baptisms.

It is to be regretted that the chest of every church does not

contain the “ annals of the parish,” so far as the population is

affected, by some note when any particular circumstance occurred,

whether of civil war, pestilence, or famine.

The paucity of medical practitioners and the superstition of the

people in those early times, favored rather than obstructed the

ravages of epidemic diseases; but other causes sometimes intervened, for Sydenham, in his treatise on the diseases of 1675 to

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1680, writes, “ The next year, 1678, the constitution of the air

being wholly changed, so favored agues that they again became

epidemical, whereas, they had in a manner, wholly left the city

(London) for the space of thirteen years.’’ This extraordinary

statement is fully confirmed by the registers of this parish, shewing

that those diseases were not confined to the city of London, for in

the years mentioned by him, namely, 1678 to 1685, the total number of baptisms in Cheddar was 188, whilst the burials were 304,

shewing a decrease of no less than 116 in seven years. By the

census taken in 1801, the total number of inhabitants was—

1159, namely, 583 males, 567 females. Increase in 10 years.

1811 .. . . 1378 » 680 n 698 0 228

1821 .. . . 1797 n 926 0 871 i* 419

1831 .. . . 1980 0 1009 0

971 » ia i

1841 .. . . 2321 0 1168 0 1156 0 344

Total Increase since 1801.... 1174

Shewing the entire population to have been somewhat more than

doubled in forty years.

At the time of the expected invasion of the French in the year

1803, the government required an account of the stock of cattle,

corn, &c., in the rural districts, the following return was made from

this parish in August of that year:— Inhabited houses, 222 ; uninhabited houses, 4 ; families, 276 ; male inhabitants, 583 ; female

inhabitants, 567; Total 1150. Oxen, 127; cows, 269; young

cattle, 380; sheep, 3128; pigs, 194; riding horses, 25; draft

horses, 6 7; colts, 36; waggons, 2 1; carts, 4 2; corn-mills, 3;

quarters of wheat, 244 ; quarters of oats, 81; ditto of bailey, 24;

ditto of beans, 82 ; loads of hay, 1110 ; sacks of potatoes, 1869.

C *r C-S'ULrs'i’ O 'f d J ^ ^ o M o O s U

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