Compton Bishop

Coordinates: 51°17′42″N 2°52′08″W / 51.295°N 2.869°W / 51.295; -2.869
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Rackley
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Compton Bishop
Avon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
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UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
51°17′42″N 2°52′08″W / 51.295°N 2.869°W / 51.295; -2.869

Compton Bishop is a small village and civil parish, at the western end of the Mendip Hills in the English county of Somerset. It is located close to the historic town of Axbridge. Along with the village of Cross and the hamlets of Rackley and Webbington it forms the parish of Compton Bishop and Cross.

History

It was listed in the

Hundred.[3] The current manor house is a Grade II listed building and was built in the early 17th century.[4]

The parish includes the hamlet of Rackley which was a trading port on the River Axe in the Middle Ages following construction of a wharf in 1200. It now north of the River Axe as the course has been diverted, but on the Cheddar Yeo near the confluence. In 1324 Edward II confirmed it as a borough; however, by the end of the 14th century the port was in decline.[5] In the 14th century a French ship sailed up the river and by 1388 Thomas Tanner from Wells used Rackley to export cloth and corn to Portugal, and received iron and salt in exchange. Later slate was imported through this route and it may have still be possible to trade through Rackley until the act of 1915 authorising the drainage of the Axe and installation of the flood gate at Bleadon.[6]

Also within the parish is the small village of Cross, where

memorabilia to raise fund for charities.[7]

The name Webbington is believed to mean 'The weaving enclosure' from the Old English webbian and tun.[2] Webbington is popular with hikers as it has many good footpaths leading up to Crook Peak and Shute Shelve, at the western edge of the Mendip Hills, and is part of the Wessex walk route leading from Weston-super-Mare to Wells. The Webbington Hotel[8] dominates the hamlet and is the only commercial building in the immediate area.

Governance

The

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 Axbridge Rural District.[9]

It is also part of the

MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation
.

Religious sites

Compton Bishop Church

The

church of St Andrew dates from the 13th century, being consecrated by Bishop Jocelin in 1236, with more recent restoration. It has a 15th-century pulpit with tracery panels, carved friezes and cresting. Above the pulpit is a large pedimented wall monument to John Prowse who died in 1688, as well as several of his children.[10]
It is a Grade I listed building.[11] The churchyard cross is grade II listed,[12] as are two chest tombs in the churchyard.[13][14]

Notable residents

References

  1. ^ "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. ^
    ISBN 1-874336-03-2
    .
  3. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  4. ^ Historic England. "Manor Farmhouse and attached barn (Grade II) (1344902)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  5. ^ "An archaeological assessment of Rackley" (PDF). Somerset County Council. Retrieved 26 November 2008.[permanent dead link]
  6. ISBN 0-575-03453-X
    .
  7. ^ a b Smith, Stephen (17 March 2007). "Titter ye not — it's Frankie's pad". BBC. Retrieved 16 October 2007.
  8. ^ "Webbington Hotel". Latona Hotels. Archived from the original on 24 December 2004. Retrieved 12 October 2006.
  9. ^ "Axbridge RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  10. ^ Rutter, John (1829). Delineations of the North Western Division of the County of Somerset and of The Mendip Caverns. p. 165.
  11. ^ Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (Grade I) (1059079)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  12. ^ Historic England. "Church Cross, in churchyard, 10 metres south of Church of St Andrew (Grade II) (1344903)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  13. ^ Historic England. "Unknown chest tomb in churchyard; 9 metres south of chancel, Church of St Andrew (Grade II) (1059080)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 March 2017.
  14. ^ Historic England. "Unknown chest tomb in churchyard, one metre to north of chancel, Church of St Andrew (Grade II) (1059081)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 16 March 2017.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Compton Bishop.
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