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Coordinates: 51°09′07″N 3°09′14″W / 51.152°N 3.154°W / 51.152; -3.154
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{{Short description|Village and civil parish in Somerset, England}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
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|official_name = Over Stowey
|official_name = Over Stowey
|population = 352
|population = 352
| population_ref =(2011)<ref name="popn">{{cite web|title=Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes&nbsp;— SUMMARY Profiles|url=http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/files/Somerset%20Census%20Key%20Statistics%20-%20Summary%20Profiles.xls|publisher=Somerset Intelligence|accessdate=4 January 2014|format=Excel}}</ref>
| population_ref =(2011)<ref name="popn">{{cite web|title=Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes&nbsp;— SUMMARY Profiles|url=http://www.somersetintelligence.org.uk/files/Somerset%20Census%20Key%20Statistics%20-%20Summary%20Profiles.xls|publisher=Somerset Intelligence|access-date=4 January 2014|format=Excel}}</ref>
| unitary_england = [[Somerset Council]]
|shire_district = [[Sedgemoor]]
|shire_county = [[Somerset]]
| lieutenancy_england = [[Somerset]]
|region = South West England
|region = South West England
|constituency_westminster = [[Bridgwater and West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgwater and West Somerset]]
|constituency_westminster = [[Bridgwater (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgwater]]
|post_town = BRIDGWATER
|post_town = BRIDGWATER
|postcode_district = TA5
|postcode_district = TA5
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|os_grid_reference = ST194398
|os_grid_reference = ST194398
}}
}}

'''Over Stowey''' is a small village and [[civil parish]] in the [[Sedgemoor]] district of [[Somerset]], [[South West England]]. A large part of the forest and open heath of the [[Quantock Hills]] is within the parish and it includes the [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]] of '''Plainsfield''', '''Aley''', '''Adscombe''', '''Friarn''' and '''Bincombe.''' It is adjacent to [[Nether Stowey]], {{convert|8|mi|km|0}} north-west of [[Bridgwater]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quantockonline.co.uk/quantocks/villages/overstowey/overstowey1.html |title=Over Stowey |accessdate=6 January 2008 |work=Quontock Online }}</ref>
'''Over Stowey''' is a small village and [[civil parish]] in [[Somerset]], [[South West England]]. A large part of the forest and open heath of the [[Quantock Hills]] is within the parish and it includes the [[Hamlet (place)|hamlets]] of '''Plainsfield''', '''Aley''', '''Adscombe''', '''Friarn''' and '''Bincombe.''' It is adjacent to [[Nether Stowey]], {{convert|8|mi|km|0}} north-west of [[Bridgwater]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.quantockonline.co.uk/quantocks/villages/overstowey/overstowey1.html |title=Over Stowey |access-date=6 January 2008 |work=Quontock Online }}</ref>


==History==
==History==
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It is possible that a [[Roman road]] ran from here to the Quantocks, because the names [[Nether Stowey]] and Over Stowey come from the [[Old English]] stan wey, meaning 'stone way'.<ref name="Gres">''Dumnonia and the Valley of the Parret'', Rev. W.H.P. Greswell (1922)</ref><ref name="bush">{{cite book|last=Bush|first=Robin|title=Somerset: The complete guide|publisher=The Dovecote Press Ltd|location=Wimborne|year=1994|pages=[https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/166 166–167]|isbn=1-874336-26-1|url=https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/166}}</ref>
It is possible that a [[Roman road]] ran from here to the Quantocks, because the names [[Nether Stowey]] and Over Stowey come from the [[Old English]] stan wey, meaning 'stone way'.<ref name="Gres">''Dumnonia and the Valley of the Parret'', Rev. W.H.P. Greswell (1922)</ref><ref name="bush">{{cite book|last=Bush|first=Robin|title=Somerset: The complete guide|publisher=The Dovecote Press Ltd|location=Wimborne|year=1994|pages=[https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/166 166–167]|isbn=1-874336-26-1|url=https://archive.org/details/somersetcomplete0000bush/page/166}}</ref>


By the 12th century the parish had both a church and the 'old castle precinct' on the Stowey 'herpath'. The castle may have been the caput of the estate of [[Alfred of Spain|Alfred d'Epaignes]] at Stowey. It survives as a large, flat mound to the north of Over Stowey village.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18615 |title=Over Stowey |accessdate=6 January 2008 |work=British History Online }}</ref>
By the 12th century the parish had both a church and the 'old castle precinct' on the Stowey 'herpath'. The castle may have been the caput of the estate of [[Alfred of Spain|Alfred d'Epaignes]] at Stowey. It survives as a large, flat mound to the north of Over Stowey village.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18615 |title=Over Stowey |access-date=6 January 2008 |work=British History Online }}</ref>


