STREET
FIG. 58. Street parish in 1842
The name Street occurs in 1168 (fn. 1) and the parish was
probably named after either the Roman road which
formed the southern boundary of the manor along the
top of Ivythorn hill, or the paved causeway from
Glastonbury. (fn. 2) The parish is irregular in shape measuring
5 km. from north to south and 3 km. from east to west at
its widest point. Parts of the eastern and western boundaries follow streams, the western known as Chalwell
brook or Ford stream. The ancient northern boundary
with Glastonbury may have followed an earlier course of
the river Brue; it was known as the Old Rhyne and was
diverted in the early 19th century. (fn. 3) Inclosure of moors in
the mid 17th century and the late 18th century established limits in the south-west, north-west, and northeast, and in 1842 the parish measured 2,913 a. (fn. 4) Alterations to the boundary with Glastonbury in 1883–4 and
1894 took the parish north to the Brue. In 1933 part of
Sharpham civil parish was absorbed and small areas of
moor in the east were transferred to Butleigh. (fn. 5) The
present civil parish covers 1,167 ha. (2,884 a.) (fn. 6)
Excluding the moors, the parish lies mainly above 15
m. (50 ft.), rising gently south to 62 m. (203 ft.) on
Ivythorn Hill, given to the National Trust in 1919, then
dropping steeply to Sedgemoor. (fn. 7) The moors to the north
and south consist of alluvium and some peat. Street lies
on Lower Lias clay but Ivythorn is on Keuper marl, the
two areas divided by a narrow band of Rhaetic clay. (fn. 8)
The lias has produced fossils especially ichthyosaurs. (fn. 9)
A plot in the heath was bought in 1923 as a nature
reserve. In 1983 Street Heath was designated a Site of
Special Scientific Interest. (fn. 10)
Communications
The main road from Glastonbury, until the late 12th
century entering the parish near Street church, (fn. 11) and
perhaps causewayed, (fn. 12) soon afterwards divided at Street
Cross, where the foot of a cross stood in 1444. (fn. 13) Part
turned south-west for Taunton and Bridgwater, later
forming High Street, the main shopping street of the
town. The route was turnpiked by the Wells trust in
1753. (fn. 14) Part ran south-south-east from Street Cross
along Portway to Marshall's Elm and across the southern
boundary. In 1675 it was part of the route from Bristol to
Dorchester and was turnpiked by the Langport,
Somerton, and Castle Cary trust in 1753. (fn. 15)
Cross routes included the Cock road along Ivythorn
hill, part of the Roman route between Ilchester and
Crandon Bridge. In 1399 it had been endangered by
quarrying and by 1515 its course lay south of the
manor boundary. (fn. 16) It formed part of the LondonBarnstaple road in the 17th century (fn. 17) and was
turnpiked by the Langport, Somerton, and Castle Cary
trust in 1778 but had been disturnpiked by 1857. (fn. 18)
Further north Portway Lane ran eastwards through
Middle Leigh and across Wootton Ford (fn. 19) and until
1818 continued to Butleigh and Barton St. David. (fn. 20)
North of Street village, where a tollhouse was built and
still stands, (fn. 21) a route ran eastwards across the moors to
Baltonsborough (fn. 22) and an alternative route to Glastonbury. (fn. 23) In 1968 a by-pass north-west of the town took
traffic from High Street. (fn. 24)
Settlement, Population And
Buildings
The Rural Parish
Worked flints and Iron-Age or Roman pottery have been
found on the eastern edge of the parish. Two Roman
villa sites, near Ivythorn and near Marshall's Elm, were
recorded by the antiquarian Samuel Hasell in the 1820s
but only the latter has been accepted and scheduled as an
ancient monument. The site of the church, unusually on
the parish boundary, produced Roman pottery. (fn. 25)
Until its rapid development as a shoe-manufacturing
town in the later 19th century, (fn. 26) Street was an area of
scattered settlement. Lantokay, (fn. 27) recorded in 680, has
been identified as Leigh, the name by which Street
manor was known in 1086. (fn. 28) Leigh survives in Lower
Leigh, Middle Leigh, and Overleigh. (fn. 29) It may be that in
the Anglo-Saxon period there was no village but only a
number of farmsteads and that the church was isolated.
Before inclosure there were moors to the north-west and
north-east, some converted to meadow in the Middle
Ages; (fn. 30) the arable fields lay mainly to the east and south,
although the latter was called the west field. (fn. 31) The names
Leigh, Leigholt, Ivythorn, and Blagrove occurring in the
south of the parish indicate a formerly wooded
landscape presumably cleared before the late 11th
century. (fn. 32) By the mid 12th century there was a large
manor of Street, possibly centred on a grange on or near
the site of the house, now known as the Grange, half a
mile south-west of the church. (fn. 33) Ivythorn had developed
as an independent estate, probably by 1152. (fn. 34)
FIG. 59. Street in 1885
The settlement name Street, widely adopted by the
12th century, (fn. 35) was probably used for the area around
Street Cross to the south and east of which are a few
surviving 17th-century farmhouses. (fn. 36) By the early 16th
century there were houses at Galpe or Gape Lane, (fn. 37) later
Vestry Road, and Water Lane, probably both in the later
Lower Leigh, and at Leigh, possibly the later Middle
Leigh. (fn. 38) There were 56 households in 1563; (fn. 39) in 1671 33
houses were exempt from hearth tax. (fn. 40)
By the late 18th century buildings had spread south
west along the road from Street Cross, and Street then
comprised 61 houses; at the same time Lower Leigh had
eight houses, Middle Leigh four including two 17thcentury farmhouses, and Upper or Over Leigh five. Elsewhere only two dwellings were noted, Ivythorn and
Blagrove, (fn. 41) although they were joined early in the next
century by Marshall's Elm Farm, at the crossroads in the
south of the parish, and Hindhayes near Lower Leigh,
which was said to have been built in 1807 for Joseph
Clark who farmed c. 34 a. in 1842. A house at Overleigh
had been divided into three by Richard King (d. c. 1821)
and his son Robert built several more cottages, earning
that part of Overleigh the name Kingstown. (fn. 42) Two of the
terraces of cottages at West End, one known as Teetotal
Row, were built before 1821. (fn. 43)
FIG. 60. Street in 1904
The oldest building to survive near the Cross may be
the remains of the 16th-century Street farmhouse (later
known as Street House and the Grange), which was
aggrandized by the Strodes in the 17th century. (fn. 44) Most
17th- and 18th-century farmhouses and cottages, some
perhaps with earlier cores, were of one-and-a half
storeys and built of lias rubble and thatch; several seem
to have had a three-room plan with a through-passage,
following the usual local pattern. Some were well built of
coursed blocks and had stone mullioned windows, for
example the four-bayed Mullions south of the Cross
and, to its east, Friends Charity farmhouse. (fn. 45) Those
which lined Vestry Road at Lower Leigh and were
considered to be picturesque were destroyed by fire in
1863. (fn. 46) The most substantial late 18th- and earlier
19th-century houses were of two storeys and three bays,
built of coursed lias blocks and had clay pantiled roofs.
Most, like the surviving Hindhayes and two farmhouses
east of the Cross, were completely plain, although
Hindhayes is distinguished by lower and slightly later
one-bay wings. Goss House in High Street and Street
Farm, the successor to Street farmhouse, (fn. 47) have slightly
more sophisticated early 19th-century facades. Cyrus
Clark's house adjoining his factory had the grandest
classical exterior (fn. 48) apart from that of the Grange, which
was also remodelled at the same period, when it was
called Street House. (fn. 49)
The Town
The population rose steadily in every decade from 540 in
1801 to 1,219 in 1841, then by c. 250 in each decade to
2,514 in 1881. By the mid 19th century there had been
considerable expansion of settlement and a small
industrial town focussed upon High Street had started to
emerge. There was a large increase in population in the
1880s and by 1891 the town had 3,535 inhabitants.
Thereafter numbers rose gradually throughout the
earlier 20th century to reach 5,299 in 1951, before once
again growing more rapidly to reach 6,666 in 1961,
8,143 in 1971, and 9,563 in 1991. (fn. 50)
FIG. 61. Orchard Road, 2001
FIG. 62. Wilfrid Road, 2001
Philanthropic and Public Housing
By the mid 19th century there had been considerable
expansion of settlement but the cottages built in the side
lanes and alleys, the stoneworkers' houses at Stone Hill
and the West End, and the squatter dwellings on the
waste at Mead, west of the church, were cold, damp,
overcrowded, and insanitary. Many houses had small
backshops where shoeworkers worked in groups of six
or more. (fn. 51) As late as 1891 there were a large number of
three-roomed houses, apparently among the early to
mid 19th-century terraces in the west of the parish,
many of which survived into the mid 20th century. (fn. 52)
Poor conditions probably led to the provision of
housing by the Clark family. 'Superior cottages' were
built in the 1850s in Somerton Lane, known in the 18th
century as Whippys or East Lane, (fn. 53) followed by the development of new roads off High Street including Cranhill
and Orchard roads. (fn. 54) They are lined with long rows of
plain two-storeyed, two-bayed cottages, built of coursed
lias with clay-tiled roofs and have rear extensions
containing a well-lit shoemaker's workshop over a scullery. As late as 1885 orchards came up to the backs of
most houses in Street. (fn. 55)
In 1883 Beaconsfield and Gladstone terraces were
built nearby at West End. (fn. 56) From the 1880s spaciously
laid out terraced houses of superior quality were
provided for his workers by William S. Clark in Wilfrid
Road due east of Clark's factory. Wilfrid and Cobden
terraces, designed by the Norwich-based architect G. J.
Skipper in 1885 and 1889 respectively, and Lawson
Terrace of 1891 by Clark's nephew, William Reynolds,
are picturesque compositions, each of up to 12 houses,
in Old English cottage style. Their pantiled roofs and tall
red brick chimneys contrast with walls of lias and Ham
stone dressings. After the Grange estate was bought by
the Clarks for housing development, Brutasche (1892)
and Grange (1898) terraces were designed by Reynolds (fn. 57)
in similar but simpler style and with large rear wings,
probably for kitchens and bathrooms rather than workshops. They were built north-east of the Grange,
followed by the Dovecots nearby in 1906. The plainer
Barn Close (1913) was the work of the unqualified
Samuel T. Clothier, who was Clark's son-in-law and
clerk to the urban district council, for whom he designed
in similar style the first local authority houses in
Merriman Road in 1911–12. (fn. 58) From 1920 Street urban
district council laid out streets of red brick and rendered
houses between High Street and Middle Leigh,
extending them in the next decade as far as Overleigh. (fn. 59)
By 1974 the council had built 874 houses, and 150
bungalows for the elderly. (fn. 60)
FIG. 63. Street High Street,
c. 1896
Other urban developments The village character of High
Street changed during the 19th century to that of a small
industrial town. Plain lias-built houses, mainly of two
storeys and two or three bays, replaced older property or
were built on new sites. Many buildings incorporated
shops or were purpose-built with them, including
3-storeyed buildings in the High Street. By 1885 (fn. 61) both
ends of the street were lined with such buildings and
there were other villas and cottages north of the Cross on
the road to Glastonbury. The middle section of High
Street was transformed through the agency of the Clarks,
who between 1829 and 1898 developed their premises
from a small factory attached to a private house into a
group with civic dignity, (fn. 62) as well as building the exuberantly styled Bear coffee house opposite and the Crispin
Hall at the corner of Leigh Road. Leigh Road itself, a
country lane on the line of Lovers Walk to Hindhayes,
was made the civic focus and lined with public buildings. (fn. 63) Some High Street buildings were replaced on the
same small scale in the later 20th century. In 1993 the
conversion of factory premises to a shopping village
opened up a large area north of High Street as part of the
commercial centre. Middle Leigh was also expanded and
transformed probably because of the presence of the
tannery. (fn. 64) Public building in the later 20th century has
taken place south-east of the church including the
Strode College and theatre, Crispin Comprehensive
school, and new swimming pool, and the new Strode
Road, creating a modern civic focus near the church
comparable to that developed along Leigh Road in the
19th century.
Many substantial private houses were built during the
19th century, notably for the Clarks, who at first
remained near their factory where Netherleigh, a plain
stone-faced villa, was built in 1835 for James Clark, and
Greenbank, a farmhouse south of the factory, was
altered to a gabled villa for William S. Clark, probably
after 1866. (fn. 65) The building of Elmhurst, a gabled L-plan
house in a large garden, designed in 1858 by J. F.
Cotterell for Cyrus Clark, marked the removal of some
of the family to more rural surroundings in the east of
the parish. Elmhurst was followed in 1889 by nearby
Millfield, a picturesque composition by G. J. Skipper for
William S. Clark, close in design and materials to the
workers' houses that Clark had built in Wilfrid Road. (fn. 66)
Whiteknights was built in 1900 by S. T. Clothier as a
small country house for Roger and Sarah Clark on the
site of the early 19th-century Overleigh farmhouse, (fn. 67) and
has large grounds in which an Alpine-style gazebo
survives.
Speculative development of private housing went
hand-in-hand with the expansion of population in the
later 20th century. The earliest phase, the laying out of
Grange Road, opened up the Houndwood area for
semi-detached housing development as early as the
1930s. Despite being severed from the rest of Street by
the relief road in 1968 that area has seen further residential development, as has the Brooks area in the
south-west. (fn. 68) In the late 20th century a large supermarket
was built north-west of the relief road.
Social Life
An ale with music was held in 1621 (fn. 69) and a revel was held
on Trinity Monday in the late 18th century. (fn. 70) The revel
appears to have become a disreputable affair by the early
19th century and declined after the establishment of a
popular Public Tea on the same day by the Teetotal
Society. (fn. 71) There was a strong temperance movement in
Street in the early 19th century reflected in the names
Teetotal Row at West End and Teetotal orchard. (fn. 72) The
Temperance Society was founded in 1831 but only
banned spirits. It was replaced in 1835 by the Teetotal
Society. A three-storey Temperance Hall was built in
1847 but was uneconomic and was let to a grocer. (fn. 73)
The Street and Walton friendly society, established
1833, was dissolved in 1863. (fn. 74) A club day with procession
was held on the first Monday in June and mustered c.
150 members in 1838. (fn. 75)
From the later 19th century the Clark family, by then
the major employer in Street, (fn. 76) did much to promote
social activity partly inspired by their own interest in
education and the arts, especially the theatre. They
produced plays at home (fn. 77) and in 1845 John Clark (d.
1852) exhibited in London his clockwork machine for
creating Latin hexameters. (fn. 78) William Clark (d. 1925)
and his son Roger (d. 1961) promoted education. (fn. 79)
William also patronised architects including G. J.
Skipper from Norwich and his own son-in-law S. T.
Clothier. (fn. 80) Roger helped to secure the preservation of
local historic buildings including Court House, Long
Sutton, and Court Barn, West Bradley. He was the
author of Somerset Anthology published after his death.
Among entertainments he and his wife Sarah organized
at their home, Whiteknights, was a concert arranged by
Imogen Hoist in 1940. (fn. 81) Evelyn [Pechey] Clark (1886–
1970) was an archaeological writer and author of
Exploring Old Buildings (1952) for children. (fn. 82) In the
1940s Clark's factory had a style centre, presumably a
collection of shoes, and from 1951 a museum. In 1974 a
public museum of shoes and shoe making opened in
former factory offices. (fn. 83) Works of sculpture sited in the
grounds of C. and J. Clark include Henry Moore's Sheep
Piece and several metal sculptures by Philip King.
