Norton St Philip
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Norton Saint Philip is a Village in Somerset, England, located between the City of Bath and the town of Frome. The village is in the district of Mendip, and the parliamentary constituency of Somerton and Frome
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[edit] History
The earliest signs of habitation can be found a mile to the east of the current village, where the Roman road from Bath to Poole passed. The village is later recorded in the Domesday book as supporting 20 people, three ploughs, a mill and 20 acres of meadow. A priory was founded near the village in 1232 and had links with the village until its dissolution under the orders of Henry VIII on 31 March 1540. Norton developed a thriving wool trade and became the site of a regional market, signs of which can be seen in local surnames such as Weaver.
Norton St Philip was the site of a battle during the Monmouth Rebellion in 1685, and the east-west street on the village's northern edge, officially recorded as Cheneys Street, is referred to locally as Bloody Lane, reportedly as the battle caused so much bloodshed it flowed down this hill. In the aftermath of the failed rebellion Judge Jefferies conducted 12 executions on the village common, known as Churchmead or The Mead, as part of the Bloody Assizes. The route he took to The Mead is known as Jefferies Gate.
The George Inn, one of a number of establishments that claims to be Britain’s oldest tavern, is located in the centre of the village. It was built over 700 years ago to accommodate travellers and merchants coming to the annual wool fairs that were held in the village from the late 13th century until 1902. The Inn became part of the stage coach route between London and the South West; on 12 June 1668 the noted diarist Samuel Pepys, with his wife and servants, passed through Norton St Philip on their way to Bath from Salisbury. The Inn was later the Headquarters of Monmouth's army after his retreat from Bath, and was further used as a court by Judge Jefferies.
[edit] Today
Today the village is largely a dormitory settlement for the surrounding towns, the High Street is a congested, though fast by local standards, commuting route into Bath. There is also an hourly bus service operated by First Group. New development has greatly increased the size of the village in the last generation, but there has been a significant reduction in services, with the police station, post office and shops all having closed. Facenda operated a poultry processing plant until the late '90s, when the property was burnt down. The company has since been attempting to develop the site as housing, though local objections have prevented development to date.
[edit] References
- ^ Mendip Parish Population Estimates 2002. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
[edit] External links
- The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey: Norton St. Philip, by Clare Gathercole
- Photos of Norton St Philip in 3d (Anaglyphs)
- The Norton St Philip Homepage
