West Quantoxhead
| West Quantoxhead | |
| Somerset | |
|---|---|
 Waterfall in St Audrie's Bay by West Quantoxhead | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | ST113420 |
| Location: | 51°10’15"N, 3°16’11"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 343 (2011) |
| Post town: | Taunton |
| Postcode: | TA4 |
| Dialling code: | 01984 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Somerset West and Taunton |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
Tiverton and Minehead |
West Quantoxhead is a small village in Somerset, close by the coast of the Bristol Channel, at the point where the Quantock Hills reach the sea. It is three miles from East Quantoxhead, two and a half miles from Williton and halfway between Bridgwater and Taunton. The parish includes such hamlets as Weacombe and Lower Weacombe.
The parish of West Quantoxhead is part of the Williton and Freemanners Hundred.[1]
The village is also known as St Audries. The St Audries Manor Estate was named for the dedication of the parish church to Æthelthryth, known as St Ethelreda, who was also known as St Audrey.
Church
The old mediæval church in the village became so dilapidated that it was entirely rebuilt in 1856 leaving only the shaft of a cross [2] from the original building in the churchyard, two of the bells dated 1440, a Norman font and a stone coffin. The new church, rededicated to ‘St Ethel Dreda’, was built by John Morton for Sir Peregrine Acland and his son-in-law, Sir Alexander Fuller-Acland-Hood, 1st Baron St Audries of the Acland baronets.[3]
History
The village is listed as Cantocheve in the Domesday Book of 1086.[4] West Quantoxhead is listed amongst the large number of manors that are owned by William de Moyon.
The Domesday Book notes that:
"William himself owns West Quantoxhead" . Alnoth held it in the time of King Edward and it paid geld for three and a half hides. There is land for eight ploughs. In demesne are 3 ploughs and 7 slaves and 10 villeins and 4 bordars with 6 ploughs. There are sixteen acres of meadow and 30 of woodland and pasture 1 league by one league. It was worth three pounds, now four."
The manor was held from the early 13th century by the Cauntelo family, and from about 1400 to 1736 by the Malets.[5]
The manor of St Audries was bought by Sir Peregrine Palmer Fuller-Palmer-Acland of the Acland baronets in 1836.[6]
St Audries Park, the manor house of the Aclands was renovated between 1835 and 1870. The property was divided in 1934, when the house was sold and turned into St Audries School,[7] which remained in occupation until 1990, when the house was sold to the Amitabha Buddhist Centre. It was sold again in 2001.[8]
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about West Quantoxhead) |
References
- ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1057387: Remains of Churchyard Cross (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ National Heritage List 1175935: Church of St Ethel Dreda (Grade II* listing)
- ↑ Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 2003. ISBN 0-14-143994-7 p.1399
- ↑ Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. p. 230. ISBN 1-874336-26-1. https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/230.
- ↑ Waite, Vincent (1964). Portrait of the Quantocks. London: Robert Hale. ISBN 0-7091-1158-4.
- ↑ National Heritage List 1345730: St. Audries School (Grade II listing)
- ↑ "Landscape park, West Quantoxhead". Somerset Historic Environment Record. http://www.somersetheritage.org.uk/record/34608.