Chapter 14

_Mendips, The_, a chain of hills some 25 m. long, running in a straight line across the county in a N.W. direction from Frome to the Channel. On its S.W. face the ridge drops abruptly into the plain, but the opposite side gradually shelves away in a series of irregular undulations, though the descent becomes sharper as the hills approach the coast. Viewed from the sea-board the outline of the chain is on either side sharply defined, and forms a prominent and shapely feature in the landscape. From the low-lying central flats of the county the Mendips have a quite fictitious impressiveness. Nowhere does their altitude reach 1100 ft., and their ridge-like summit is nothing but an extended plateau, in places from 2 to 3 m. wide. They have, however, even on the top a certain picturesqueness, for the undulating tableland is relieved by copses, and diversified by little wooded "bottoms," scooped out by prehistoric torrents. Nearer the sea the uplands become more desolate, the "bottoms" are replaced by rocky combes, like the gorges at Cheddar and Burrington; villages become less frequent; and traces of discarded mines give a weirdness to the solitude. The moors are, however, healthy, and nowhere lacking in interest. Geologically the structure of the Mendips is simple. A core of old red sandstone, which occasionally crops out at the surface, and through which in one spot, near Downhead, a vein of igneous rock has forced its way, is thickly coated with a crust of mountain limestone. The once superincumbent coal-measures are huddled together on one side in a confused heap near Radstock, and on the other are probably buried beneath the Glastonbury marshes. The detached hills in their neighbourhood are doubtless only the remnants of an oolitic covering which once completely enveloped them. A noteworthy feature of the Mendips, but one shared by other limestone formations, is the number of caverns and "swallet holes" with which they abound. Of the former the _Cheddar Caves_ and _Wookey Hole_ are the most remarkable; and a good example of the latter is the _Devil's Punch Bowl_ near E. Harptree. The chief antiquities consist of the old Roman lead-mines and an amphitheatre near Priddy, the old Roman road linking Uphill with Old Sarum, and a few camps, such as those at Masbury and Burrington. The hills are fairly uniform in height, the chief prominences being Beacon Hill (near Shepton), Masbury Ring, and Blackdown (1067 ft.). A fairly good road traverses the range from Frome to Cheddar or Burrington; and a ramble taken anywhere along its length will repay the pedestrian.

_Merriott_, 2 m. N. of Crewkerne, is partly, occupied, like the neighbouring town, in the manufacture of sail-cloth. The church, in the main Perp., has been restored, but retains its massive tower, which is singularly plain, with a pinnacled turret in the middle of the S. face. The tower arch looks like E.E., and there is a fine E.E. (restored) piscina in the chancel. The S. entry has some intricate carving above it, and there are some quaint figures on a stone inserted over the vestry door.

_Middlezoy_ (6 m. S.E. from Bridgwater, 4 from Athelney Station) has a church (ded. to the Holy Cross) which contains some interesting features. The tower has double belfry windows (not triple, like Weston Zoyland). The chancel is Dec. (the E. window being good), and has a large piscina under a foliated canopy. There is a second piscina in the S. aisle, which likewise has a low side-window (cp. Othery). Note (1) the roof (with a few pendants); (2) the early Jacobean pulpit (dated 1606); (3) some carved seat ends; (4) Perp. screen; (5) old chest with three locks; (6) some fragments of ancient glass in the N. chapel; (7) a small brass (in the middle of the nave) to "Louis Chevaleir (_sic_) de Misiers," a French gentleman serving in the English army, who was killed at Sedgemoor (here called "the battle of Weston").

_Midford_, a station on the S. & D. line to Bath. There is a pretty view to be obtained from the platform, which overhangs a deep valley. Some of the S. surroundings of Bath may be conveniently explored from here by good walkers. Midford Castle, a modern antique, built in the shape of a triangle, stands just above the railway.

_Midsomer Norton_, a thriving and populous village 14 m. S.E. from Bristol, with a station on the S. & D. line to Bath, and another at Welton on the G.W. branch to Bristol. It obtains its name from a little rivulet, the Somer, which partly embraces the village. Though situated on the same coalfield, it is a more pleasing-looking place than its neighbour Radstock. The church is a not very inspiring example of modern Gothic (1830), and is said to have superseded a Norm, building. The tower, which may embody some portions of the original structure, is in keeping with the rest of the church, though of greater age. It contains a niched effigy of Charles II., who, though an unlikely church benefactor, is said to have given the bells. Besides having a large output of coal, the locality does a brisk trade in boots and shoes.

