Haslebury Plucknett

"HASELBURY PLUCKNETT, a parish in the hundred of Houndsborough, county Somerset, 2 miles N.E. of Crewkerne. It is situated on the road from London to Exeter, and the direct London and Exeter railway. Facility of conveyance is also afforded by the river Parrot. The soil is stonebrash and clay, and the subsoil chiefly clay. There are quarries of rough freestone and limestone. The village is considerable, and the manufacture of sailcloth and webs for girths is carried on. The tithes have been commuted for rent-charges, the rectorial for £214, and the vicarial for £120. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £133, in the patronage of the bishop. The church, dedicated to St. Michael, is a stone building, with a tower containing five bells. There is a National school for both sexes, built at the sole expense of Lord Portman, and a Sunday-school held in the same room. The charities produce about £3 per annum. Lord Portman is lord of the manor, and chief landowner. In the vicinity is a petrifying spring." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003