The Street Brass Band was established before 1870,
probably as a factory band, and in 1905 was a reed and
brass band. (fn. 84) The Street Club and Institute, usually
known as the Crispin Hall after its principal room, was
opened in 1885 and was an early work of George Skipper
of Norwich for William Clark. It turns the corner of
High Street and Leigh Road with picturesquely
composed six- and seven-bayed ranges of two storeys
with attics in a free Tudor style. As well as the main hall
there were smaller rooms, a library, a museum, and a
gymnasium. In the 1920s and 1930s the Street Players
performed there including works by Rutland Boughton
and Laurence Housman. Circus performances were held
there and it was a British Restaurant during the Second
World War. (fn. 85) By 1986 the Crispin Hall had reopened
after closure as a craft centre with the addition of a
community centre by 1996 and a small indoor market.
In 1924 the library moved from the Institute to the new
Wren-style premises in Leigh Road designed by S. T.
Clothier and was opened by Charles Trevelyan, formerly
Minister for Education. In the later 20th century it was
administered by the County Library service and remains
open. Writer and engraver Clemence Housman
(1861–1955) and her brother the novelist and playwright Laurence Housman (1865–1959) built Longmeadow, Overleigh, c. 1919 to be near their friends
Roger and Sarah Clark at Whiteknights. In 1965 most of
Laurence's collection of books, manuscripts, and drawings was given to Street library. (fn. 86) A cinema, known as the
Street Playhouse, was built in Leigh Road in 1920. Later
renamed the Maxime it closed after 1986 and became a
nightclub. In 1963 the Strode theatre was built at the
college site in Church road. (fn. 87) In 1999 it formed part of
Strode College, was a regional film theatre, and was associated with local theatrical organizations including
Strode Opera.
Private essay societies compiled the Street Budget
(1829–55) and the Village Album from 1857. The
Village Album society continues to meet annually. (fn. 88)
There was a newspaper reporter in 1891 (fn. 89) and C. and J.
Clark issued several newspapers including the Street
Comet by 1891, the Monthly News Sheet from 1924, and
by 1962 the Clark's Courier. (fn. 90)
The Victoria recreation ground was laid out for the
jubilee in 1897. (fn. 91) By 1939 there were bowling, tennis, and
football clubs (fn. 92) and by 1979 the Victoria Club had facilities for cricket, skittles, and squash. (fn. 93) In 1923 Merriman
Park was created (fn. 94) and in 1936 the Greenbank open air
swimming pool, with a simple modern entrance range,
was opened under a bequest from Alice Clark (d. 1934). (fn. 95)
The Chalet on Ivythorn Hill, built as a summer house for
the Impey family in 1914, was used as refreshment
rooms between 1923 and 1931 when it was leased to the
Youth Hostel Association. The Chalet Trust, under a gift
of 1922, provides holidays for those of limited means. (fn. 96)
National Events
In 1642 there was a serious skirmish near Marshall's Elm
between a troop of Royalist horsemen under Sir John
Stawell of Cothelstone and c. 600 Parliamentary foot
mainly from Taunton sent under orders from William
Strode (d. 1660), owner of the Street demesne estate.
The Royalists succeeded in ambushing and charging
their opponents, driving them towards Somerton. There
were complaints concerning the treatment of prisoners
and Stawell's refusal to bury the dead, said to number 7
although a further 18 or 20 died of their wounds. (fn. 97) Seven
local men were involved in the Monmouth rebellion,
one of whom was said to have been forced to drive
baggage for the rebel forces and two of whom were transported. William Strode sent horses and money to
Monmouth but was pardoned in 1686. There is no
evidence that any rebels were executed in the parish but
some remains were displayed. (fn. 98)
MANORS AND ESTATES
About 680 Bishop Haedde gave the abbot of Glastonbury three cassati in Lantokay which has been interpreted as Leigh. (fn. 99) By 1168 the abbey's main estate was
known as Street and the name Leigh was reserved for a
smaller holding in the west of the parish, (fn. 100) although in
1189 many Street tenants were named as of Leigh. (fn. 101) By
the late Middle Ages Street manor covered most of the
parish apart from Ivythorn in the south which is separated from the rest of the parish by a ridge of high
ground.
Street Manor
The manor later known as Street is probably to be
identified with the Domesday manor of Leigh, held by
Glastonbury abbey in 1086 although one hide was said
to have been thegnland in 1066. (fn. 102) The abbey continued
to hold Street manor until the Dissolution when it
passed to the Crown. (fn. 103) Granted to Edward, duke of
Somerset in 1547, (fn. 104) following Somerset's attainder it was
let to John Rogers in 1552. (fn. 105) It appears that Rogers was
either a trustee of Robert Hyett or had assigned his lease
to him. Hyett could not pay the rent and assigned the
manor to John Ewens. (fn. 106) Although the capital messuage
and demesnes were included in grants and leases they
were still held by Robert Hyett who had farmed them
since 1530 (fn. 107) and secured the reversion in 1554. (fn. 108) The
manor and the demesne estate remained separate until
reunited by William Strode in 1711. Even when united
the lordship continued to be distinguished from the
house and former demesne and was eventually sold off
in 1832. (fn. 109)
Ewens transferred the manor to Richard Marshall of
Ivythorn who held a court for Street in 1566. Marshall
assigned the manor to Thomas Wilson who had
acquired a reversionary lease from the Crown in 1560. (fn. 110)
Before 1571 Wilson transferred it to Lionel Ducket, a
London alderman. The validity of the assignment to
Marshall was disputed in 1571 but Ducket retained
possession which had passed to his widow Ann by 1589. (fn. 111)
In 1591 the manor was sold to trustees for Sir Christopher Hatton who died the same year leaving as his heir
his nephew Sir William Hatton or Newport. (fn. 112) Street
appears to have been sold immediately and three quarters of the manor had been acquired by Francis Whittington by 1592. Francis (d. 1605), who already owned
Ivythorn, was succeeded by Andrew, son of his son
Henry (d. 1603). (fn. 113) Meanwhile in 1598 James Hooper
died in possession of a quarter of the manor which
passed to his nephew Henry Hooper who in 1604 sold it
to Simon Court. (fn. 114) It has not been traced further and was
probably acquired by the Whittingtons.
Andrew Whittington (d. 1634) was followed in
succession by his son John (d. 1667) (fn. 115) and by John's
daughter Susanna and her husband Edmund Arundel. (fn. 116)
Susanna's brother John released his claim in 1687 but
joined with his sister and brother-in-law in a mortgage
of the manor the same year. (fn. 117) Following Edmund's death
in 1697 and in accordance with his will Susanna and her
daughters sold land representing over half the rental and
in 1699 conveyed the manor to John Whittington and
his daughter Sarah, wife of Thomas Rook. (fn. 118) In 1700 the
manor was settled on Thomas Rook who appears to have
sold it to Nathaniel Wade of Bristol before 1704. (fn. 119) In
1706 Wade sold off more land but before 1711 he sold
the manor to William Strode (d. 1747). Strode settled it
on himself and his wife Jane Langhorne in 1728. By 1753
the manor was in the hands of John Stillingfleet, who
claimed to hold in fee simple and conveyed it in that year
to Sarah Langhorne and her nephew Joseph Brown,
devisees of Jane. The same year Sarah made Joseph her
heir. (fn. 120) By his will dated 1789 Joseph left the manor in
trust for sale, but although his trustees offered his whole
estate (720 a.) in 1791 (fn. 121) much remained unsold
including the lordship. In 1830 the remaining land was
sold but again the lordship failed to find a buyer. In 1831
it was settled on a surviving heir, also Joseph Brown, to
facilitate sale. (fn. 122) In 1832 it was sold with a coppice to Sir
Alexander Hood. (fn. 123) He already held a farm at Middle
Leigh given to him in 1815 by his mother Elizabeth
Periam, who had inherited it from her great grandfather
John Pope (d. 1720). Sir Alexander bought Blagrove
farm c. 1831 (fn. 124) and continued to acquire land in Street to
enlarge his Butleigh Wootton estate, with which the
lordship of Street descended. (fn. 125)
Demesne Estate
In 1559 Robert Hyett settled the capital messuage and
demesnes, later known as Street farm, Street House, the
Grange, or Abbey Grange, on his marriage to Ann Court
or Parrys but died later that same year leaving a son
Thomas who conveyed the estate to Sir Thomas Dyer. (fn. 126)
Sir Thomas (d. 1565) left the Street demesnes to his
youngest son Thomas, a minor, whose older brothers
appear to have acted as his trustees. (fn. 127) Thomas (d. 1608)
was succeeded by his son Alexander (fn. 128) who in 1628 sold
the estate to William Strode (d. 1660) and his son
William (d. 1695). William (d. 1747), son of the last,
who had also bought the manor but lived at Barrington
and was childless, (fn. 129) mortgaged the estate in 1741 to
William Howe. Following the death of Strode's second
wife Jane in 1748 her devisees, Sarah Langhorne and
Joseph Brown, secured court orders for the reconveyance of the estate and in 1755 William Howe's widow
Catherine and brother John Howe conveyed it to Joseph
Brown, owner of Street manor. Joseph (d. 1789) was
succeeded by his son Edward (d. 1808) who left his wife
Mary (d. 1813) and daughter Mary (d. 1823) life interests in the house and farm (c. 470 a.). The younger Mary
in her will of 1822 divided the property mainly between
her cousins Charles Brown, who was left the house and
grounds (33 a.), and the Revd. John Brown Hawkins,
who received the stables, farm buildings, and 283 a. (fn. 130)
Charles Brown died c. 1829 and John and William, two
of his brothers and heirs, in 1830 after which Street
House was auctioned by the surviving brother Joseph.
The successful bidder was George Tuson (d. 1833),
whose executors sold it in 1839 to John Weston Peters.
In 1855 Peters sold it to Charles Wood (d. 1859) whose
daughter was Frances Harriott Wood (d. 1930), writer
of local tales. (fn. 131) Charles left it to his wife Lydia for life. In
1878 Charles Provost bought it from the Revd. R. N.
Wood. In 1890 Provost, who had renamed the house
Abbey Grange, sold the house to James Clark and,
known as the Grange, it remained part of the Clark estate
in 1999. (fn. 132) The Revd. Brown Hawkins settled his share in
1822 on his wife Susannah Whitmore who in 1844
married the Revd. Thomas Ainsworth and died c. 1869
when her estate comprising a new house, Street Farm,
and 328 a. was auctioned. Most of it was acquired c. 1888
by James Clark. (fn. 133)
Manorial Buildings
A hall and chamber were mentioned in the early 14th
century (fn. 134) but no house was recorded in 1499 when the
demesne was farmed out. (fn. 135) By 1515 a house had been
built for a farmer (fn. 136) and in 1565 Thomas Dyer referred to
his farmhouse. (fn. 137) Dyer's building, later known as Street
House or the Grange, may be incorporated at the north
end of the present rendered house of two storeys and
attics, which was west of the High Street and was largely
built during the 17th century by the Strodes. They are
said to have placed over the entrance a bear, representing
the Barnard family whose wealth they inherited. (fn. 138) In
1656 the building was described as a mansion house
with a brewhouse, dairy, stables, and a 'fair' barn. (fn. 139) The
17th-century fabric of the house starts with the north
range of three or four bays, to which two doorways, one
ex-situ, belong. A parallel three-bayed south range with a
vaulted cellar seems to have been added and then east
extensions made to both ranges. (fn. 140) The alterations created
a double-pile house, from which a few mullioned and
transomed cross windows with ovolo mouldings survive
on the north and west. A tower in the middle of the
house was mentioned in the 1780s (fn. 141) and an arch in the
internal spine wall may have given access to it. Changes
after 1790 included the insertion of sash windows and a
north staircase lit by a Gothick window on the north side
of the house, and the conversion of the barn to stables
and coachhouse, which bears a date 1811. Probably
before 1822 the Browns divided the house between a
farmhouse, north, and their own home, which had
dining, drawing, and breakfast rooms, study, seven
bedrooms and domestic offices in 1828. (fn. 142) They were also
probably responsible for remodelling the facades in
neo-classical style, adding brick parapets and cement
render to conceal the alterations and, possibly after
1821, making a symmetrical east range, which projects
slightly to the south. (fn. 143) Its stone-columned east verandah,
roofless in 1999, may have been added later. Between
1830 and 1833 George Tuson altered his share of the
grounds, built lodges, and laid out a new drive, now
partly Grange Road, to Street Cross. The former
entrance to Street House was from a lane beside the
Friends meeting house which appears to have led to the
stables. (fn. 144) The house became a single dwelling after 1833
though dividing doors survived in the mid 19th
century. (fn. 145) In the late 19th century the house was
reroofed and given dormers to light attic rooms, and the
south front was provided with mullioned and
transomed windows, possibly replacing 17th-century
originals. Other alterations, including the addition of a
north-west laundry block in the 1890s, (fn. 146) were associated
with changes of use after c. 1890 when the house ceased
to be used as a residence, having been bought for the
redevelopment value of its land. (fn. 147) The building first
became a school, (fn. 148) and was subsequently a hostel, for
Belgian refugees during the First World War, (fn. 149) and for
Spanish refugees, mainly children, in 1937 and 1938, (fn. 150)
and a sick bay for armaments workers, evacuees, and
others until 1946. (fn. 151) In 1972 it was restored. In 1999
most rooms were still subdivided, as a result of former
use by Clarks as a staff hostel and offices. (fn. 152)
Leigh
By 1189 the estate known as Leigh was one and a half
hides, held of Street manor by Geoffrey de Meysey as
mesne lord, possibly in succession to his father Ellis. (fn. 153) It
may represent the hide which was said to have been
thegnland in 1066. (fn. 154) Robert had succeeded Geoffrey by
1218 (fn. 155) and was followed by Grace de Meysey who c.
1263 gave Leigh to Sir Ellis de la Mare, her son by her
first husband Nicholas de la Mare (d. by 1227). (fn. 156) In 1263
Leigh was claimed by Sir Ellis Cotele, Grace's son by her
husband Richard Cotele (d. by 1253). (fn. 157) Sir Ellis de la
Mare was succeeded by his son Nicholas who released his
claim to the mesne lordship to Glastonbury abbey in
1272. (fn. 158)
The terre tenancy of Leigh was held in 1189 by Robert
son of Reymer who had been succeeded c. 1197 by his
son William. (fn. 159) By the mid 13th century it was held by Sir
Martin of Leigh, (fn. 160) formerly Martin of Marlborough,
probably in right of his wife Alice (d. 1263). (fn. 161) In 1263
Martin and his wife gave their land in Barton St. David to
Robert of Barton and probably the land at Leigh similarly passed, although Leigh appears to have been held by
Robert and John of Barton, possibly brothers. (fn. 162)
In 1275 Robert of Barton gave his estate at Leigh,
probably half the manor, with the villeins, to Glastonbury abbey (fn. 163) which collected the rents, took produce
from its grange, and cultivated 43 a. of its demesne.