Over Stowey was part of the [[Hundred (county subdivision)|hundred]] of [[Cannington (hundred)|Cannington]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cannington Hundred|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18546|work=British History Online|accessdate=23 September 2011}}</ref>
Over Stowey was part of the [[Hundred (county subdivision)|hundred]] of [[Cannington (hundred)|Cannington]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Cannington Hundred|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=18546|work=British History Online|access-date=23 September 2011}}</ref>


The village was the site of six [[fulling]] mills and was a site for [[copper]] mining.<ref name="bush"/>
The village was the site of six [[fulling]] mills and was a site for [[copper]] mining.<ref name="bush"/>
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The [[Parish councils of England|parish council]] has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and [[Neighbourhood Watch (UK)|neighbourhood watch]] groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The [[Parish councils of England|parish council]] has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and [[Neighbourhood Watch (UK)|neighbourhood watch]] groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.


For [[local government in England|local government]] purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the [[Unitary authorities of England|unitary authority]] of [[Somerset Council]]. Prior to this, it was part of the [[non-metropolitan district]] of [[Sedgemoor]], which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], having previously been part of [[Bridgwater Rural District]].
The village falls within the [[Non-metropolitan district]] of [[Sedgemoor]], which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], having previously been part of [[Bridgwater Rural District]],<ref name=bridgwaterrd>{{cite web|title=Brdigwater RD|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10025527|work=A vision of Britain Through Time|publisher=University of Portsmouth|accessdate=4 January 2014}}</ref> which is responsible for [[planning permission|local planning]] and [[Building regulations in the United Kingdom|building control]], local roads, [[council housing]], [[environmental health]], [[Market (place)|market]]s and fairs, [[refuse collection]] and [[recycling]], [[cemeteries]] and [[crematoria]], leisure services, parks, and [[tourism]].

[[Somerset County Council]] is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as [[Local Education Authority|education]], [[social services]], [[library|libraries]], main roads, [[public transport]], [[police|policing]] and [[fire service]]s, [[Trading Standards|trading standards]], [[waste disposal]] and strategic planning.


It is also part of the [[Bridgwater and West Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgwater and West Somerset]] [[county constituency]] represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It elects one [[Member of Parliament|Member of Parliament (MP)]] by the [[first past the post]] system of election.
It is also part of the [[Bridgwater (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgwater]] [[county constituency]] represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It elects one [[Member of Parliament|Member of Parliament (MP)]] by the [[first past the post]] system of election.


==Religious sites==
==Religious sites==


[[William Holland (diarist)|William Holland]] kept a diary of his life as the vicar of the [[Church of St Peter and St Paul, Over Stowey|Church of St Peter and St Paul]] in the village from 1799 to 1818. The first recorded incumbent was in 1144. The 14th or 15th-century tower was largely rebuilt by [[Richard Carver (architect)|Richard Carver]] in 1840. It has been designated by [[English Heritage]] as a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE | desc=Church of St Peter and St Paul | num=1060177 | accessdate=6 January 2008}}</ref>
[[William Holland (diarist)|William Holland]] kept a diary of his life as the vicar of the [[Church of St Peter and St Paul, Over Stowey|Church of St Peter and St Paul]] in the village from 1799 to 1818.<ref>"Paupers and Pig Killers: The Diary of William Holland 1799-1818" (1984) edited by Jack Ayres</ref> The first recorded incumbent was in 1144. The 14th or 15th-century tower was largely rebuilt by [[Richard Carver (architect)|Richard Carver]] in 1840. It has been designated by [[English Heritage]] as a Grade II* [[listed building]].<ref>{{NHLE | desc=Church of St Peter and St Paul | num=1060177 | access-date=6 January 2008}}</ref>


There was a 13th-century chapel of the Virgin Mary built at Adscome by the monks of [[Athelney Abbey]] who had an estate there - [[Adscombe Chapel]].<ref name="bush"/>
There was a 13th-century chapel of the Virgin Mary built at Adscome by the monks of [[Athelney Abbey]] who had an estate there - [[Adscombe Chapel]].<ref name="bush"/>
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==Notable residents==
==Notable residents==


