Stoke Sub Hamdon

"STOKE-SUB-HAMDON, a parish in the hundred of Tintinhull, county Somerset, 5½ miles N.W. of Yeovil, and 2 S. of Martock railway station. The village, which is large, is situated on the river Parret. Many of the female inhabitants are engaged in glove making, but agriculture is the principal industry. In the vicinity are traces of the chantry, or college, founded in 1304 by Sir John Beauchamp; who had a castle here. On Hamdon Hill are extensive stone quarries. This parish comprehends the villages of East and West Stoke. The soil consists of a light loam, with a subsoil of clay, producing grain and green crops in abundance. The living is a perpetual curacy in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £109. The church, dedicated to St. Denis, has a tower and five bells. The Wesleyans have a chapel, at which a Sunday-school is held. The Prince of Wales, as Duke of Cornwall, is lord of the manor. A fair for pedlery occurs on 23rd April." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003