Leigh rents continued to be recorded until 1305 or later (fn. 164)
and the demesne land late Robert of Barton's was
accounted for separately in 1315. (fn. 165) By 1317 some of that
land was still held as demesne by the abbey but other
parts of Robert of Barton's Leigh land had been let as
overland to tenants and this half of the manor had probably been absorbed into Street manor. (fn. 166)
In 1286 the abbot granted a life interest in houses and
land at Leigh to Isabel, widow of Walter of Shapwick. (fn. 167)
Isabel was dead by 1296 when the abbot agreed that the
court of Leigh, possibly Robert of Barton's and which
Isabel had held, with dovecot and vineyard but
excluding the hall, chamber, kitchen, and offices north
of the hall should be held for life by Luke of Hatch. Luke
with his wife Alice held what was later described as half
Leigh manor under John of Barton who had given the
rent to Glastonbury in 1275. The arable and meadow at
Barton and Leigh was estimated at 240 a. (fn. 168) Alice was
probably dead by 1300 and by 1304 Luke had been
succeeded by his daughter Elizabeth in his half manor of
Leigh, but between 1304 and 1315 the farm of the
grange, dovecot, and garden was held by William Paulet,
guardian and possibly father to John Paulet, minor heir
to half of Luke and Alice's estate. (fn. 169) Luke's daughter may
have been the Elizabeth, wife of Robert de Burne (d. by
1330), who in 1309 held lands in Street and in 1330 and
1336 settled an estate in Street and Barton on herself and
William Paulet for their lives with successive remainders
to William's issue and Elizabeth's heirs. (fn. 170)
John Paulet may have given Leigh like Littleton in
Compton Dundon to his two sons John and William. (fn. 171)
William Paulet did fealty for one and a half virgates, (fn. 172) a
quarter of Leigh, in 1342 and was later succeeded by his
son William. John Paulet did homage for one and a half
virgates in 1344 and was in possession in 1352. (fn. 173)
William (d. 1349–53) was followed by his son Nicholas
(fl. 1412), a minor, and John (d. c. 1382) by William. (fn. 174)
Subsequent descent is unclear but Katherine Baylly (d.
1489) had a life interest in Nicholas's share which passed
to her cousin Alice Brytte, wife of Hugh Larder. Larder
held it for 2d. rent in 1500. By 1509 this share had passed
to their son John who died in 1556 leaving an adult son
John (fn. 175) but whose widow Avice granted her life interest to
Humphrey Noke. (fn. 176) The other share had passed by 1500,
like Pawlett manor, (fn. 177) to Sir Amias Paulet who also paid
2d. rent. Amias (d. 1538) was succeeded by his son Sir
Hugh (fn. 178) who in 1543 sold his estate in Street and Barton
to John Godwyn and his wife Isabel. (fn. 179) In 1615 another
John Godwyn conveyed his estate in Street and Barton to
Andrew Whittington (d. 1634) and it was absorbed into
Street manor. (fn. 180) Andrew also purchased a holding
described as three virgates from the Walton family
which may have been the Larder family's estate. (fn. 181)
The court and house of Leigh were recorded in the
mid 13th century. (fn. 182) In 1296 the court had a barn,
dovecot, garden, and vineyard, adjoined on the north
side by the hall, chamber, kitchen, and offices within the
hall, excluded by the abbot from the grant to Luke of
Hatch. (fn. 183) The court was last recorded in 1317 when it was
worth three times as much as the court of Street. (fn. 184)
Between 1330 and 1340 John Paulet was in possession of
the garden and dovecot at Leigh (fn. 185) for life and by 1470 it
was let to the reeve of Street and probably absorbed into
Street manor. (fn. 186) The oxshed and grange were probably
held by the bailiff of Street and his wife in the 1330s and
were last recorded in 1365. (fn. 187) It is possible that the court
of Leigh was on or near the site of the later Street
House. (fn. 188) Alternatively it may have been an unidentified
mansion, barton, and dovecot let out in 1537. (fn. 189)
Ivythorn Manor
Ivythorn may have been held by Richard of Ivythorn
(fl. 1152). (fn. 190) In 1189 it was held by Peter of Ivythorn for
one or one and a half hide by knight service under the
abbot. (fn. 191) Peter was followed by Thomas in the mid 13th
century (fn. 192) and Reynold of Ivythorn (fl. 1266), who was
succeeded before 1277 by his son Thomas. (fn. 193) Thomas
was dead by 1317 when his widow Joan held one third
in dower and the rest was settled on another Thomas of
Ivythorn (fl. 1330) and his wife Sarah. (fn. 194) Thomas was
probably dead by 1336 leaving a son John (fn. 195) but John of
Ivythorn, son of Richard (fl. 1312–14), possibly also a
son of Thomas, was in possession by 1339 and did
homage in 1343. (fn. 196) John was followed by John (fl.
1382–1407) (fn. 197) whose second son Richard held the estate
in 1415 and 1428. (fn. 198) In 1431 Richard settled the manor
possibly for Elizabeth, wife of John Marshall and probably his daughter, whose son John Marshall died in
possession in 1471. (fn. 199) John, son of the last, was an infant
but held in 1515. (fn. 200) In 1537 he was succeeded by
Richard Marshall (d. 1558) whose son Richard (d.
1591) (fn. 201) sold Ivythorn in 1587 to Francis Whittington,
later also owner of Street manor. (fn. 202)
In 1590 Francis (d. 1605) settled Ivythorn on himself
and his wife Bridget (d. 1596) for life and then on his son
Henry (d. 1603) and his wife Philippa and their male
issue. Francis was succeeded by Henry's infant son
Andrew (fn. 203) who died in 1634 leaving the manor in trust
for 16 years, probably to provide for his large family of
young children. (fn. 204) Andrew's eldest son John died in 1667.
He was succeeded in turn by his sons William (d. 1672
s.p.) and John. (fn. 205) In 1688 John secured a release from his
sister Susanna and her husband Edmund Arundel who
had probably held a mortgage on the estate. (fn. 206) By 1702
John had been succeeded by his only child Sarah (d.
1746), wife of Thomas Rook (d. 1715), who was
followed in turn by her sons Whittington (d. c. 1750
s.p.) (fn. 207) and Thomas Rook (d. c. 1764). Thomas, son of the
last, settled it in 1768 on his marriage to Julia Harries. (fn. 208)
In 1802 Julia and her only child, also Julia, sold to
Richard Chapman (fn. 209) who, like the Rooks, mortgaged the
estate heavily. The greater part of the land (287 a.) was
sold between 1810 and 1813 and in 1846 became the
Hood family's Ivythorn farm in Walton. (fn. 210) By 1827
Chapman was bankrupt and, having failed to sell
Ivythorn in 1825, it was 'in Chancery' until 1843 when
under a decree of the court it was conveyed to George
Smith. (fn. 211) George (d. 1874) was succeeded by Charles Foss
né Smith who in 1899 devised it for life to Charity Foss
who sold it c. 1903. The house has since passed through
many hands. (fn. 212)
Manorial Buildings
The manor house appears to have been rebuilt by the
Marshall family in the later 15th and early 16th centuries. (fn. 213) It was occupied by its owners the Marshalls and
the Whittingtons until the later 17th century when
William Whittington's widow Mary (d. c. 1712) (fn. 214) occupied it under her marriage settlement with her second
husband, Jerrard Newcourt of Somerton. (fn. 215) In 1705 the
house had a hall, parlour, inner parlour, and kitchen
with three chambers over, schoolhouse chamber, closet,
brewhouse, and dairy. Newcourt kept a coach and
horses at Ivythorn as well as farm livestock and waggons
indicating substantial outbuildings although only the
barn is mentioned. (fn. 216) The Rooks were resident from
1711 (fn. 217) but in the later 18th century the house and land
were let, although in 1791 Julia Rook reserved the great
parlour and kitchen with other rooms. (fn. 218) In 1799 there
were seven chambers, a large dining room, and an 'excellent' kitchen. (fn. 219) By 1825 the house was 'roomy' but the
outbuildings were too large for the remnant of the estate
still held with it. They and the offices would cost at least
£100 to repair. (fn. 220) In the early 19th century the building
was two-storeyed and L-plan, (fn. 221) with a main south range
of at least two different builds and a north-west range
which seems to have been a separate building, agricultural in character, and almost detached. To the north,
two separate buildings formed an open-ended courtyard
with the main building: those buildings, which appeared
to be 17th century and which have been demolished,
may have included the 'shepherd's house' recorded in
1799 and said to have been demolished in 1861. (fn. 222) The
manor house was later used partly as a farm store and
cider cellar. (fn. 223)
FIG. 64. Ivythorn Manor,
1834
FIG. 65. Ivythorn Manor,
1834
The present house, built of dressed stone and with a
clay tiled roof, retains the south range of the house illustrated in 1834, (fn. 224) tidied up in a heavy late 19th-century
restoration by Charles Foss. (fn. 225) Its west end was extended
north in 1938 and a bay window added on the south to
designs by William Bertram in the 1970s. (fn. 226) The
north-west wing was remodelled or rebuilt c. 1910 and
extended north in 1938. (fn. 227) The south range contains
evidence of the room arrangement described in 1705.
The block at its south-east end, built in the early 16th
century, contains a fine, large ground-floor room with a
ceiling divided into 24 compartments by intersecting
moulded beams, and a large room above; both are lit by
six-light mullioned windows. It seems to have been part
of a sizeable house mostly replaced in the 17th century
by slightly lower ranges attached to its west end and
along its north side. The western addition is of two
rooms flanking a chimneystack and axial staircase, the
north one has at its east end a porch in which an early
16th-century moulded arch and one arched light have
been set. Medieval glass and a carved stone with the arms
of Abbot Selwood were incorporated in the south-east
block after 1885 (fn. 228) and a stone inscribed JP 1578 was also
re-used. (fn. 229)
The rectangular dovecot of c. 1600, lined with nesting
holes for over 600 birds, was rebuilt in the 19th century
of lias rubble under a Roman tile roof. It has been
reduced in height and was used as a coach house with an
inserted floor before 1946. (fn. 230) The house is also said to
have had fishponds to the south-east and an icehouse in
the woods. (fn. 231)
Other Estate
A virgate held by Alan of Farnham in 1189 for a wax
rent and ploughing service was said later to be held by
John de St. Elena by knight service. John, son and heir
of Julian of Ellefield and grandson of Alan, conveyed
his estate in Street and Leigh to Hugh Pruwet in 1297. (fn. 232)
By 1316 Hugh had been succeeded by his son Richard
who granted his estates including Street and his bailiwick of Whitley hundred to John of Mere for life. (fn. 233)
Richard did homage for the estate in 1336. Subsequent
descent is unclear but by the later 14th century it was
held by William Carent, (fn. 234) although a house was held by
Christine Pruwet in 1500 and was in hand in 1515. (fn. 235) In
1536 Sir William Carent sold his estate in Street to
Edward Carne and it descended as part of the Butleigh
Wootton estate. (fn. 236)
ECONOMIC HISTORY
Agriculture
In 1086 Leigh gelded for 4 hides but there were 10
ploughlands. The demesne measured 2 hides and was
worked with 4 teams and 1 serf. Seven villeins and 10
bordars worked 2 hides with 5 teams. There were 35 a. of
meadow and 30 a. of pasture. The demesne livestock
comprised 2 riding horses, 8 beasts, 55 sheep, and 20
pigs. The estate had increased in value from £3 to £8
since 1066. (fn. 237) In the earlier 12th century the demesne
holding, then known as Street, had been let to farm with
3 ploughs, 8 oxen, 2 draught horses, 200 ewes, and 6
sows, and gable and other rents totalled 30s. 3d. In 1171
there were 15 oxen and 1 draught horse and the rents
had increased to 34s. 4d. (fn. 238) By 1189 there were 34 oxen
and 4 draught horses but the land could have supported
more. (fn. 239)
Early Middle Ages
By 1189 there were, apparently, seven freeholds. That of
Geoffrey de Meysey, which became Leigh manor, was
held by unspecified 'ancient' service, but the rest were
held either for cash or wax rent and for small labour
services. Other tenants comprised 3 virgaters and 6
half-virgaters who owed ploughing, harrowing, and
carrying services as well as one or two days manual work
each week depending on the season. Eighteen 5-a.
holders owed ploughing and day work and paid hen
rents. Four tenants held little or no land and others were
excused works for their services as smith or bedel or for
finding men to work for the lord. Small amounts of
demesne were let to tenants and two crofts were said to
be suitable for houses. The land was described as well
cultivated and the corn and hay safely gathered. (fn. 240) Eight
years later the demesne was let to farm and rents totalled
£2 9s. 4½d. (fn. 241) In 1201 demesne stock comprised 11 oxen
and 100 ewes. The whole vill owed mowing, reaping,
and carrying services, 14 cottars were recorded as owing
weekly works, and ploughing services of larger tenants
totalled over 56 a. (fn. 242)
By c. 1240 there had been a slight increase in larger
holdings presumably by the absorption of former overland and two householders were not classed by type of
holding. There were 4 virgate, 7 half-virgate, and 15 5-a.,
and 2 cottage holdings. Works were more onerous with
an increase to 3 manual works a week for most of the
year, mowing at Baltonsborough every morning in the
summer and carrying hay every afternoon, reaping,
ricking, and carting firewood from Baltonsborough.
