Bruton

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Map sources for Bruton at grid reference ST684350

Bruton taken from the Dovecote

Bruton is a town and parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Brue seven miles south east of Shepton Mallet, ten miles north west of Gillingham and twelve miles south west of Frome in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 2,945^[1].

Bruton was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Briuuetone, meaning 'The fast river enclosure' from the Old English tor and Celtic briw.^[2]

It was the site of a medieval Augustinian priory from which a wall remains in the Plox. The priory was sold after the dissolution of the monastries to the Berkley family and converted into a mansion which was demolished in the 18th century.^[3]

Bruton is referenced in a well-known English folk song, Bruton Town.

Bruton has four pubs - The Castle Inn - The Sun Inn - The Blue Ball and The Royal Oak.

1 Churches
2 Schools
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Churches

Both the 12th century Church of St Mary^[4] and the Church of the Holy Trinity^[5] which is dated at 1623 are grade I listed buildings.

[edit] Schools

Bruton is known for its three popular secondary schools - King's School, Bruton (founded 1519); Sexey's School (founded 1889); and Bruton School for Girls (Sunny Hill) (founded 1900). Each school has a sixth form, and a tradition of boarding.

One of Bruton's notable historic characters was Hugh Sexey (1556-1619), who was born in the local area, and attended Bruton Grammar School. By the age of 43 he had been appointed as Royal auditor of the Exchequer to Queen Elizabeth I and later King James I. After his death the trustees of his will established Sexey's Hospital in Bruton as an institution to care for the elderly. Sexey's trust was mainly involved with educational causes. The national politician behind the 1902 Education Act, the Right Honourable Henry Hobhouse MP (1854-1937), was involved in the founding of Sexey's School and Sunny Hill.

While there is naturally some rivalry among Bruton's three secondary schools, there is also some debate about co-operation between them. Sunny Hill currently achieves better examination results than the other schools. Recently King's School, Bruton has earned a place in The Times chart of schools of most increasing value. Sexey's School is fairly unusual in being a state school that also offers boarding, as well as offering day places.

[edit] References

^ Somerset County Council, 2002. Population estimates.
^ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1874336032.
^ Adkins, Lesley and Roy (1992). A field Guide to Somerset Archeology. Stanbridge: Dovecote press. ISBN 0946159947.
^ Church of St Mary. Images of England. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.
^ Church of the Holy Trinity. Images of England. Retrieved on February 9, 2007.