East Harptree
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
East Harptree | |
|
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Population | approx. 700 |
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OS grid reference | |
Unitary authority | Bath and North East Somerset |
Ceremonial county | Somerset |
Region | South West |
Constituent country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRISTOL |
Postcode district | BS40 |
Dial code | 01761 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Avon |
Ambulance | Great Western |
UK Parliament | Wansdyke |
(North East Somerset from next general election). |
|
European Parliament | South West England |
List of places: UK • England • Somerset |
East Harptree (grid reference ST566559) is situated 5 miles north of Wells, 15 miles south of Bristol on the Northern slope of the Mendip Hills overlooking the Chew Valley. The nearby Harptree Combe is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and slightly further southwest towards Priddy is the Lamb Leer Cavern SSSI.
Contents |
[edit] 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.[1]
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 unsuccessful and didn't last for many years.[2]
[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 will become North East Somerset at the next general election and part of the South West England constituency of 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.[3]
[edit] Buildings
[edit] 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.[4] 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."[5]
[edit] Church
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 (Church of St. Laurence at Images of England) parts of which date from the 12th Century. 2 stiles in the churchyard are also listed (Stile, 15 metres north west of tower at Images of England), (Stile, 8 metres north east of chancel at Images of England)
Further information and images of this church are available from:
[edit] Harptree Court
Harptree Court was probably built in the late 1700s. It has a Greek Doric four-column portico probably added around 1820. Grade II listed building (Harptree Court at Images of England). See also (Gatepiers at Lower Lodge south east of Harptree Court at Images of England), (Gatepiers to Stableyard south west of Harptree Court at Images of England)
[edit] Other Grade II listed buildings
- (The Old Rectory at Images of England)
- (Gates and Piers at Upper Lodge at Images of England)
- (Church Farmhouse and attached garden wall and gate piers at Images of England)
- (Bridge, 50 metres north of Harptree Court at Images of England)
- (K6 Telephone Kiosk at Images of England)
- (Manor Farmhouse at Images of England)
- (Aqueduct in Harptree Combe at Images of England)
[edit] References
- ^ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. ISBN 1874336032.
- ^ Gough, J.W. (1967). The mines of Mendip. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. http://www.amazon.co.uk/o/ASIN/B0000CNKWB.
- ^ Neighbourhood Statistics LSOA Bath and North East Somerset 021D Mendip. Office of National Statistics 2001 Census. Retrieved on 2006-04-25.
- ^ Dunning, Robert (1983). A History of Somerset. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-461-6.
- ^ Somerset by Wade, G.W. & Wade, J.H., available at Project Gutenberg.
[edit] External links
- East Harptree Village Website
- Area 4 - Mendip Slopes. BANES Environmental Services. Retrieved on 2006-04-23.
Villages: Belluton | Bishop Sutton | Blagdon | Cameley | Chelwood | Chew Magna | Chew Stoke | Chewton Keynsham | Chewton Mendip | Clutton | Compton Dando | Compton Martin | East Harptree | High Littleton | Hinton Blewitt | Hunstrete | Keynsham | Litton | Marksbury | Nempnett Thrubwell | Norton Malreward | Pensford | Publow | Regil | Stanton Drew | Stowey | Temple Cloud | Ubley | West Harptree | Winford | Woollard
Reservoirs: Blagdon Lake | Chew Magna Reservoir | Chew Valley Lake | Litton Reservoirs
Rivers: River Chew | River Yeo
SSSIs: Barns Batch Spinney | Blagdon Lake | Burledge Hill | Chew Valley Lake | Compton Martin Ochre Mine | Dundry Main Road South Quarry | Emborough Quarries | Folly Farm | Harptree Combe | Hartcliff Rocks Quarry | Lamb Leer | Lulsgate Quarry | Plaster's Green Meadows | Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl
Councils: Bath and North East Somerset | Mendip | North Somerset
Surrounding areas: Dundry Down | Lulsgate Plateau | Mendip Hills | Yeo Valley
Settlements: Ashwick | Axbridge | Banwell | Bishop Sutton | Blagdon | Bleadon | Burrington | Charterhouse | Cheddar | Chewton Mendip | Compton Bishop | Compton Martin | Cross | Draycott | East Harptree | Easton | Hinton Blewitt | Hutton | Leigh-on-Mendip | Litton | Oakhill | Priddy | Rodney Stoke | Rowberrow | Sandford | Shepton Mallet | Shipham | Ubley | Webbington | Wells | West Harptree | Westbury-sub-Mendip | Winscombe | Wookey Hole
Rivers and lakes: Blagdon Lake | Cheddar Reservoir | Chew Valley Lake | River Chew | River Yeo | Litton Reservoirs
Caves and gorges: Aveline's Hole | Axbridge Ochre Mine | Banwell Caves | Banwell Ochre Caves | Burrington Combe | Cheddar Gorge and Caves | Compton Martin Ochre Mine | Cox's cave | Eastwater Cavern | Ebbor Gorge | Fairy Cave Quarry | GB Cave | Goatchurch Cavern | Gough's Cave | Hunter`s Hole | Lamb Leer | Longwood Swallet | Manor Farm Swallet | Priddy Caves | Shatter Cave | Sidcot Swallet | St Cuthberts Swallet | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Stoke Lane Slocker | Swildon's Hole | Thrupe Lane Swallet | Tyning`s Barrow Swallet | Upper Flood Swallet | Wigmore Swallet | Wookey Hole Caves
Quarries: Barnclose Quarry | Batts Combe quarry | Callow Rock quarry | Cloford Quarry | Colemans quarry | Cook's Wood Quarry | Draycott Quarry | Dulcote quarry | Emborough Quarries | Fairy Cave Quarry | Gurney Slade quarry | Halecombe | Hobbs Quarry | Holwell Quarries | Moon's Hill Quarry | Shipham Quarry | Torr Works | Viaduct Quarry | Westbury Quarry | Whatley quarry | Windsor Hill Quarry |
SSSIs: Asham Wood | Axbridge Hill and Fry's Hill | Banwell Caves | Banwell Ochre Caves | Barns Batch Spinney | Blagdon Lake | Bleadon Hill | Brimble Pit and Cross Swallet Basins | Burledge Hill | Burrington Combe | Chancellor's Farm | Cheddar Complex | Cheddar Reservoir | Cheddar Wood | Chew Valley Lake | Cloford Quarry | Compton Martin Ochre Mine | Cook's Wood Quarry | Crook Peak to Shute Shelve Hill | Dolebury Warren | Draycott Sleights | Ebbor Gorge | Emborough Quarries | Harptree Combe | Hobbs Quarry | Holwell Quarries | Kingdown and Middledown | Lamb Leer | Priddy Caves | Priddy Pools | Perch | Rodney Stoke | St. Dunstan's Well Catchment | Sandpit Hole and Bishop's Lot | Shiplate Slait | Viaduct Quarry | Windsor Hill Quarry | Wurt Pit and Devil's Punchbowl
Councils: Bath and North East Somerset | Mendip | North Somerset | Sedgemoor
Surrounding areas: Chew Valley | Somerset Levels | North Somerset Levels