Tenants without carts were required to dig the
Glastonbury vineyard or maintain the enclosure of
Pilton Park. Half-virgaters were also required to carry
grain to the manor grange and to thresh and winnow
wheat, barley, oats, and beans. (fn. 243) In 1258 there were 2
draught horses and 40 oxen on the demesne. Wheat was
the dominant crop but 20 a. of beans and 10½ a. of
barley were grown, and although most grain was delivered to Glastonbury or fed to stock, sales of corn
produced over £2 11s. (fn. 244)
By c. 1260 the demesne farm comprised 548 a. of
arable in east and west fields, 444 a. of meadow, and 63 a.
of pasture. Wheat, rye, barley, beans, and oats were
grown on land, significant parts of which had formerly
been wooded. Demesne pasture supported 12 cows, 24
oxen, mares, bullocks, 400 sheep, and 40 pigs. Two freehold tenants each held 1 virgate, and 4 virgaters, 7
half-virgaters, and 20 other customary tenants, 17 of
them described as ferdellers, owed services, rents and
works together valued at just under £34. (fn. 245)
Later Middle Ages
The whole estate increased in cash value as labour
services were gradually commuted and the demesne was
let. Assize rents were just over £4 14s. 6d. in the later
13th century, (fn. 246) but had more than doubled by 1314 when
an additional 15s. was paid for the court and garden at
Leigh. In that year arrears amounted to £5 8s. 10d. (fn. 247) By
1334 assized rents had almost doubled again (fn. 248) and by
1403 had reached over £26, although in that year arrears
amounted to nearly £159 having apparently been
allowed to accumulate before being cleared from the
account. (fn. 249) By 1470 fixed rents were over £40 (fn. 250) but in 1477
arrears and decayed rents accounted for well over £11. (fn. 251)
The area of demesne arable remained stable into the
14th century (fn. 252) but in the 1340s increasing amounts of
arable were left fallow every year. (fn. 253) By 1366 only c. 150 a.
was sown and some had been fallow for three years. (fn. 254) In
the late 14th century some arable land may have been
abandoned as in 1403 the manor paid for thistles and
charlock to be removed from North and South Leigh
and North and South Grove; more land was evidently
let. (fn. 255) In 1438 only 109 a. of arable was sown. (fn. 256) By 1515
there were 218 a. still in hand, the rest let as overland to
customary tenants. (fn. 257)
In the later 13th century the manor employed a reeve,
a granger, a hayward, a smith, and 8 ploughmen. Wheat,
mixed grains, barley, oats, and beans were sown on
300 a. ploughed by 39 oxen. (fn. 258) In 1301 there were 6
ploughs and 41 oxen, 2 harrows, a drag, and 8 carts. In
1303 two oxherds cared for 50 oxen and there appear to
have been two oxsheds. Sales of grain exceeded the assize
rents until 1305 or later as did release of works. Manumissions were recorded and the employment of stipendiary workers. (fn. 259) In 1312 most of the sowing was in
North and South Leigh and Leigholt by task work but a
stipendiary ploughman was employed. Some former
meadow appears to have been converted to arable and
only 20 a. of meadow was mown by customary work. (fn. 260)
In 1340 a new stone grange with a stone tile roof cost
over £54 and the foundations were dug in two days,
firstly by 66 men from Ashcott, Shapwick, and Walton
and secondly by 32 men from Baltonsborough and 30
from Street. The whole work took 26 weeks and 34 oxen
to carry the stone. A new oxhouse, 63 ft. by 20 ft., was
started in the same year and in 1343 a new carthouse, 30
ft. by 20 ft. was built with Doulting stone walls and
roof. (fn. 261) By 1403, however, the waggon house, oxshed,
and grange needed repair. (fn. 262)
In 1317 there were 128 a. of demesne meadow
including former moor and 86 a. of pasture. (fn. 263) More
grassland was inclosed from the moor in 1340, (fn. 264) but
only sufficient to support sheep temporarily. In 1353 a
flock of 220, mainly ewes, was accepted from Glastonbury, and in 1390 a flock of 240 from the same source. (fn. 265)
In 1515 there were 80 a. of meadow and 121 a. of pasture
and the farmer of the demesne in the 1530s was obliged
to find pasture for 200 sheep in summer and 100 in
winter. (fn. 266)
The demesne was an arable farm during most of the
13th century and, apart from a few pigs, only plough
beasts were kept until the early 14th century. (fn. 267) In 1303
200 waggon loads of stone were used to repair a dovecot,
probably at Leigh, (fn. 268) which was later farmed out, (fn. 269) and
William Paulet had a piggery at Leigh in 1305. (fn. 270) A dairy
was established by 1312 with a dairyman and cowherd,
and churns and pails were bought but although 76
cheeses and 5 lb. of butter were made the entire herd of
17 cows was moved to Glastonbury. (fn. 271) In 1330 the dairy
was repaired and there were 13 cows on the manor but
they had gone by 1333. (fn. 272) A herd of 20 cows and 13 calves
was kept in 1340 but the produce of all but one cow was
farmed out. A boar and two sows were kept producing
20 piglets and a swineherd was usually employed. (fn. 273) In
1350 a severe outbreak of disease killed 21 cows before
calving, also 15 young cattle, 30 oxen, a bull, a horse, and
9 pigs. (fn. 274) In 1343 a flock of sheep was pastured in the
parish but was moved in the same year leaving the
manor the sale of 201 fleeces. (fn. 275)
Common pastures may have been under pressure in
the late 13th century as the moors were inclosed. In 1291
one tenant was allowed pasture for one ox, one cow, two
bullocks, and five pigs, previously let to Martin of Leigh,
provided he did not overstock with draught animals.
During the 1290s the abbey secured releases of common
rights in the moors to the west of Street in return for
areas of pasture to the east. (fn. 276) In 1312 ditching was carried
out in and around Martin's moor and the Nywedich was
recorded. (fn. 277) In 1317 there was common at Houndwood,
now partly cleared for pasture and arable, and in East
and West moors. (fn. 278) Disputes since 1356 or earlier over
pasture rights with the lords of Compton Dundon were
settled by 1515 when they had licence to pasture draught
animals and ewes on the south part of both arable fields
when not under cultivation, as far as the lanes linking
Wootton and Walton fords. That right was claimed into
the 17th century. (fn. 279) Tenants of Street manor had common
in South moor between Street and Glastonbury and
could drive part of it. (fn. 280) The meadows around the church
were common from 31 July to 2 February until the early
17th century (fn. 281) but Martin's moor, west of the causeway,
and Priest or Press moor to the east were inclosed during
the Middle Ages although the latter with Rough or Row
closes near Houndwood remained pasture in several in
1317 and were converted to meadow in the early 15th
century. (fn. 282)
By 1317 there had been no change in the larger holdings since the 13th century but five estate workers had
joined the other ferdellers and there were twelve cottars
holding no more than a croft and owing few if any
works. Carrying, mowing at Baltonsborough, and taking
firewood to Glastonbury were laid on tenants as a whole
rather than on individual holdings and many workers
were quit of services. Allowances of wheat were given to
the hayward, smith, ploughmen, and mowers and the
ploughmen might use the lord's plough on their own
land on certain Saturdays. (fn. 283)
Building plots were let in the 1330s although a fire
destroyed 9 houses in 1334 when the occupants were
given wheat and beans from the grange. (fn. 284) By 1366 most
works had been released or lost. Also the estate, probably
Leigh, held for life by the bailiff, had reverted to the
manor and was let in small parcels including 100 a. of
arable but there were several decayed rents including the
site of a house built earlier in the century. (fn. 285) In 1470 some
houses were built or rebuilt (fn. 286) and by 1500 the demesne
was farmed for £6 to two men with the barton and the
grange. (fn. 287) The number of larger holdings in 1515
remained unchanged since 1317 but some tenants had
more than one and up to 16 cottages had been lost. The
four virgate holdings were at Leigh and were the largest
farms with between 60 a. and 100 a. but several cottars
and ferdellers had more land than half-virgaters, usually
by amalgamating holdings or taking overland. Three
tenants were still neifs but only two tenants owed works,
ricking and ditching. One tenant had the common oven
said to be newly raised but already in decay. Some rents
had been reduced. (fn. 288)
Inclosure and Farming in the 17th and 18th
Centuries
Grassland east and west of the parish was the focus of
interest in the 17th century and comprised South moor
(395 a.) shared between Glastonbury and Street, Street
meadows (228 a.), and Houndwood meads (125 a.). (fn. 289)
Inclosure of South moor, first agreed in the 1630s, was
delayed by disputes over entitlement to common and
early inclosures were destroyed in 1641. In 1665 it was
agreed that William Strode should have 100 a. for his
estates in Street and Glastonbury, 160 a. had already
been allotted to the lord of the manor and 20 a. to
Ivythorn, and that other commoners would receive
shares for four common rights if their lands were worth
over £15 a year, two if less, and one if there was no house
on their holding. The Street allotments, known as Coax
moor or mead and South moor, were inclosed in the
1670s. (fn. 290) In 1656 Street farm claimed common pasture in
East, Hulk, Heath, and Sedge moors, and fuel in Heath
moor. (fn. 291) An order of 1666 set aside a quarter of
Houndwood for inclosure following a dispute between
William Strode, owner of the wood, and the commoners
who resisted inclosure. (fn. 292) It was not until 1796 that
Sedgemoor and Heath or Turf moor were inclosed. (fn. 293)
The two arable fields remained open into the 17th
century but there were closes of pasture at Waterbarrow
in the east field and of arable at Behind Hayes. (fn. 294) By 1656
land on Street farm was in closes and included many new
meadow and pasture closes taken from the moors (fn. 295) but
some arable strips survived in the 1770s. (fn. 296)
Street-based butter and cheese badgers in the earlier
17th century (fn. 297) were perhaps more to do with the central
position of the parish than with the gradually improving
moors for local dairy production, but by the later 17th
century livestock farming was probably increasing in
importance. Small herds of cows and flocks of sheep
were kept (fn. 298) and clover was recorded in 1681. Individual
farms, however, were small, twice as many as in 1515
and several houses were divided. In the 1680s Street
manor included 97 separate holdings of which only two
were more than 80 a. and nine more over 20 a. (fn. 299) Between
1699 and 1704 many of those holdings became freeholds. (fn. 300)
Some farmers were able to expand. James Clothier
acquired two houses and over 130 a. at Middle Leigh
which became the family home for over 200 years. (fn. 301) A
fellow Quaker, Abraham Gundry (d. 1701), had wheat
in store and growing, 4 oxen, 5 cows, 5 young cattle, 7
horses, 2 pigs, and 100 sheep but most of his wealth was
in leases and bills. (fn. 302) Probably more typical was a shoemaker who in 1736 had a small dairy herd and a cheese
press in his two-roomed house (fn. 303) or a yeoman who
possessed only a mare and 17 sheep. (fn. 304) The two demesne
farms of Street and Ivythorn probably each measured c.
370 a. (fn. 305) In 1705 at Ivythorn farm there were 15 cows and
calves, 35 other cattle including 10 plough beasts, 11
horses including riding and coach horses, 153 ewes with
lambs and 131 other sheep, and 15 pigs. Only 38 a. was
under corn although there was stored wheat worth £72.
There was a stock of clover seed and vetches. The dairy
contained two cheese presses, a butter churn, and two
pumps. (fn. 306)
Farming from the Late 18th Century
By the late 18th century large farms were developing,
sometimes on new sites, probably as a result of the
gradual inclosure of the arable fields and the acquisition
by farmers of former manorial land. In 1791 the only
surviving Street manor lands were 230 a. which, apart
from one lease for years, were held in small parcels at will
or for lives. (fn. 307) One of the new farms was Blagrove in the
east of the parish created by the Mead family through
several purchases in the later 17th century. In 1706
William Mead held 45 a. and had recently built a
house. (fn. 308) By 1723 it belonged to William Moxham (d. c.
1730) who added further land and was succeeded by his
son William (d. c. 1734) and grandson William (d. c.
1802 s.p.) (fn. 309) who bought over 100 a. in Butleigh and
Street from Sir James Langham Bt. in 1777 and 1778. (fn. 310)
Blagrove was bought by Sir Alexander Hood from the
trustees of Moxham's nephew James Rocke (d. c. 1828)
and by 1909 the farm covered 348 a. in Street and
Butleigh. (fn. 311) The house was burnt down and rebuilt c.
1831. (fn. 312) Sir Alexander also owned a scattered farm with a
house at Middle Leigh which had belonged to his mother
and had been created out of the Street lands held by her
Periam and Pope ancestors since the 1680s or earlier
with purchases from her neighbours and tenants the
Clothiers. (fn. 313) Sir Alexander embarked on a series of
exchanges with other landowners including the Clarks
and also bought small holdings. (fn. 314) He was thus enabled to
reorganize his land into Middle Leigh and Marshall's
Elm farms and to create a new farm at Leigholt which
had 193 a. by 1867. (fn. 315) Brooks farm in the south-west was
created by the Clothier family out of their estate at
Middle Leigh. A house had been built by 1812. (fn. 316) The
division of the old Street demesne estate in the early 19th
century led to the creation of a new Street farm (c. 200 a.)
and the building of a farmhouse between 1828 and
1841. (fn. 317) The farm was entirely pasture by 1888. (fn. 318)
By the 1780s two thirds of the parish was said to be
pasture used for grazing rather than dairying. (fn. 319) In 1791
there was a 90-a. sheepsleight at Ivythorn. (fn. 320) In 1801 only
193 a. of arable was recorded producing abundant crops,
mainly wheat (120 a.) but also small acreages of beans,
peas, barley, potatoes, rape, and oats. (fn. 321) In 1841 there
were 1,908 a. of pasture and 755 a. of arable, much of the
latter on the recently inclosed Sedgemoor and Turf
moor. Of 27 holdings over 20 a., 16 were under 50 a.,
many simply tracts of former moor, and only 5 over 100
a. (fn. 322) In 1845 most farmers were too poor to employ
labourers although some employed boys. Labourers
lived on potatoes, which were good unless grown on
unimproved parts of Turf moor, and bread. Their
gardens were small, allotments were uncommon, and
they were not allowed pigs because of the temptation to
steal food for them. Farmers who made cheese fattened
pigs on whey. (fn. 323) Many agricultural workers emigrated to
Australia in the mid 19th century (fn. 324) or went to work on
the railways. (fn. 325) In 1851 53 labourers were employed on
farms. Of 15 holdings over 20 a., 5 were under 50 a. and
only 4 over 100 a. of which 3 were over 200 a. There were
many smallholdings measuring less than 10 a. although
some of those were combined with trade as a butcher or
innkeeper. (fn. 326) The total number of small farms under 50 a.
