East Harptree
| East Harptree | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 St Lawrence church at East Harptree | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST566559 |
| Location: | 51°18’2"N, 2°37’18"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 644 (2011[1]) |
| Post town: | Bristol |
| Postcode: | BS40 |
| Dialling code: | 01761 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Bath & NE Somerset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
North East Somerset |
East Harptree is a village and parish in Somerset, situated five miles north of Wells and 15 miles south of Bristol. It lies on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills overlooking the Chew Valley in the Winterstoke hundred.[2] The parish has a population of 644.[1] The parish includes the hamlet of Coley.
History
One suggested explanation for the derivation for the Harptree name is from "hartreg", an Old English word for a grey hollow. According to Robinson it is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as Harpetreu meaning 'The military road by the wood' from the Old English herepoep and treow.[3]
In November 1887, while searching for the source of a spring, a labourer called William Currell put his pick into a pewter vessel full of Roman coins. The jar was six inches below the surface in swampy ground. It contained 1,496 coins, five ingots of silver[4] and a ring. The coins covered the period between the reigns of Constantine the Great and Gratian.[5]
Around 1870-1880 the 'East Harptree Lead Works Co Ltd' mined the area around the village for lead, but this seems to have been largely unsuccessful and did not last for many years.[6] Smitham Chimney is a visible reminder of the work.
Geography
The nearby Harptree Combe is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and slightly further southwest towards Priddy are the Lamb Leer Cavern and Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl SSSIs.
Landmarks
Clock Tower
An interesting and unusual clock can be seen in the centre of the village. It was a gift of Mr W.W. Kettlewell, and was erected in 1897 to commemorate the 60-year reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Squared, irregular coursed rock-faced sandstone with stone dressings, plain tile roof and wooden bargeboards. Commemoration tablet beneath circular clock face set in chamfered stone surround with the inscription: 'TIME FLIES DONT DELAY' - each word in separate spandrels. Bargeboarded gable and has the wording 'HEAVEN'S LIGHT OUR GUIDE'. Set in prominent position at street junction. A Grade-II listed building.[7]
Richmont Castle
The scanty ruins of Richmont Castle are about ¼ mile south-east of the village church. The castle was besieged in 1138 when King Stephen captured it from Sir William de Harptree, a supporter of Queen Matilda's cause in the civil war between the king and queen. The castle was also visited by King John in 1205.[8] The castle was demolished by its owner, Sir John Newton, in the reign of Henry VIII.
Wade and Wade in their 1929 book Somerset described it; "On an inaccessible tongue of land at the far end of the gorge are the remains of Richmont Castle, one of those lawless strongholds which in the days of Stephen were a terror to the country side. In 1138 it was strongly garrisoned by its owner, William de Harptree, on behalf of the Empress Matilda, but was taken by Stephen by the ruse of a feigned repulse. Now, only a fragment of the keep overlooks the glen."[9]
By the 1540s the castle was described as ruinous.[10]
Harptree Court
Grade II listed building[11] Harptree Court was probably built in the late 18th century. It has a Greek Doric four-column portico probably added around 1820.
Eastwood Manor and farm
Eastwood Manor is a Grade II listed house built in 1871.[12] The neighbouring farm includes Eastwood Manor Farm Steading which is a Grade-I listed building built in 1860.[13]
Religious sites
Following his death in 1568 Sir John's huge, canopied tomb stands in the Norman porch of the Church of St Lawrence, which itself is a Grade II* listed building,[14] parts of which date from the 12th century. Two stiles in the churchyard are also listed.[15][16]
Further information and images of this church are available from:
Other Grade II listed buildings
- The Old Rectory[17]
- Gates and piers at Upper Lodge[18]
- Church Farmhouse and attached garden wall and gate piers[19]
- Bridge, 50 metres north of Harptree Court[20]
- K6 Telephone kiosk[21]
- Manor Farmhouse[22]
- Aqueduct in Harptree Combe[23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "East Harptree Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11122978&c=East+Harptree&d=16&e=61&g=6387893&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1388523050668&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
- ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
- ↑ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1-874336-03-2.
- ↑ Catalogue of Late Roman Coins from Arcadius and Honorius to the Accession of Anastasius. Harvard University Press. 1992. pp. 18. ISBN 978-0-88402-193-3. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=sdCjnwoQLR0C&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=East+Harptree+roman+coins&source=bl&ots=gkiA-S4ua-&sig=3TEI-M8lWAQFFv1EICPMQOifolI&hl=en&ei=Ar3wTc3qNsOLhQeDoP0q&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10&sqi=2&ved=0CGUQ6AEwCQ#v=onepage&q=East%20Harptree%20roman%20coins&f=false.
- ↑ "The numismatic chronicle and journal of the Royal Numismatic Society". Royal Numismatic Society. https://archive.org/stream/thirdnumismatic08royauoft/thirdnumismatic08royauoft_djvu.txt. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ↑ Gough, J.W. (1967). The mines of Mendip. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/B0000CNKWB.
- ↑ Historic England. "Village Clock Tower (32778)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32778
- ↑ Dunning, Robert (1983). A History of Somerset. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-461-6.
- ↑ Somerset by Wade, G.W. & Wade, J.H. at Project Gutenberg
- ↑ Dunning, Robert (1995). Somerset Castles. Tiverton: Somerset books. pp. 18. ISBN 0-86183-278-7.
- ↑ Historic England. "Harptree Court (32781)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32781
- ↑ "Eastwood Manor". National Heritage List for England. English Heritage. http://list.english-heritage.org.uk/resultsingle.aspx?uid=1136374. Retrieved 31 October 2013.
- ↑ Historic England. "Eastwood Manor Farm Steading (32763)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32763. Retrieved 3 September 2009
- ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Laurence (32766)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32766
- ↑ Historic England. "Stile, 15 metres north-west of tower (32770)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32770
- ↑ Historic England. "Stile, 8 metres north-east of chancel (32767)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32767
- ↑ Historic England. "The Old Rectory (32771)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32771
- ↑ Historic England. "Gates and piers at Upper Lodge (32777)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32777
- ↑ Historic England. "Church Farmhouse and attached garden wall and gate piers (32772)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32772
- ↑ Historic England. "Bridge, 50 metres north of Harptree Court (32782)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32782
- ↑ Historic England. "K6 Telephone kiosk (32851)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32851
- ↑ Historic England. "Manor Farmhouse (32776)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32776
- ↑ Historic England. "Aqueduct in Harptree Combe (32850)". Images of England. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=32850
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about East Harptree) |
- East Harptree Village Website
- "Area 4 - Mendip Slopes". BANES Environmental Services. http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/environmentandplanning/landandpremises/Landscape/Pages/rlarea4.aspx. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- Map of East Harptree circa 1900