MILBORNE PORT, a small town of some antiquity but of no modern importance, situated on a southern projection of the county jutting into Dorset. The station (L. & S.W. main line) is 1-1/2 m. N. of the town. In pre-Reform days it was a pocket borough, returning two members. It has now little save its quaint air of antiquity to make it remarkable. The church, however, is interesting and will repay study. Externally and internally it bears evidence of a very early origin. The nave has been rebuilt and enlarged, but the tower and chancel should be carefully observed. Without, note (1) fine Norm. S. doorway; (2) base of tower with its peculiar stair turret; (3) Norm, panelling on S. side of chancel and blocked low side-window; (4) Norm, lancets in E. and N. wall of vestry; (5) traces of Norm, arcading on N. face of tower. The original niches and stoups of the W. front will be found built into a small mortuary chapel at the N.W. corner of the churchyard. Within, the tower arch claims first attention as the most exceptional feature of the church. It is of majestic dimensions, and the workmanship is bold and rugged. The N. and S. transeptal arches retain their round heads as originally constructed, but the E. and W. piers carry pointed arches. The carving on the capitals is regarded by some as bearing traces of Saxon craftsmanship, but this is doubtful; note in some cases absence of abacus. The S. transept is also worthy of close examination; note the effigy in recess in S. wall, the Norm. windows, and the piscina. Other objects worthy of observation in the church are (1) fine old font; (2) piscinas in sanctuary and S. wall of nave; (3) ancient vestry. The chancel and N. transept are Perp. The massive severity of the central arches lends an air of great impressiveness to the whole interior, though the peculiar position of the pulpit indicates how difficult it has been to adapt the building to congregational purposes. In the central thoroughfare of the village are the remains of an old market cross, and on the S. side of the street near the present market hall is the old Guildhall, containing a Norm. doorway with good details. At the E. end of the village by the side of the Salisbury road is _Venn_, the seat of the Medlicotts. It is a Queen Anne mansion of characteristically formal aspect. Between Milborne Port Station and the little hamlet of _Milborne Wick_ is the site of a camp with steep flanks, and defended on the most accessible side by a strong rampart.

_Milton Clevedon_, a small parish 2-1/2 m. N.W. of Bruton. The church contains the effigy of an ecclesiastic (N. of the chancel), and there is some ancient glass in the N. transept. Note, too, a curious inscription on the external E. wall of the S. transept, date 1615.

MILVERTON, a small town of 1427 people, 4 m. N. of Wellington, with a station on the G.W.R. Barnstaple branch. It is a poor little place--more village than town--apparently existing on its past importance. It once had a flourishing market, and did a big business in woollen cloth. The church stands on a slight eminence, at the bottom of which lies the town. It is a good stately building without a clerestory, and is not quite in line with its tower, which is of the rough Exmoor type with a square turret flush with the E. face. The interior has a remarkable display of carved bench-ends (notice the "aspergillum" in central aisle, and the arms of Henry VIII. near pulpit). The screen is modern, but embodies some old panels. The aisles (note octagonal piers) terminate peculiarly at the W. end in chambers surmounted by galleries. The font is Norm. The churchyard has the sculptured base of a cross. The vicarage is said to have once been the country residence of Cardinal Wolsey. The country round Milverton is pleasant, and some delightful views of the Quantocks are obtainable in the neighbourhood.

MINEHEAD, a seaside town of 2500 people, 25 m. N.W. from Taunton, with a terminal station on the G.W. branch from the latter place. The name seems to be a hybrid, the first syllable being the Celtic _maen_, stone (cp. _Men_dip). Once a Channel port second in importance only to Bristol, Minehead has of recent years abandoned merchandise, and given itself over to the entertainment of visitors. It has blossomed into a watering-place of some pretensions with a pier, an esplanade, and a generous profusion of public walks. It has, moreover, one claim to distinction peculiarly its own. Exmoor, the home of the red deer, lies behind it, and Minehead is the metropolis of the hunt. The advent of the stranger was not always so eagerly welcomed. The inaccessible situation of "the old town," as it is called, suggests that one of the chief perils of ancient Minehead was the frequent incursions of marauding Danes and Welsh. But the proximity of the Cambrian coast opposite nevertheless had its occasional conveniences. In the Civil War Lord Hertford, foiled in his attempt on Dunster, found Minehead a serviceable stepping-stone to security amid the Welsh fastnesses. The general appearance of the town is eminently attractive. A promenade, which might well be extended, borders the sands, and an avenue fringed with lime trees runs up from the station to the market-place and shops. The church and older portions of the town are perched amid modern residences on the hill side above, and a quaint row of mariners' cottages (Quay Town) lies at the seaward foot of the headland. The huge bulk of the N. hill forms an effectual windscreen at the back of the town, and the abundance of flowers in the gardens testifies to the mild climate which Minehead enjoys in consequence. The parish church of St Michael stands out conspicuously on the hill side. It has a well-designed Perp. W. tower, and both within and without shows several features of interest. Externally should be noted (1) the fine projecting window which lights the rood-loft stairway; (2) the _bas-reliefs_ on the E. and S. sides of the tower; (3) the figures supporting the weather-mouldings of one of the E. windows (one of which carries a shield with date 1529), and the inscription in the masonry above. There is a plain cross on the N. side of the graveyard. Within the church remark (1) fine rood-screen (cp. Dunster); (2) carved Elizabethan altar; (3) oak box and black-letter books; (4) canopied tomb of priest in eucharistic vestments, and holding fragment of chalice; (5) curious wooden arch to vestry; (6) fine font; (7) defaced brass of a lady under the tower. No visitor can leave the churchyard unimpressed with the panorama spread at his feet. Beyond the cliffs at Blue Anchor may be discerned Weston pier. A new church in the market-place provides further accommodation for the influx of summer visitors. Beneath the churchyard wall of the new building stands a stout statue of good Queen Anne, which once adorned the parish church. It was the gift of a Swede (Sir J. Bancks), who married in 1696 the well-portioned widow of one of the Luttrells. In the main street, opposite the Assembly Rooms, is a venerable building, once a court-house. A lane leading off by the new Market Hall gives entry to a quaint row of alms-houses, built by R. Quirck in 1630. The court contains the stump of an old cross. Minehead abounds in pleasant walks. The North Hill in particular furnishes many a pleasing ramble: its summit may be gained by taking a scrambling path at the E. end of the old church. The whole range of the hill can be traversed as far as Selworthy Beacon, and a descent may be made either to Wood Combe or Greenaleigh farm.