had fallen to 7 by 1871 and although there had been no
change in the larger farms between 1861 and 1871 the
number of labourers had dropped from 65 to 29. (fn. 327) There
were still only 3 farms over 100 a. in 1881 and the
number of employed labourers had fallen again leaving a
high proportion of boys. One 190-a. farm employed
only one boy. (fn. 328) Only 13 farms were recorded in 1891 of
which one was a dairy farm. (fn. 329)
By 1905 arable had shrunk to 330 a. and 1,960 a. was
under grass. (fn. 330) Dairying was important in the 20th
century. In 1906 four dairy farmers, two dairymen, and
a cowkeeper were in business and by 1939 the number of
dairymen had increased to five although some may have
been retailers. Only Blagrove farm had over 150 a. One
farmer in 1906 was also a bus proprietor. (fn. 331) An egg
collector was recorded in 1881 (fn. 332) and an egg collecting
company was in business between 1906 and 1939. (fn. 333)
Large quantities of potatoes were grown on allotments (fn. 334)
and in 1939 a beekeeper and a poultry farmer were
recorded. (fn. 335) By 1930 most of the farms in the centre of the
village, including Street farm, had disappeared under
housing, (fn. 336) a process which extended to Middle Leigh and
Overleigh in the later 20th century. One of the surviving
farms, Blagrove, obtained permission to build a
104-cow cubicle building in 1973. (fn. 337)
Horticulture
There was a vineyard at Leigh in 1296. (fn. 338) Several small
holdings had orchards in 1515. (fn. 339) A third orchard at
Ivythorn was planted c. 1800. (fn. 340) By 1841 there were many
orchards (fn. 341) and with the decline of quarrying from the
late 19th century the pits were planted as orchards. (fn. 342) In
1883 the Peck mill orchards were let with a proviso that
the apples were not used for cider. (fn. 343) During the 20th
century they have been largely displaced by housing
although some cider was made in the 1950s. (fn. 344)
Robert Impey, a Quaker seedsman from Colchester,
married into the Clothier family and established himself
as a seedsman in Portway, Middle Leigh, where he built
Askew, later Portway, House in 1845. He is credited with
introducing the cherry plum to Street. By 1871 he
employed 24 workers (fn. 345) and in 1881 he had 57 a. on
which 12 men and boys were employed. (fn. 346) He also
supplied agricultural implements. (fn. 347) After his death in
1886 (fn. 348) the business was carried on by his daughter
Ellen. (fn. 349) By 1891 Richard Candy had taken over the retail
and machinery business but Ellen Impey continued to
run the nursery at Middle Leigh until 1906 or later. (fn. 350) A
jam factory was started by Robert Impey's wife Mary and
although she had retired by 1891 the factory employed 6
people. (fn. 351)
Woodland
In 1086 recorded woodland measured only 6 a. (fn. 352) About
1260 there was an area of 51 a. of arable in the east field
called Blagrove and 171 a. of arable in the west field
called Leigholt, and 30 a. of pasture called Blagrove
which appear to have been former woodland. At the
same time alder in the moor, possibly at Houndwood to
the west of the parish, was cropped at the rate of 8 a. each
year. (fn. 353) More woodland at Leigholt was let in 1273 for
inclosure and improvement. (fn. 354) Houndwood in 1300
appears to have been on the Leigh estate; (fn. 355) part had been
cleared for arable and pasture by 1317. (fn. 356) Underwood
from Westholt was sold in 1438. (fn. 357) Grove near the manor
grange was fenced in 1448, (fn. 358) but by 1515 it had been
cleared along with more of Blagrove. Houndwood, in
the 1540s comprising 40 a. of thorn, underwood, and
oak, was lopped every 12 years. (fn. 359) By 1656 Houndwood
was part of Street farm and was said to cover 50 a. with
1,200 oaks. (fn. 360) In 1666 one quarter was to be inclosed but
those with grazing rights in the wood objected. (fn. 361) Alder
was coppiced in South moor, sometimes called Alder
moor. In the early 17th century it was claimed that only a
third of South moor in Street was uncoppiced. (fn. 362) In the
south of the parish Ivythorn hill was well-wooded. (fn. 363)
Timber was excluded from a lease of Ivythorn in 1791. (fn. 364)
By 1841 Houndwood had been completely cleared but
there were 60 a. of wood in the parish mainly at Leigholt
Coppice (16 a.), Marshall's Elm (12 a.), Ivythorn Wood
(13 a.), and several small plantations. (fn. 365) Those woods
survived in the later 20th century. Willows, for bats,
were planted by the urban district council around the
sewage works in the north of the parish. (fn. 366)
Corn Mills
A mill given by Abbot Henry of Blois (d. 1171) was
thought by the later 13th century to have been assigned
to support the abbey cook's office. (fn. 367) 'The mill beyond
Street bridge' seems to have been taken from the
community by Robert of Winchester, abbot 1171–8,
and was granted with fisheries in 1193 either to the
cellarer or to the cook. (fn. 368) In 1189 it was let with ½ virgate
of land. (fn. 369) Bishop Jocelin (d. 1242) was accused of
destroying the Street mill but claimed it had been done
by the king's order. (fn. 370) The mill was rebuilt by Abbot
Michael of Amesbury (d. 1252) and during his time the
abbey cook received 10s. from its farm. (fn. 371) The cook was in
possession in 1346 (fn. 372) but no further reference has been
found. In 1189 the mill ditch of Street mill crossed the
land of Robert son of Reymer who held Leigh (fn. 373) and the
same ditch was mentioned c. 1255, and in 1366
described as on the boundary between Street and
Walton. (fn. 374)
Peck mill, near the boundary with Walton, was
recorded in 1726, (fn. 375) probably the mill which had been
held with the demesne in 1622 (fn. 376) and was leased from the
manor in the late 17th century. (fn. 377) By 1751 milling
appears to have ceased and there was no working mill in
the parish in the 1780s. (fn. 378) Peck mill was sold in 1791 and
by 1836 the mill was again in use. (fn. 379) It was owned and
occupied by several millers in succession during the 19th
century. (fn. 380) In 1883 James Clark, who had recently bought
the mill, agreed to repair the water wheel and other
machinery for the tenant. (fn. 381) The mill was always short of
water and a steam engine had been installed by 1881. It
was occupied mainly as a farm and the flour mill was
disused in 1938, but some milling of animal feed
continued until 1966. (fn. 382)
A windmill recorded in the 13th century (fn. 383) may have
been that on Ivythorn manor is use between 1317 and
1364 and described as old in 1444. (fn. 384) It probably stood on
Ivythorn hill and was in use in 1622. It was last recorded
in 1688. (fn. 385) A mound near Marshall's Elm may mark the
site. (fn. 386)
A windmill in Street east field, called the 'Burne' mill
in 1636, was also recorded in 1660 and 1675 but had
been demolished by 1681. (fn. 387) It probably stood on fields
called Millbatch east of the Somerton road. (fn. 388)
A steam-powered provender mill, known as Goss
mills, was established c. 1919 in a disused shoe factory
near Street Cross. It was still in business in the 1950s. (fn. 389)
Quarrying
Lias was quarried for building and paving by the 14th
century on Ivythorn hill in Street and Walton. (fn. 390) In 1399
quarrying at Ivythorn damaged the highway. (fn. 391) A quarry
at Ivythorn was recorded in 1500 (fn. 392) and another,
described as in Street in 1518, was opened on Street
manor to supply stone for a new building at Glastonbury. (fn. 393) Stone for houses and roads continued to be dug
on Ivythorn hill and at Marshall's Elm in the later 18th
century (fn. 394) and quarries had opened by 1822 at Stonehill
in strips in a former furlong. (fn. 395) At least one limekiln was
in operation. (fn. 396) By 1840 there were six stone masons,
seven stone cutters and quarrymen, and a gravestone
cutter; (fn. 397) in 1841 34 stone workers, some probably
working in Walton, lived in a row of cottages at Ford
Stream. (fn. 398) Stone workers' housing was of poor quality,
sometimes self-built from waste lias, and insanitary
resulting in above average vulnerability to epidemic
disease. (fn. 399) During the mid 19th century there were quarries throughout the western half of the parish, at least
three with lime kilns. (fn. 400) They were said to be the richest
lias quarries in the kingdom; they could supply limestone paving slabs in very large sizes, and also produced
large quantities of fossils. (fn. 401) The blue-black strata were
found to take a polish and were substituted for marble at
St. Mary's, Paddington (Mdx.), in 1868. (fn. 402) In 1851 there
were 44 stoneworkers, in 1881 56 cutters and quarrymen, and in 1891 99 stoneworkers, mainly employed
by stone merchants who owned or leased the quarries. (fn. 403)
The industry declined in the early 20th century and
especially during the 1920s when the large firms disappeared leaving only four small quarries in business by
1939. (fn. 404) The shallow quarries were backfilled for
orchards. (fn. 405)
Industry
The industrial history of Street is dominated by shoemaking and other leather industries from the 19th
century onwards. Earlier crafts have left fewer traces but
the rapid growth from village to town at the end of the
19th century (fn. 406) has attracted a wide variety of businesses,
culminating in the 1990s in a popular shopping centre
with factory outlets.
A tucker was recorded in 1189. (fn. 407) Coarse cloth called
streets may have come from this area in the 16th
century. (fn. 408) A stocking maker had land in the parish in
1786 (fn. 409) and many people in the early 19th century were
said to work for Glastonbury stocking makers. In 1831
59 men were said to be employed in cloth manufacture. (fn. 410)
Leatherworking: Gloving and Tanning
John Bull, glover, moved to Street c. 1804 and made
coarse farm gloves in High Street. Although the business
seems to have ceased on his death in 1822, gloving
continued on a small scale. (fn. 411) A few glovers worked in the
parish until 1881 but the highest recorded number was
11 in 1871. (fn. 412)
Arthur Clothier is said to have started his tanyard at
Middle Leigh c. 1810. By 1841 seven tannery workers
were recorded and several buildings had been erected
with pits for soaking skins. (fn. 413) By 1851 there were 14
tanyard workers, a figure which remained fairly constant
for most of the century (fn. 414) although it is sometimes said
that 100 people were employed at the yard. (fn. 415) Arthur
Clothier (d. 1865) was succeeded by his son John
William Columbus (d. 1895) and grandson Arthur (d.
1942), (fn. 416) but the yard declined at the end of the 19th
century. (fn. 417) The tanyard had become a chrome tannery by
1902. It closed briefly after 1906 (fn. 418) but was used to
produce glacé kid between 1912 and 1916 when it was
sold to the Co-operative Society. In 1920–1 a new
tannery was built. By the 1950s it employed 75 workers
processing 1,100 skins a week, mainly goatskins
imported from Africa and India, into coloured chrome
glacé kid and suede for Co-operative shoe factories.
Arabian and Nigerian sheepskins were imported for the
gloving and bookbinding industries. (fn. 419) In the later 20th
century the tannery closed and the main building was
converted into 18 warehousing units. (fn. 420)
Leatherworking: The Clarks' Companies
Cyrus Clark started business as a woolstapler and
fellmonger, having worked with Arthur Clothier
between 1821 and 1825. He moved in 1825 to the
premises of his late father-in-law John Bull where he
sank skin dressing pits and in 1829 built a factory to
make rugs, probably from sheepskin, taking his brother
James into partnership in 1833. Mops and chamois
leathers were also made. (fn. 421) In 1836 Cyrus Clark moved
his skin dressing yard from the factory to Bowling Green,
locally in Glastonbury parish, which was used as a
tanyard from c. 1853 to 1870. (fn. 422) In the 1840s mats for
gigs were made from dressed sheepskins. (fn. 423) In 1851 21
rug workers, including dyers, were recorded but in 1853
it was said that the industry employed 40. (fn. 424) John Clough
created a golden crimson dye which remained popular,
especially with buyers in Glasgow, until the secret died
with him in 1871. (fn. 425) Clarks earned nearly £5,000 from the
sale of rugs in 1851 and in 1859 the company dressed
lion and tiger skins as well as goat and sheep. In 1870 the
business moved to new premises in Glastonbury,
although continuing to provide employment for people
from Street. (fn. 426) In 1962 Bayliss and Sons began making
sheepskin coats but later moved to Glastonbury
retaining a shop in Street. Another company produced
coats, gloves, hats, and slippers from sheepskin in the
1970s. (fn. 427)
James Clark, brother of Cyrus, began making slippers,
later known as Petersburghs or Brown Peters, and shoe
linings from scraps of sheepskin and by 1833 was
making shoes which were largely exported through
Bridgwater. At first the shoes were cut in the factory by
clickers and made up by independent outworkers in
their backshops in Street and other villages. Women
worked as binders or closers, sewing the uppers, and
men as shoemakers, attaching the soles and finishing
off. (fn. 428) In the 1840s most of the shoes were exported to
Ireland. (fn. 429) In 1841 only 29 shoemakers were recorded but
by 1851 there were 261. (fn. 430) In 1853 it was reported that c.
600 people were employed making shoes, including
women working at home, (fn. 431) and by 1859 about 150
people worked in the factory, including rug workers,
although it was said the total employed by Clarks
including outworkers was nearly 1,000. (fn. 432) By 1851 sales of
shoes totalled over £21,000 and in 1858 the first cutting
machines were introduced followed by sewing machines
which brought more workers, especially women, into
the factory where they could be supervised and where
better conditions prevailed for apprentices who were
often left without work when their masters became
drunk. (fn. 433) Local engineer James Miles patented a sole
cutting press in 1862 and in 1863 the sewing room
foreman John Keats patented a lockstitch sewing
machine which could use waxed thread. (fn. 434) Whole families were engaged in the shoe trade and as the business
increased many shoemakers took in apprentices and
assistants to lodge with them. The number of recorded
shoeworkers rose from 371 in 1861 to 447 in 1871, and
to 545 in 1881 when Clarks were said to employ c. 1,100
people. Most employees were Somerset born and mainly
local and although there were some migrants later, the
firm relied heavily on local labour. (fn. 435) From the mid 19th
to the early 20th centuries Clarks provided housing for
their workers, often of high quality. (fn. 436) With the introduction of more machinery including finishing machines in
the 1880s, to which there was some short-lived opposition, the outworker system declined although some
workers preferred to work at home and continued to do
so into the 20th century. (fn. 437)
Following several financial crises, especially the near
bankruptcy of 1862, due partly to the failure to reinvest
capital in the business, the elder brother, Cyrus Clark,
and his immediate family were excluded. With the help
of other Quaker businessmen James Clark's son William
took over the firm in partnership with his father in 1873
and from 1889 with his brother Francis. The business
expanded especially into the manufacture of ladies' and
children's footwear. In 1875 361,000 pairs of shoes were
sold for £76,000. By the late 19th century shoes were
exported to Australia, U.S.A., and South Africa but there
was growing competition from American footwear
which was improving in quality. (fn. 438)
By 1891 859 people from Street were employed in
shoemaking including clerical and warehouse staff and
Clarks had a total of 1,167 employees excluding apprentices. (fn. 439) In 1900 shoe sales totalled £143,000 and in 1903
the firm became a limited company. (fn. 440) In 1911 Clarks
employed nearly 1,500 people and every process except
tanning was carried out on the premises including
machine building. Exotic skins such as leopard and
lizard were used. (fn. 441) By 1913 400,000 pairs of shoes were
sold at home and the same number overseas. (fn. 442) Exports
declined thereafter but in 1927 the firm began to make a
range of less expensive shoes which were successful at
home, especially children's sandals. In 1928 831 men
and 504 women were employed, earning twice as much
as agricultural workers. (fn. 443) In the 1930s the company
entered the retail shoe business and formed C. and J.
Clark Retail Ltd. in 1937. (fn. 444) During the Second World
War an increase in work, especially on American army
boots but also producing hinged wooden soles to replace
scarce leather, led to a shortage of labour. Women were
brought by bus from Bridgwater and Shepton Mallet
and girls from Devon, Wales, and Ireland were provided
with hostel accommodation. After the war factories were
established in many of those places utilising the
workforce trained at Street. (fn. 445) In 1948 2,570 people in the
Street and Glastonbury area were employed in the shoe
industry, about 39% of all workers in the area. (fn. 446)
Shoes were offered in individual packaging from 1883
and a carton making department was opened in 1893.
Boxes had previously been bought in and a local
boxmaker was recorded in 1881; 14 were recorded by
1891. (fn. 447) A cardboard box maker was in business between
1906 and 1923. (fn. 448) In 1914 a plant for making wood blocks
opened and in 1918 one for lasts. (fn. 449) Lasts had previously
been supplied by independent makers of whom 5 were
recorded in 1891. A Glasgow lastmaker moved to Street
in 1888 and devised wooden moulds from which iron
lasts could be cast. (fn. 450) The heel- and last-making division
eventually became a separate subsidiary company
known as Avalon Shoe Supplies and its Maple factory
was opened in 1960. It later became a warehouse. (fn. 451) Warehouses for finished shoes and raw materials were built at
Houndwood in 1954, 1957, 1964, and 1984, and a retail
warehouse in 1969. (fn. 452)
The firm C. and J. Clark became the holding group for
many subsidiaries including retailing, importing, and
overseas companies but the largest company was Clarks
Ltd., shoe manufacturers and wholesalers. (fn. 453) In 1985 the
shoe factories employed 23,000 worldwide producing
23 million pairs of shoes (fn. 454) but manufacturing in Street
declined and in 1992 the factory closed. Plans to sell the
company in the following year were thwarted but in
1996 300 office jobs were lost leaving c. 800 office and
400 warehouse staff at Street. In 1993 a large part of the
factory site was converted into a shopping village
employing c. 550 people, mainly part-time, and by 1998,
following its sale to an American company, further
shopping space had been added. (fn. 455)
Clarks' employees enjoyed educational and recreational opportunities, annual outings, (fn. 456) and benefit societies, including a club for outworkers. The Street
Shoemakers Provident Benefit Society was formed in
1913 and a savings bank in 1917. (fn. 457) Following a shortlived strike against machinery in 1880 trade union
activity was forbidden. After the ban was lifted unionism
was not encouraged and few workers joined, but neither
did Clarks belong to the employers' federation and so
the firm escaped the disputes found elsewhere in the
industry. Wages were lower than in other shoemaking
areas and there was some migration but as agriculture
remained the only alternative employment there was
little competition for labour. Hours were gradually
reduced from 64 a week to 50 by 1913. A works council
was set up in 1918 and in 1924 a factory newspaper. In
1926 a Trade Union Hall was built in Vestry Road. (fn. 458)
FIG. 66. Clarks' former shoe factory, 2001
The factory expanded piecemeal from the original
1829 building both into adjoining houses in High Street
and by extensions to the rear. By 1845 there were several
buildings of coursed blue lias with pantiled roofs. The
three-bayed block of three storeys of 1829 lay at right
angles to the High Street, with two- and three-storeyed
blocks attached its west side, one of them linked by a
chute or walkway to other buildings north-east of a cart
way. Flanking the factory buildings were, north-east, the
two-storeyed house of Cyrus Clark, said to have been
built for his father-in-law John Bull (d. 1822), and,
south-west, the plain Netherleigh of James Clark built in
1835. The earlier house had a rendered five-bay façade
with a pedimented centre and a taller two-bayed
south-west block. (fn. 459) That house had gone by 1887 when
the Franco-Flemish style clock tower designed by G. J.
