Buckland St Mary
| Buckland St Mary | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 The Old Rectory, Buckland St Mary | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST268132 |
| Location: | 50°54’51"N, 3°2’33"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 521 (2011) |
| Post town: | Chard |
| Postcode: | TA20 |
| Dialling code: | 01823 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | South Somerset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Taunton Deane |
Buckland St Mary is a village in Somerset, found within the Blackdown Hills, six miles west of Ilminster and eight miles south of Taunton, just off the A303. The village had a recorded population of 521 in 2011. The wider parish includes the hamlet of Birchwood.
The name of the village is thought to befrom the Old English bocland, meaning "land granted by charter", with the addition of the church's dedication.[1]
The village is within the Abdick and Bulstone Hundred of Somerset.[2][3]
Churches
The parish church is the Church of St Mary. It was built between 1853 and 1863 by Benjamin Ferrey on the site of an earlier church, and has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.[4]
Buckland House was built in 1832 as the vicarage but is now a private house.[5]
Birchwood Chapel was built in 1887 when the expansion of Birchwood was, confidently anticipated however this failed to materialise and the chapel now stands in the midst of fields and orchards behind the hamlet.[6]
About the village
Nearby stands Castle Neroche, a Norman motte-and-bailey castle on the site of an earlier hill fort.[7]
The village school was built in 1851 and enlarged in 1883.[8] The boundary wall incorporates a wellhouse with a drinking fountain which dates from 1876.[9]
Four nearby sites, Long Lye, Deadman, Ruttersleigh and Long Lye Meadow have all been designated as biological Sites of Special Scientific Interest.
In literature, popular fiction and folklore
The parish features in the 1985 book 'Larksleve' and other novels by Patricia Wendorf.
In folklore Buckland St. Mary is said to have a special significance. In folklore Pixies and Fairies are antagonists. They battled at Buckland St Mary; the Pixies were victorious and still visit the area, whilst the Fairies are said to have left after their loss.[10]
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Buckland St Mary) |
References
- ↑ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. pp. 52. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
- ↑ "Abdick and Bulstone Hundred Through Time". A Vision of Britain Through Time. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10133830/relationships. Retrieved 15 November 2016.
- ↑ "Abdick and Bulstone in South Somerset". A Vision Britain Through Time. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/place_page.jsp?p_id=21175. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429900) Church of St Mary
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429899) Buckland House
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429897) Birchwood Chapel
- ↑ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archeology. Stanbridge: Dovecote press. ISBN 0-946159-94-7.
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429983) The school
- ↑ Images of England — details from listed building database (429984) Wellhouse and boundary walls to school
- ↑ Katherine Mary Brigs: The Faires in Tradition and Literature, page 179.