Poyntington

"POYNTINGTON, (or Pointington), a parish in the hundred of Horethorne, county Somerset, 2½ miles N. by E. of Sherborne, its post town, and 4 S.E. of Marston railway station. The village, which is of small extent, is wholly agricultural. The soil consists of a rich loam upon a subsoil of marl and rock. The river Yeo rises in this parish, which is traversed by the road from Sherborne to Wincanton. The Blackmoor Vale harriers meet on Pointington Downs. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £200, and there are 26 acres of glebe with some land leased out upon the Downs. The living is a rectory* in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £247. The church, dedicated to All Saints, is an ancient edifice with a square tower. It is in a bad state of repair, and contains several effigies and tombs of great antiquity, some of which are greatly obliterated. Some mural paintings were discovered on the pillars by the rector in 1848, but have since been destroyed. The register dates from 1618. The parochial charities produce about £1 per annum. There is a school for both sexes, erected and supported at the expense of the rector; a Sunday-school is held within the schoolroom. The Manor House, formerly the seat of the Malets, contains some ruins of great antiquity. Lord Willoughby de Broke is lord of the manor and owner of the soil." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003