Skipper was built and the water tower, designed by
William Reynolds, in 1897. Reynolds gave the factory a
cohesive frontage of informal domestic character in
1898. By 1891 the main ranges were about 27 bays long
and there was a tall brick chimney, (fn. 460) replaced in 1920 by a
steel one, later encased in brick. (fn. 461) The 'Big Room', 26,450
sq. ft. in area, was built in 1895. (fn. 462) The factory was
enlarged in 1912, in the 1920s, and the 1930s, notably
the Morelight block to the north with large glass
windows built in 1933. In 1950 a new factory covering
22,500 sq. ft. was opened nearby for welted shoes. (fn. 463)
Leatherworking: Other Companies
The Hope shoe works in High Street, south of the Cross,
was set up in 1877 by Edward Sadler, a former traveller
for Clarks, to produce cheap imitations of Clarks'
designs. The new company benefited from a temporary
period of unemployment and had c. 300 employees of
whom about 100 worked in the factory. The company
moved business to Worcester and is said to have closed
in 1897 but Sadler continued producing boots at Street. (fn. 464)
The Lockhill boot and shoe factory had opened in High
Street by 1902 but by 1906 had merged with Sadler as
Sadler Lockhill Ltd. It closed c. 1930 and became a
vehicle works. (fn. 465) The Hope factory was converted to a
provender mill. (fn. 466) The Phoenix Boot Machinery was in
business at Bowling Green between 1902 and 1906. (fn. 467) In
1979 there was a shoe machinery company at Stonehill. (fn. 468)
Several independent shoemakers were in business in the
early 20th century. Some combined before 1923 to form
Pursey and Bacon Ltd. at the end of Orchard Road but
that business had closed by 1934. (fn. 469) In 1939 four independent shoemakers were recorded. (fn. 470)
The Leatherboard Mill
The Avalon Leatherboard mill opened in 1878 in a derelict tanyard at Bowling Green, north-east of the church
and in Glastonbury parish. (fn. 471) Leatherboard was made
from rope and rag fibre until the 1930s when leather
waste was used, for bookbinding, belts, portmanteaus,
and cards for jacquard looms, and from the 1880s until
1967 primarily for shoe stiffening and insoles. (fn. 472) Only
one leatherboard worker was recorded in 1881 although
three rag and paper workers may have been employed at
the mill. (fn. 473) In the 1880s there were complaints of pollution in the South Moor Drain from the old settling pits
and by furnace slag from the engine house. (fn. 474) By 1889 the
mill employed 19 men and 10 boys rising to 96 staff in
1913 when the mill, equipped with 4 steam engines,
produced 722 tons of leatherboard. By that date the site
had spread across the drain and new buildings had been
added. (fn. 475) In 1938 the company became a subsidiary of
Clarks and in 1957 part of Clarks' Avalon Industries Ltd.
In 1950 c. 120 people were employed at the mill which
then had six rolling machines and two new mills built in
1940 and 1946. Further buildings including a laboratory
and a new chimney were built between 1956 and 1967.
In 1966 5,015 tonnes of leatherboard were produced
and sales reached £1,170,000. The mill closed in 1990. (fn. 476)
Part of the original mill has been retained for residential
use but the rest of the site was cleared for housing
development.
Trades And Services
In 1830 Street was described as an inconsiderable village
with 'nothing worthy of notice', (fn. 477) but by 1840 as a small
town with six daily mail and coach services. (fn. 478) A cooper
had a shop in East Lane, later Somerton Road, in 1833 (fn. 479)
and two surgeons, a chemist, and three shopkeepers
were recorded in 1839. (fn. 480) By 1841 the parish had smiths,
waggoners, a carrier, and a wheelwright and by 1851
there were at least three wheelwrights and a van driver. (fn. 481)
One carrier was said to have had 100 horses (fn. 482) and the
growing shoe business and the lack of a railway probably
provided work for three hauliers in 1871 and a railway
carrier and a horse trainer in 1881. (fn. 483) The expansion of
Street provided work for large numbers of building
workers in the later 19th century and also for telegraphists, coal merchants, sweeps, dressmakers, milliners,
doctors, nurses, and laundresses. (fn. 484)
The first shops were around Street Cross, but by 1851
there were a few further down High Street south-west of
Clarks' factory and by the later 19th century that was the
main shopping area and remained so in the 1990s. (fn. 485) In
1861 there were ten grocers and drapers, two general
shopkeepers, a confectioner, a watchmaker, and two
cabinet makers. (fn. 486) By 1875 they had been joined by a
fancy repository and the Co-operative stores which by
the 1880s had grocery and drapery departments and
sold furniture, perambulators, and washing machines. (fn. 487)
In 1871 a draper had two resident assistants, a tailor had
two, and a draper and grocer had five. (fn. 488) In 1881 one
grocer employed 19 men and there were at least two
grocers at West End. (fn. 489)
By the end of the 19th century Street provided a great
variety of services and was probably a shopping centre
for a large rural area as there were two bus proprietors by
1902. In that year there were at least 33 grocers, confectioners, and other food shops, eight drapers, seven
jewellers, a florist, a chemist, a berlin warehouse, two
stationers, eight general shops including the Cooperative store, a tobacconist, two ironmongers, an
earthenware dealer, and three cycle agents. Services were
provided by three hairdressers, a watchmaker, a photographer, solicitors, accountants, auctioneers, an architect,
three tailors, refreshment rooms, and a bank. (fn. 490) Later were
added dealers in furniture, sewing machines, fried fish,
cooked meats, picture frames, sports goods, and wireless
sets, and dentists, a chiropodist, a horse slaughterer, and
a sign writer. (fn. 491) Between 1942 and 1955 Street and
Glastonbury had a shared Trades Council, but subsequently Street had its own Chamber of Trade, and
between 1962 and 1977 the Street District of the
Co-operative society included stores at Wells and
Shepton Mallet. The Street store provided accommodation for staff in the 1960s and mobile shops. In 1969 the
food department became a supermarket. (fn. 492) In 1973 a large
supermarket and a shopping mall were built (fn. 493) and further
developments in the 1990s included two more supermarkets, one outside the town centre. In the later 20th
century a large number of shops selling shoes, sheepskins, and leather goods serving a wide market dominated the High Street, although those have gradually
declined in number since the closure of Clarks factory
and its conversion in 1993 into a shopping village, also
designed to attract shoppers from outside the area. (fn. 494)
By 1840 a December cattle fair was held near Street
Cross but it is said to have gradually declined and had
ceased by the end of the 19th century. (fn. 495) In 1923 and 1931
there was a fortnightly produce market. (fn. 496) In the 1990s a
small general market was held in the Crispin Hall.
Public Houses
Ten people including a miller sold ale without licence in
1315 (fn. 497) and illegal selling was recorded in 1535 at the
Whitehouse and in 1594 at the Dog and Bull where there
were unlawful card and dice games. (fn. 498) The Eagle and
Child was recorded between c. 1602 and 1783 (fn. 499) and was
probably the inn which in 1686 had beds for two guests
and stabling for five horses. (fn. 500) It may have been the sole
inn for most of the 17th and 18th centuries but there
were two other licensed houses in 1732 and 1735. (fn. 501) The
inn had probably closed by 1789 when it was known as
the Old inn and it was last recorded, as the Old Eagle and
Child, in 1793. (fn. 502)
The Street inn, at Street Cross, first recorded in 1767,
was also a farmhouse with 132 a. (fn. 503) It belonged to the
Gould family until 1881 when it was bought by a
brewer. (fn. 504) It was rebuilt during the earlier 19th century to
form a long double-pile two-storeyed range with a plain
six-bay front. It remains in business. In 1839 there was a
beerhouse opposite the Baptist chapel (fn. 505) and c. 1844 cider
houses in Somerton Road and at West End, possibly
unlicensed. (fn. 506) James Godfrey kept a beerhouse opposite
Clark's factory from 1861 or earlier (fn. 507) until 1884 when it
was bought by William Clark and turned into the Bear
coffee house. It was rebuilt to designs in his usual picturesque style by William Reynolds as the Bear Inn and
became a temperance hotel. (fn. 508) By 1923 it had 13
bedrooms. (fn. 509) It was licensed by 1986 (fn. 510) and remains in
business. The Wessex hotel with c. 50 bedrooms was
built near the Cross in 1962. (fn. 511)
An inn at Marshall's Elm was said to have been open c.
1844. It was recorded in 1867 and was also a farmhouse.
It remained open until the early 20th century. (fn. 512) The
Rising Sun was in business in 1871 (fn. 513) and in the 1880s
changed its name to the Elms; it obtained a full licence in
1958 (fn. 514) and remains in business. The Albert in Leigh
Road had opened by 1872 (fn. 515) and remains in business as
the Two Brewers. There was a beerhouse at West End
between 1881 and 1931. (fn. 516)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND WELFARE
Street was a tithing in Whitley hundred with the exception of a small area by Street Farm which was in
Glastonbury Twelve Hides hundred. (fn. 517)
Manorial Administration
During the Middle Ages regular halimote courts were
held for Street but in the early 16th century sessions were
held either there or at Walton. Court records survive in
part from the 1260s to the 1540s. (fn. 518) The halimote was
concerned mainly with tenancies, agriculture, and
absent neifs, one as late as 1530. (fn. 519) In 1533 a man was
accused of felling 41 trees and his wife of preventing the
hayward impounding two cows. (fn. 520) The Glastonbury
abbey cook's tenants owed no suit to the manor court. (fn. 521)
A court of survey was held for the rectory manor in
1636, (fn. 522) and a court book survives for 1767–1850. The
court met when needed at either Walton or Street and
dealt mostly with tenancies as a court baron although
occasionally courts leet were held to deal with scouring
of ditches and defaults. (fn. 523)
Parish Administration And Poor
Relief
In the 18th century the parish was governed by a vestry
of between 5 and 9 members, by the early 19th century
by two wardens, two overseers, and two waywardens. (fn. 524) In
the late 18th century the vestry administered parish
property and poor relief and appointed parish officers.
By 1800 it had established a poor house committee. A
select vestry had been formed by 1833 and separate
accounts were kept for parish property by 1839. (fn. 525) In 1849
the vestry attempted to improve drains and water
supply (fn. 526) and in 1857 assisted emigration to Australia
and pressed for improvements in paving. (fn. 527) Churchwardens relieved large numbers of travellers and until 1847
paid bounties for vermin. (fn. 528) Overseers paid relief in cash
and kind through regular and casual payments. In 1817
they bought horses which they lent to a carrier, encouraged potato growing, and established allotments.
Overseers were responsible for cleaning rivers and
drains on the moors, and administered a tract of moor
allotted to the poor. (fn. 529) From 1847 vermin bounties were
payable from the highway rate. (fn. 530)
Several houses were owned by the parish in the late
18th century. A row, with paved frontage and pump, was
built c. 1799 (fn. 531) and in 1853 was let as eight dwellings. (fn. 532) It
had been sold by 1856. (fn. 533) The parish still retained other
cottages and gardens at Bowling Green. (fn. 534) In 1856 the
vestry planned to build a vestry room, lock-up, and
cottage on the site of the pound in High Street. The
building was completed in 1860. By 1887 it was inadequate and a new vestry room with fire station was built in
Leigh Road next to the Crispin Hall and in similar style. (fn. 535)
FIG. 67. Public buildings in Leigh Road, 2001
In 1836 Street became part of the Wells poor-law
union. (fn. 536) The union opened cottage homes for children in
1901 and 1904. (fn. 537) In 1853 after an outbreak of fever caused
by poor drainage, lack of sanitation, and water pollution (fn. 538)
Street Board of Health was formed (fn. 539) under the chairmanship of Cyrus Clark. It had a salaried clerk, a treasurer, a
medical officer of health, a surveyor, and an inspector of
nuisances assisted by two people in each of the four
districts into which the parish was divided. The board was
originally responsible for drainage, water supply, refuse
collection, and road repair. (fn. 540) It was also concerned with
rabies and in 1877 paid for dog bites to be cauterised and
the following year ordered dogs to be muzzled. In 1880 a
licence to hawk petroleum in the streets was issued. (fn. 541) In
1885 the board published very detailed byelaws
concerning the construction of houses and industrial
buildings, slaughterhouses, water closets, and privies. (fn. 542) By
1884 the board was known as the Board of Health and
Local Government (fn. 543) and in 1891 became Street Local
Board and Urban Sanitary Authority. (fn. 544) In 1895 the
authority became Street Urban District whose council
had twelve members with Public Works, Public Health,
Farm, Finance, and Special sub-committees. (fn. 545) A cemetery
was opened in the west of the parish in 1903. (fn. 546) Street urban
district was absorbed into Mendip district in 1974. (fn. 547)
Charities For The Poor
Mrs. Comer's charity, with capital of £20, was lost c.
1819. (fn. 548) George Cox, by will dated 1865, left £10,000 for
charitable purposes. Under a scheme of 1866 most of the
income, £185, was to support an almshouse or pensions
with the remaining £90 to be distributed to the poor in
cash and kind. (fn. 549) The income had risen to c. £400 by
1873 (fn. 550) and to £2,586 by 1995 when it was used for
general relief under a Scheme of 1985. The two Victoria
Homes in Wraxall Road were given for the use of the
elderly poor in 1899. Under a Scheme of 1970 the
Victoria Homes Relief in Need charity was established to
provide goods and services for needy residents of Street.