* Humphrey Blake, Lord of the Manor of West Tuxwell (1500-1558). Blake was buried on 28 December 1558 at St Peter and Paul Church. In the middle passage of the church there is a monumental tablet for Humphrey and his wife Ann. The inscription reads: “Here lyeth the bodye of Humfry Blake of Overstowey clothier deceased, who was buried the 20 day of March Anno Domini 1619 Also Ann, the wife of Humfry Blake, was here interred December ye 11, 1645”.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://eachlifeinplace.com/2019/05/11/humphrey-blake-b-1494/ | title=Humphrey Blake b. 1494 | date=11 May 2019 }}</ref>
* [[James Watson Corder]], a historian who died in the village in 1953<ref>{{cite web|title=Name of Deceased|url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/39962/pages/4975/page.pdf|work=London Gazette|accessdate=10 July 2013}}</ref>
* [[James Watson Corder]], a historian who died in the village in 1953<ref>{{cite web|title=Name of Deceased|url=http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/39962/pages/4975/page.pdf|work=London Gazette|access-date=10 July 2013}}</ref>
* [[Phyllis Bottome]], novelist, lived in the vicarage as a child in the 1890s.<ref>Phyllis Bottome, Search for a Soul, Faber 1947</ref>
* [[Phyllis Bottome]], novelist, lived in the vicarage as a child in the 1890s.<ref>Phyllis Bottome, Search for a Soul, Faber 1947</ref>


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{{Sedgemoor}}
{{Sedgemoor}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Villages in Sedgemoor]]
[[Category:Villages in Sedgemoor]]

Latest revision as of 17:50, 11 August 2024

Over Stowey
Stone building with prominent square tower. In the foreground are daffodils.
Church of St Peter and St Paul
Over Stowey is located in Somerset
Over Stowey
Over Stowey
Location within Somerset
Population352 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST194398
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townBRIDGWATER
Postcode districtTA5
Dialling code01278
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°09′07″N 3°09′14″W / 51.152°N 3.154°W / 51.152; -3.154

Over Stowey is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, South West England. A large part of the forest and open heath of the Quantock Hills is within the parish and it includes the hamlets of Plainsfield, Aley, Adscombe, Friarn and Bincombe. It is adjacent to Nether Stowey, 8 miles (13 km) north-west of Bridgwater.[2]

History

[edit]

Nearby is Dowsborough Camp (or Danesborough or Dawesbury), an Iron Age hill fort. Another Iron Age site at Plainsfield Camp may have been an enclosure for animals rather than a defended settlement.

It is possible that a Roman road ran from here to the Quantocks, because the names Nether Stowey and Over Stowey come from the Old English stan wey, meaning 'stone way'.[3][4]

By the 12th century the parish had both a church and the 'old castle precinct' on the Stowey 'herpath'. The castle may have been the caput of the estate of Alfred d'Epaignes at Stowey. It survives as a large, flat mound to the north of Over Stowey village.[5]

Over Stowey was part of the hundred of Cannington.[6]

The village was the site of six fulling mills and was a site for copper mining.[4]

Plainsfield was a centre for weaving and pottery, the manor having been held by the family of Admiral Robert Blake from around 1600.[4]

In the 1830s three-quarters of the land of the parish was bought by Henry Labouchere, 1st Baron Taunton who built Quantock Lodge as his home which later became a school.

Governance

[edit]

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Bridgwater Rural District.

It is also part of the Bridgwater county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

Religious sites

[edit]

William Holland kept a diary of his life as the vicar of the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the village from 1799 to 1818.[7] The first recorded incumbent was in 1144. The 14th or 15th-century tower was largely rebuilt by Richard Carver in 1840. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.[8]

There was a 13th-century chapel of the Virgin Mary built at Adscome by the monks of Athelney Abbey who had an estate there - Adscombe Chapel.[4]

Notable residents

[edit]
  • Humphrey Blake, Lord of the Manor of West Tuxwell (1500-1558). Blake was buried on 28 December 1558 at St Peter and Paul Church. In the middle passage of the church there is a monumental tablet for Humphrey and his wife Ann. The inscription reads: “Here lyeth the bodye of Humfry Blake of Overstowey clothier deceased, who was buried the 20 day of March Anno Domini 1619 Also Ann, the wife of Humfry Blake, was here interred December ye 11, 1645”.[9]
  • James Watson Corder, a historian who died in the village in 1953[10]
  • Phyllis Bottome, novelist, lived in the vicarage as a child in the 1890s.[11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^ "Over Stowey". Quontock Online. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  3. ^ Dumnonia and the Valley of the Parret, Rev. W.H.P. Greswell (1922)
  4. ^ a b c d Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. pp. 166–167. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  5. ^ "Over Stowey". British History Online. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  6. ^ "Cannington Hundred". British History Online. Retrieved 23 September 2011.
  7. ^ "Paupers and Pig Killers: The Diary of William Holland 1799-1818" (1984) edited by Jack Ayres
  8. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Peter and St Paul (1060177)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 6 January 2008.
  9. ^ "Humphrey Blake b. 1494". 11 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Name of Deceased" (PDF). London Gazette. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  11. ^ Phyllis Bottome, Search for a Soul, Faber 1947
[edit]
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