East Harptree

In November 1887, while searching for the source of a spring, a labourer 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 and a ring. The coins were all struck around A.D.375, and the best twenty five were selected by the British Museum, and can still be seen there.

Around 1870-1880 the 'East Harptree Leads Woks Co Ltd' mined the area around the village for Lead, but this seems to have been largely unsucessful and didn't last for many years.^[1]

[edit] Government and politics

East Harptree, has a Parish council which has some responsibility for local issues, and, along with West Harptree and Hinton Blewett, is part of the Mendip Ward which is represented by one councillor on the Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority which has wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc. The village is a part of the Wansdyke constituency which elects one MP to the Westminster Parliament and part of the South West England constituency which elects 7 members to the European Parliament.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 Census The Mendip Ward (which includes West Harptree and Hinton Blewett), had 1,465 residents, living in 548 households, with an average age of 39.0 years. Of these 79% of residents describing their health as 'good', 22% of 16-74 year olds had no qualifications; and the area had an unemployment rate of 1.5% of all economically active people aged 16-74. In the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, it was ranked at 25,387 out of 32,482 wards in England, where 1 was the most deprived LSOA and 32,482 the least deprived. ^[2]

[edit] Buildings

[edit] Clock Tower

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 years 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 (Village Clock Tower at Images of England)

[edit] Richmont Castle

The scanty ruins, of Richmont Castle are about 1/4 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.^[3] 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."^[4]