The income was £1,346 in 1995. Hilda and Alice Clark's
charitable trust of 1984 for general purposes was said to
have an income of £41,088 in 1998. (fn. 551)
Public Services
Until the mid 19th century water came from Polly Hole,
also known as Godswell or St. Mary's well, south-west of
High Street, the Street mill stream, or shallow wells. (fn. 552) In
1857 a reservoir was proposed to store water from Polly
Hole which from 1888 supplied a cast iron fountain at
the Cross and conduits elsewhere. (fn. 553) An additional reservoir was built in 1904 at Keen Sugg on the Somerton
Road, itself supplied with water from Rodney Stoke. (fn. 554)
A stream along the High Street was the main drain of
the village and ran into a pool at the Cross. The pool was
filled in 1781 and some of the stream flowed into a stone
drain. (fn. 555) The rest lay open and was flushed by dyke
reeves. (fn. 556) Pipes were eventually laid in 1856–7 and
extended to West End in 1878. (fn. 557) A sewage works by
South Drain was completed in 1892. (fn. 558)
In 1867 four public paraffin lamps were erected and in
1883 public oil lighting was contracted out. (fn. 559) In 1898 the
council decided to provide gas lighting. (fn. 560) In 1915 electric
lighting was planned, with a generating station to be
built at the end of the war. (fn. 561) Clarks' factory generated its
own electric power from 1911 and until 1928 provided a
surplus for public supply. (fn. 562) Thereafter gas was supplied
from Glastonbury and electricity by the Mid Somerset
Electric Supply Company. (fn. 563)
By 1861 there were two policemen living in High
Street. (fn. 564) In 1887 a station designed by William Willcox
of Bath was built in Leigh Road. (fn. 565) It had closed by 1978. (fn. 566)
In 1863 the only fire engine was that belonging to
Clothier's tannery but a volunteer brigade was founded
in 1872. The engine was kept at the vestry room in Leigh
Road. (fn. 567) The present fire station was built in Cranhill
Road before 1986. (fn. 568)
Street urban district council was jointly responsible
with Glastonbury borough for St. Saviour's Isolation
Hospital in Glastonbury until its closure in 1932. (fn. 569) A sick
bay was established at the Grange c. 1940 in the care of a
matron and a council committee. It primarily served the
armaments workers from Weymouth who had taken
over part of Clark's factory but also evacuees and others.
The council proposed continuing it as a local hospital
but staffing problems led to closure in 1946. In the
Second World War the council ran a British Restaurant
in the Crispin Hall providing c. 1,000 lunches each
week. (fn. 570)
CHURCH
Origins And Advowson
Street church was mentioned in two spurious preConquest charters but its site, the roughly circular enclosure, and formerly visible parts of the fabric suggest the
early nature of its foundation. The dubious charters may
have been an attempt by Glastonbury abbey to provide
documentation for a church or chapel which had been in
their possession for some time. (fn. 571) Its unusual site on the
parish boundary might have been chosen because of the
presence there or nearby of an earlier chapel, dedicated
to St. Gildas, which was still standing in 1278 (fn. 572) and which
was said to have been built by Gildas in the name of the
Trinity. This in its turn may have been deliberately built
on a pre-Christian site. (fn. 573) The present church was called
locally after St. Gildas or St. Giles in the early 16th
century. (fn. 574) By 1705 it kept its dedication festival on
Trinity Sunday and it is now known as Holy Trinity. (fn. 575)
The living was a rectory, with the chapelry of Walton
usually annexed or held in plurality. (fn. 576) Until the Dissolution it was in the patronage of Glastonbury abbey, (fn. 577)
which c. 1200 and again in 1332 was authorised to
appropriate, (fn. 578) but did not do so. The living was, however,
charged with a pension of 60s. in 1189, payable to the
abbey medar, (fn. 579) a sum reduced to 40s. in the 13th
century. (fn. 580) From 1978 the living was held with Walton
and between 1981 and 1993 also with Greinton. (fn. 581)
Patronage passed to the Crown at the Dissolution (fn. 582)
and descended with Walton manor (fn. 583) although the
Crown presented by lapse in 1635. (fn. 584) Following the sale
of the Walton estate in 1939 the advowson was vested in
the diocesan board of patronage. (fn. 585)
Endowment
The church was valued at £16 13s. 4d. in 1291 (fn. 586) and,
including Walton, at just over £24 12s. net in 1535. (fn. 587) The
reputed value was £150 in the early 1670s (fn. 588) but only
'above £30' in 1705. (fn. 589) The average net income c. 1830
was £675. (fn. 590) In 1535 the predial and wool tithes were
worth £18 13s. 4d. (fn. 591) but c. 1557 the grain tithes were let
for over £26. (fn. 592)
The rectorial glebe was known as the rectory manor of
Street and Walton. (fn. 593) In 1535 the glebe was valued at
40s. (fn. 594) and in 1624 amounted to at least 44 a. and 8
houses in Street and c. 43 a. and 6 houses in Walton. (fn. 595) By
1799 there were six copyhold tenements in Street and
three in Walton. (fn. 596) In 1841 there were only three houses
belonging to the rector in Street but inclosure of the
moors had produced allotments and the total area of the
glebe in Street was c. 47 a. of which all but 11 a. was let
out by copyhold. There was over 25 a. in Walton. (fn. 597) After
1886 the estate was divided as an endowment for the
newly created living of Walton; (fn. 598) reference to the rectory
manor was last made in 1922 (fn. 599) and the land was sold
piecemeal between 1924 and 1942. (fn. 600)
The rectory house mentioned in 1337 (fn. 601) was probably
that at Walton as in 1554 there was said to be no house at
Street. (fn. 602) In 1624 the westernmost of a row of six houses
in Street was called the parsonage house. (fn. 603) It had been
burnt down some years before 1840, (fn. 604) to be replaced by
1841 by a house said to have been occupied by successive
clergy and bought by the Revd. Lord John Thynne as a
home for the curate. (fn. 605) In 1858 it was sold to the then
rector and became the rectory house when Walton
became independent. In 1895 it was sold to William and
Francis Clark. (fn. 606) The house, known later as the Old
Rectory, stood north-east of Clarks' shoe factory in High
Street and was subsequently used as a dental surgery,
women's club, and as offices by the company. (fn. 607) It was
very plain, with a symmetrical two-storeyed facade of
three bays, and a one-bay addition to the north-east. In
1897 a new rectory house, possibly designed by William
Reynolds, was built to replace it in Vestry Road which in
its turn was replaced in 1995 by a house built on the rear
of the site. (fn. 608)
Pastoral Care And Parish Life
Many of the medieval rectors were pluralists and absentees. They included Boniface de Foliano in the mid 13th
century, (fn. 609) John of Westmancote, rector 1332–7, canon of
Salisbury and Bosham, and in the household of the
bishop of Durham, (fn. 610) John Lax or Chester, rector
1449–60, but resident in Rome as a papal secretary and
deprived of Street by action in the royal courts, (fn. 611) and
William Boket, rector 1463–82, under age, at university
for at least six years, eventually a canon lawyer, and
holder of several other Glastonbury livings in plurality. (fn. 612)
William Collyns, rector 1546–50, was evidently resident (fn. 613) and was followed by John Best, deprived for
marriage in 1554 but evidently reinstated before his
appointment as bishop of Carlisle in 1561. (fn. 614) A cross light
was recorded in 1545 and 1547. (fn. 615) In 1554 the altar was
unblessed, possibly because it was a replacement, and in
1557 some of the church goods were missing. (fn. 616) In 1515
the churchwardens rented a cottage from Street manor.
A cottage had formerly been held by service of carrying
the holy loaf. (fn. 617) A church house consisting of a hall with
chamber over and other rooms was held on lease from
the manor as a dwelling in 1690. (fn. 618)
Further distinguished but absentee rectors include
Walter Raleigh, rector 1635–46, dean of Wells from
1641 and ardent royalist, (fn. 619) Joseph Glanvill, 1672–80,
already rector of Bath Abbey and a noted theologian,
and Thomas Thurlow, rector 1769–70, later bishop of
Lincoln and of Durham. (fn. 620) Lord John Thynne, rector
1823–50, was normally resident at Walton, despite
holding two other parochial livings and a prebend at
Westminster, and his curate lived at Street. (fn. 621)
There were c. 20 communicants in the later 18th
century. (fn. 622) In 1815 the rector, Josiah Thomas, served two
churches in Bath but the curate was resident in Walton
and served Street once each Sunday. (fn. 623) By 1836 two
services were held on Sundays and there were 39 Easter
communicants. Communion was celebrated seven times
a year in 1837. (fn. 624) Nathaniel James Merriman, resident
curate in the 1840s, (fn. 625) was later bishop of Grahamstown
and his son John Xavier, born at the Old Rectory,
became Prime Minister of the Cape. (fn. 626) There were resident curates until 1886 (fn. 627) and in 1873 there were two
Sunday services and communion was celebrated weekly
and on feast days. (fn. 628) In the later 20th century three
Sunday services were held. (fn. 629)
Church Buildings
Holy Trinity
The parish church of Holy Trinity has a short nave and
formerly had a tall narrow opening on its north side, (fn. 630)
which has been interpreted as a doorway or entrance to a
porticus, suggesting that the building had a preConquest origin. (fn. 631) The church, of coursed, squared lias
was increased in size in the late 13th or the early 14th
century by the addition of an unbuttressed west tower
and south porch, and the extension eastward of the
chancel with high quality work which includes ornamented double sedilia and piscina. In the later 15th
century nave and chancel were given new roofs of heavy
construction; they have traceried trusses and two tiers of
cusped windbraces. The font is also 15th century. The
upper stage of the tower was added in the 15th century
or later. A gallery was inserted in 1729–30, (fn. 632) and in 1738
the vestry agreed to build a partition between the chancel
and the nave. (fn. 633) A new pulpit was bought in 1782 and a
new communion table and rails in 1786. (fn. 634) The north
aisle was built in 1829–30 and the church newly roofed,
ceiled, and plastered to designs by John Ralphs, surveyor
of Longleat. (fn. 635)
FIG. 68. Street church,
1829
In 1843 under Benjamin Ferrey the north aisle was
improved and in place of a west entrance the south
porch, which had been used as a vestry, was re-opened. A
new vestry was built on the south side of the chancel. (fn. 636) As
part of that restoration plaster ceilings were removed,
exposed timbers decorated, and texts painted on walls.
Minton tiles were laid in the sanctuary and the chancel
windows, which had previously contained scraps of old
glass, (fn. 637) were filled with stained glass by Ward and Nixon
of Soho, (fn. 638) and the chancel arch was modified. A new
pulpit and reading desk were bought and the seats,
including the Street House, later the Grange, and
Ivythorn pews and those in the chancel were rebuilt as
open benches re-using ornamental parts. (fn. 639) The gallery
was not removed until 1886. The pulpit and lectern were
replaced again in 1927. (fn. 640)
The plate comprises a silver chalice of 1720 with two
patens of 1724 and a flagon given in 1841. (fn. 641) There are
now eight bells but only four were recorded in 1701 of
which one was recast in 1702. In 1753 one fell. (fn. 642) There
were five bells by 1775, recast and increased to six in
1777 by William Bilbie. In 1805 one of the bells was cast
again by Thomas Mears. (fn. 643) A chiming mechanism had
been installed by 1877 and the third bell was recast again
in 1891. (fn. 644) In 1903 two new bells by Mears and Stainbank
were added to the peal which was rehung. (fn. 645) The registers
date from 1599 but only a few pages survive from the
first volume. (fn. 646)
Mission Church
A wood and corrugated iron church known as the
Mission Church was acquired from the diocese and
erected beside the rectory house in Vestry Road in
1898. (fn. 647) One service was held on Sundays and there were
122 Easter communicants in 1978. (fn. 648) It closed in 1989
and was replaced by a new church, designed in a
domestic idiom using lias and slate, on the same site,
which opened in November 1990. (fn. 649) It is still known as
the Mission Church. The baptismal registers date from
1898. (fn. 650)
NONCONFORMITY
Quakers
Quakers met in at least two houses in the 1650s and had
a burial ground in 1658. The 'Street paper', an early
history of the society, was written in 1659 and George
Fox visited in 1663. By 1668 there were 17 male Quakers
in Street, one of the most prominent being Jasper Batt.
He kept the Monthly Meeting minutes almost until his
death in 1702 and requested interment in the Quaker
burial ground. (fn. 651) Illegal conventicles, held regularly
from 1670 to 1676 and attended by 20–40 from a wide
area, appear to have been Quaker meetings. (fn. 652)
The houses of four Quaker families were licensed in
1689 and in 1706 one family obtained a further licence
as did George Clark. (fn. 653) One of those was probably at
Middle Leigh, home of the Clothier family. Another was
the farmhouse at the southern end of High Street
belonging to the Gundry family who had given the burial
ground. That house appears to have become the principal Quaker meeting place until the early 18th century.
It was demolished in the 19th century, but the names
Meeting House Ground and Orchard survived in the
1840s. The burial ground had been abandoned by 1719
or earlier. (fn. 654) A new meeting house was built, probably in
1708 when a licence was issued to the Quaker preacher
John Banks whose widow Hannah in 1713 leased a site
near the northern end of High Street to trustees. (fn. 655) The
freehold was probably purchased with the new burial
ground in 1719. (fn. 656) There were said to be only four Quaker
families c. 1780. (fn. 657) In 1841 the Monthly Meeting was held
at Street for the first time, probably because of the
influence of the Clothier and Clark families. (fn. 658) One
Meeting was held every Sunday in the late 20th century. (fn. 659)
The first meeting house on the site was of two parts
under a thatched roof. On its entrance side, the meeting
house of three bays had two tall windows and a doorway,
while at one end was a two-storeyed heated section.
Before 1840 a pentice with a tiled roof had been built
against the meeting house. (fn. 660) A new building (fn. 661) by J. F.
Cotterell of Bath was built on the same site in 1850. It
had 320 free seats though attendance on Census Sunday
1851 was only 61. (fn. 662) Cotterell's rectangular building is
solidly faced in large squared blue lias blocks, rusticated
at the angles and plinth, under a hipped slate roof with
wide eaves, and a louvred cupola over the meeting
house. On the main façade a Tuscan portico shelters the
entrance in the third of six bays, the rest of which are
filled by five tall windows. The meeting house, which has
its original stand and gallery, is a single volume, capable
of being made into a small and a large meeting room by a
timber divider. (fn. 663)
Baptists
There may have been Baptists in the parish in the 17th
century as several early Quakers were said to have been
Baptists before the 1650s. (fn. 664) A chapel was built 1813–14
with 12 members and seats for 200. (fn. 665) The first adult
baptisms took place in 1815 (fn. 666) but the chapel was not
licensed until 1824. (fn. 667) It had its own burial ground. (fn. 668) In
1851 44 adults and 35 Sunday schoolchildren attended
in the morning, 70 adults and 44 children in the afternoon, and 63 adults in the evening. (fn. 669) The chapel, on the
Glastonbury road, was said to have been Particular
Baptist in the 1880s but was later General. (fn. 670) It was rebuilt
in Early English style before 1892, although part of the
older building survives in the present small chapel. (fn. 671)
There was a resident minister in 1986 holding two
Sunday services, (fn. 672) and the chapel remained open.
A house, possibly at Godswell, was licensed for Particular Baptists in 1835. (fn. 673)
Congregationalists
In 1798 part of a house was set apart for Independent
worship (fn. 674) but the congregation may have been shortlived. In 1852 Congregationalists held Sunday evening
services at the Temperance Hall which had been licensed
for worship in 1850. (fn. 675) A church was formed in 1853 and
a chapel opened in 1855. (fn. 676) A Sunday school was built in
1866 and rebuilt between 1875 and 1885. The chapel
was extended in 1874. (fn. 677) A manse had been provided for
a resident minister by 1881. (fn. 678) There were two Sunday
services in the late 20th century. The chapel, on the
corner of High Street and Orchard Road, is a plain
building with a gable front with long round-headed
window. It remained open as part of the United
Reformed Church in 1999. (fn. 679)
Methodists
Houses licensed in 1806 and 1812 were probably for
Methodists, (fn. 680) who were said to have met c. 1820 in a
cottage in Gape Lane served by Charles Colman (d.
1835). (fn. 681) In 1835 another house was licensed. (fn. 682) In 1839 a
Wesleyan chapel was built in Silver Lane, later Godswell
Road, and licensed in 1840. (fn. 683) On Census Sunday 1851
there were 66 children in the morning, 101 adults in the
afternoon service, and 139 in the evening. (fn. 684) The church
was enlarged in 1854 and provided with a burial ground
but was still inadequate for the congregation and Sunday
school, which had 243 children on the books in 1890. A
new building in Leigh Road was opened in 1893. In
1895–6 a Sunday school was added behind with an
assembly hall and 10 classrooms on two floors. (fn. 685) The
chapel choir sang at neighbouring chapels including
those of other denominations and gave concerts. A new
organ was installed in 1905. (fn. 686) In 1906 two services were
held on Sunday and one or two during the week. (fn. 687) By
1966 the resident minister also had charge of Ashcott,
Baltonsborough, and Walton but two Sunday services
continued to be held in Leigh Road. (fn. 688) The Leigh Road
chapel, designed in Geometrical Gothic style by Henry
Hawkins, is built of blue lias stone with Ham Hill dressings under a clay pantile roof and has side aisles and
transepts. (fn. 689) There were two Sunday services in the late
20th century (fn. 690) and the chapel remains in use.
Primitive Methodists held open air meetings in 1852
and formed a society in 1863. In 1872 a chapel was built
in High Street and was registered for worship in 1874. (fn. 691) It
was enlarged in 1882–3 (fn. 692) and had a three-bay gabled
stone front with elaborate ball finials, a triple-gabled
porch, and round-headed doorway and windows with
prominent keystones. There was a resident minister in
the manse at Bourne Road until the mid 20th century. (fn. 693)
Following Methodist union in 1932 the chapel was
retained until closure in 1963. (fn. 694) Part was demolished
and the rest converted into a shop. (fn. 695)
Other Congregations
A house was licensed for worship by an unspecified
congregation in 1825. (fn. 696)
In the later 1840s a Swedenborgian family held meetings in their house in the High Street. The New Church
congregation remained small, about a dozen members
in 1893, but they continued to hold cottage meetings in
the 1940s, served by visiting ministers. (fn. 697)
The Salvation Army met in a hall south of High Street,
said to have been built in 1872 by James Seymour, which
was registered in 1888. There was a resident captain by
1891. In 1893 they moved to the vacated Wesleyan
chapel in Godswell Road. (fn. 698) In the late 20th century two
services were held on Sundays with open air meetings in
the summer and a Sunday school. (fn. 699)
Roman Catholic masses were celebrated in Street in
1922 and c. 1939 but later Catholics would have
attended the church at Glastonbury. (fn. 700)
A Christian Science room was built on the corner of
Southleaze and Orchard roads in 1934 and was registered for worship in 1935. There was one Sunday service
in 1986 and a reading room was open once a week. It
remained open in 1999. (fn. 701)
A Pentecostal church held two Sunday services and a
Sunday school at the Junior school in High Street in
1971. (fn. 702)
EDUCATION
Before The School Board
There were dame schools in the early 19th century
including that kept by Sarah Rood which James Clark
attended. (fn. 703) In 1819 there were three day schools with
10–12 pupils and poor children attended Walton
Sunday school. (fn. 704) The voluntary infant and day schools
recorded in 1833 were probably the British schools. The
same year four day and boarding schools, including one
run by Quakers and another by Baptists, taught 66 boys
and 43 girls at their parents' expense. There were Baptist
and Church of England Sunday schools. (fn. 705)
In the 1800s Quaker Sunday schools were established
for boys at various cottages and for girls at a house near
the church. By 1815 20 girls attended for a hour on
Sunday mornings and for one and a half hour in the
afternoons. Both schools moved to the Friends meeting
house c. 1819 when there were 60 children. (fn. 706) The
Sunday school ceased c. 1827. Attempts to set up a joint
Anglican and nonconformist day school failed in 1827
because of religious differences between the promoters
Frances Clark and Susannah Hawkins, but Quakers
established a school in Pound Lane for infants whose
parents paid 3d. a week. In 1831 the Street and Walton
British school was started in Teetotal Row, later West
End, and the infants moved to an adjoining room. (fn. 707)
Those were probably the voluntary schools recorded in
1833 with 47 boys and 42 girls. (fn. 708)
The Quaker Sunday school was revived in 1838 but
closed in 1841 after the opening of the Wesleyan Sunday
school. In 1856 a women's Sabbath Day school started at
the Friends' meeting house. A man's class there was
short-lived but in 1859 the school was re-established for
mixed adults in the new British school and continued
until the 1870s or later. Between 1859 and 1866 593
men and women were admitted, attending every Sunday
between 8.30 a.m. and 9 a.m. (fn. 709) In the mid 19th century
the Wesleyan Methodists held an evening school
between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. Monday to Friday at their
chapel. (fn. 710)
A school, probably the church Sunday school, opened
in 1831 with 125 children and a lending library (fn. 711) in
premises opposite the Friends' meeting house. It was
affiliated to the National Society before 1839 when it
taught 52 children on weekdays and 42 on Sundays. By
1847 the National school took infants only and had a
total of 109 pupils of whom 43 attended on Sunday
only. (fn. 712) It was said that the school declined after 1850 and
that the children spent too much time in church. (fn. 713) It
remained open until c. 1872 but closed, probably in
1874 when the school board was formed, and in 1875
the schoolroom was used as a Sunday school. (fn. 714) It
continued in use as a Sunday school with the attached
cottage occupied by the caretaker until the 1950s except
for about twenty years from 1935 when it was used as a
labour exchange. (fn. 715) In the later 20th century it was a
store. (fn. 716)
In 1819 there were 20 children at the Baptist Sunday
school. (fn. 717) In 1833 there were 37 pupils, and in 1839 there
were 41. A Baptist minister and his daughters taught 15
children at a day school between 1833 and 1839. (fn. 718) The
British school, (fn. 719) with 41 children and a Sunday school in
1839, was said in 1842 to be run by Baptists. (fn. 720) In 1858 it
was rebuilt in High Street on land provided by the Clark
family (fn. 721) to the designs of S. Pollard of Taunton. (fn. 722) The
school with room for 350 children opened in 1859 with
readings by William Macready. (fn. 723)
Infant And Primary Education After
1874
In 1874 a school board was formed. (fn. 724) The British school
became Street board school and was extended in 1876,
1886, and 1893 to accommodate 1,100 children. (fn. 725) In
1903 it had 18 classrooms and 826 children. An evening
school was held. (fn. 726) The school was separated into junior
and infant schools under one roof. In 1905 there were
479 juniors and 219 infants at the school, then known as
Street mixed school. After the removal of the infants
numbers at the junior school fell to 377 in 1935 and 282
in 1945. In 1955 there were 694 pupils aged 7 to 15 and
in 1958 some of the 775 children were taught in the
Congregational and other Sunday schoolrooms and part
of the Crispin Hall. Numbers fell to 426 in 1965
following the removal of senior pupils. (fn. 727) In 1974 the
juniors moved into the former grammar school at
Elmhurst Lane to become Elmhurst county junior
school. There were 303 children on the register in
1998. (fn. 728) The former British school became a furniture
shop. The two-storeyed schoolroom block of austere
Tudor design, built in 1859 to face High Street, has
survived, together with the School Board extensions
which were built on the site of the schoolmaster's house
in Orchard Street and the yard in the angle of the buildings. (fn. 729) The extensions of 1893 and 1901 were said to
have been designed by W. Reynolds. (fn. 730) Street infant
school moved in 1928 to new 'model verandah'
premises in Hindhayes, comprising eight classrooms in
two wings with an assembly hall, kitchen and staff
accommodation, and medical suite in the main
neo-Georgian block. There were 230 children in 1935
and numbers have remained stable despite the opening
of a new primary school in 1973. From 1955 the school
was limited to 5 to 7 year olds and from 1959 was known
as Hindhayes. In 1998 it had 223 pupils. (fn. 731)
A Quaker school at Overleigh, opened in 1891 with 36
children, was under the management of the school
board but succeeded a private school built c. 1882 by
Ellen and Catherine Impey to replace nearby premises. (fn. 732)
From 1896 juniors were transferred to Street mixed
school (fn. 733) and Overleigh took infants only. In 1903 there
were 32 infants on the books. (fn. 734) Although numbers
remained around 30 the school closed in 1922. (fn. 735)
A new county primary school in the south-west of the
parish opened as Brookside in 1973 with 250 children,
rising to 300 in 1985 and to 327 in 1998. (fn. 736)
Secondary And Technical Education
The Somerset School of Cookery and Housewifery, to
train girls for domestic service, was established under the
chairmanship of William Clark at the Grange or Abbey
Grange, the former Street House, in 1897. The Clark
family leased the school to the county council whose
Education Committee provided studentships. In 1912
those were given to 25 girls and another 12 were put on
the reserve list. Courses were originally of 6 months
duration but soon extended to one year, and by 1904 a
few girls were allowed a second year. The school closed
in 1916. (fn. 737)
The Street Technical School was established in 1899.
It included the art night class begun in 1871 in the
reading room at Clarks' factory which by 1891 also
provided evening classes for Street and Walton leading
to examinations. (fn. 738) In 1900 purpose-built premises,
designed in a severe late Tudor style by William
Reynolds, were opened in Leigh Road with 16 pupils.
The two-storeyed building included a large lecture
room, a carpenters' shop, and a caretaker's cottage.
Evening classes included French, arithmetic, physiology,
lacemaking, beekeeping, carving, and shorthand. Automobile classes begun in 1935 were unsuccessful. By 1936
the school had 399 pupils. Students paid fees although
members of the army training corps and others attended
free of charge during the Second World War. In 1942
there were 155 pupils, 11 teachers, and German and
shoemaking classes were available. Veterinary and horticultural studies had been added by 1953 when 429
students attended classes in 25 subjects. (fn. 739) The technical
school closed in 1962 and students transferred to the
new area college to be known as Street Technical
College, but day and evening classes continued at Leigh
Road even after the new premises in Church Road
opened in 1963. (fn. 740) The technical college became Strode
College in 1973 and thereafter provided full-time classes
for sixth-form pupils and evening and sandwich courses.
By 1979 there were 303 full- and part-time students in
addition to those attending adult literacy and nonvocational classes. (fn. 741) By 1986 there were over 300 fulltime students aged 16–19. (fn. 742)
A woodwork class for 13 boys at the technical school
begun in 1913 was the start of Street, later Strode, day
continuation school formed in 1914 in Leigh Road.
After 1920 it moved to the vacated Strode school. Most
of the pupils came from Clarks' factory and spent 22
hours a week studying woodwork, dressmaking, and
housewifery as well as vocational subjects. There were
separate boys' and girls' schools under one roof with two
head teachers. In 1925 a large new block incorporating a
boys' classroom, a domestic subjects room, and a
two-storeyed house for the headmistress was built
between the existing school and the corner of Leigh and
Vestry roads. In addition to teaching between 70 and
100 pupils aged from 14 to 16 the school also provided
technical classes for senior pupils from other Street
schools. After 1947 day continuation pupils had to be
between the ages of 15 and 17 and were only entitled to 8
hours a week. In 1962 the schools closed and pupils
transferred to the new Street Technical College. (fn. 743) The
buildings became a day centre for the elderly. (fn. 744)
Strode school was built in 1913 to a design by S. T.
Clothier for William Clark in Leigh Road. It opened in
the small and plain building with 17 fee-paying pupils as
a co-educational secondary school. Numbers rose to 55
in 1920. Bursaries were given and Mr. Clark met the
shortfall in costs. In 1919 his son Roger bought
Elmhurst house, built in the 1830s by Cyrus Clark, and
in 1920 the County Secondary school opened on the
premises, mainly with children transferred from Strode
school. (fn. 745) The new county school had a mix of free and
fee-paying pupils and in 1924 a sixth form was added.
The school was renamed Elmhurst County School in
1925 and many additional buildings were provided on
the site, including an assembly hall opened by General
Smuts in 1929. There were 200 pupils by 1937. In 1945
it became Elmhurst Grammar School. Numbers fluctuated between 200 and 300 during the 1950s and 1960s
partly because of the loss of fee-payers, but rose rapidly
to 390 in 1970 and to 534 in 1972. (fn. 746) The school closed in
1973 when pupils transferred to Crispin School or
Strode College. (fn. 747)
Strode County Secondary Modern School opened in
1961 sharing premises with the technical college first in
Leigh Road and from 1962 in Church Road. It had 19
forms and a quarter of the pupils were drawn from
schools in neighbouring villages. (fn. 748) It had 571 pupils in
1965 rising to 625 in 1972. In 1973 pupils transferred to
Crispin Comprehensive school on the Church Road site
which had 1,095 pupils in 1975, rising to 1,115 in 1985
but falling to 912 in 1998. (fn. 749)
Somerset Special School for girls opened in 1917 at
the Grange, formerly the school of cookery and housewifery. (fn. 750) Numbers rose from 19 in 1917 to 38 in 1919
and to 40 in 1921. In 1925 the school closed and 37 girls
were transferred to Sandhill Park, Bishops Lydeard.
Later that year the school re-opened for 13 boys,
increasing to 33 in 1926 but in 1930 the boys also transferred to Sandhill Park and the school closed. (fn. 751) In 1974
Avalon County Special School opened in Brooks Road
with 77 children, rising to 140 in 1975 and to 157 in
1985, but had only 100 children aged 2 to 16 at the
school in 1998 when 40 3- to 5-year olds attended the
connected Acorns Nursery school. (fn. 752)
Private Schools
There were several private schools including a day school
in 1840 (fn. 753) and the Collegiate school, probably for boys, in
1875. (fn. 754) In 1881 there were private day schools near
Elmhurst and at Lower Leigh, and a schoolhouse at
Overleigh, probably the predecessor of the Quaker
infant school. (fn. 755) Helen Lean kept a private school until she
became head of Strode school in 1917. (fn. 756) Sarah and Roger
Clark ran a small school at their house, Whiteknights at
Overleigh, in 1926 and later at the Friends' meeting
house. (fn. 757) A women's adult school was held at Overleigh in
the late 1950s in the former infant school under a charitable Scheme which was registered in 1964. It had closed
by 1993 when it was deregistered. (fn. 758) The Cedars private
school at the Friends' meeting house taught 4- to 8-year
olds in 1979 and 1986 and Park School, a private infant
school, was open in Vestry Road in 1979. (fn. 759)
A private school was established in 1935 by R. J. O.
Meyer. It was said originally to have been intended to
provide an education for the sons of the Indian aristocracy. It acquired its name, Millfield, from the house it
originally occupied. (fn. 760) It had c. 200 boys in 1951 and 20
girls preparing for University entrance. (fn. 761) It became an
independent public school in 1953. By 1964 there were
491 pupils of whom 435 were boarders and in 1979
there were 1,100 boys and girls aged 13 to 19 and 250
aged 8 to 13. (fn. 762) The school has expanded considerably on
its Millfield site which includes modern teaching blocks,
playing fields, and landscaped grounds. There are junior
and senior schools with boarding houses scattered over
several sites in the area accommodating c. 1,220 pupils
including c. 900 boarders, many in old houses in neighbouring parishes. (fn. 763)