_Misterton_, a village 1/2 m. S.E. of Crewkerne. Its church is of no antiquarian interest, though it possesses an ancient font.

_Monksilver_, a parish 3 m. S. of Williton, rather less from Stogumber Station. The last half of the name is probably the Latin _silva_. The little church does not retain many features of interest, but note (1) the screen and pulpit; (2) a panelled altar-tomb, without inscription, N. of the chancel; (3) the piscina; (4) a bracket for a figure at the E. of the S. aisle; (5) the curious devices on some of the seat-ends; (6) the grotesque gargoyles (one seems to represent the extraction of a tooth); (7) some ancient glass (with symbols of the Evangelists) in a window of the S. aisle.

_Monkton Combe_ is a village 1 m. W. of Limpley Stoke Station, with a church that has been entirely rebuilt.

_Monkton, West_, a parish 4 m. N.E. of Taunton, which gets its name from the fact that the monks of Glastonbury owned property in it. Its church, mainly Perp., but containing in the chancel arch work of earlier date (perhaps 13th cent.), is noteworthy for its lofty tower. The nave has a clerestory, and a good oak cornice. Note (1) stoup in S. porch; (2) piscinas; (3) mural tablet in chancel to the memory of William Kinglake, a physician (d. 1660), with its curious inscription. In the churchyard are the parish stocks. The old leper hospital in Taunton (_q.v._) really belongs to this parish.

_Montacute_, 4 m. W. of Yeovil, is an attractive village (with station) which derives its name from two neighbouring pyramidal eminences, one of which, crowned by St Michael's Tower, is the site of a former castle. There are several places of interest in or near it. Its church preserves work of various periods, Norm. (chancel arch and moulding on N. wall of nave), E.E. and Dec. (windows in chancel and transepts), and Perp. (tower and nave). The tower is good, with its stages divided by rows of quatrefoils. Note (1) groining of N. porch (the ribs are inaccurately centred), (2) brackets beneath organ (the eastern alone is ancient), (3) elaborate niches in chancel arch, (4) squint and piscina, (5) texts round reredos, dated 1543, (6) effigies of the Phelipses, the earliest dating from the 15th cent. In the churchyard is the carved shaft of a cross. Near the W. end of the church is a beautiful 15th-cent. gateway, once belonging to a Cluniac Priory (founded in the time of Henry I.), with oriel windows N. and S., the latter flanked by two turrets of unequal height. Note over N. window a portcullis, and over the S. the letters _T.C._, the initials of Thomas Chard, the last prior but two. In the village square is a picturesque house with the initials _R.S._ (Robert Sherborne, the last prior) between two figures with fools' caps. _Montacute House_, the seat of the Phelipses, is built in the form of the letter H, and dates from the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1580-1601). The E. and W. fronts are handsome, the former being decorated with nine large statues, supposed to represent various martial characters, historical, legendary, and biblical. The two large upper-storey windows that project from the N. and S. sides, light a gallery running the whole length of the house. The building was designed by John Thorpe, the architect of Longleat. Note the "gazébos" in the garden (cp. Nether Stowey).

_Moorlynch_, a village on the S. edge of the Poldens, 4 m. S. of Shapwick Station. The churchyard commands a good view of Sedgemoor, with the towers of Othery, Middlezoy, and Weston Zoyland rising conspicuously from it. The church (said to be E.E., but altered in Perp. times) has some features of interest: (1) pillar piscina, (2) carved bench-ends, (3) Norm. font, (4) effigy of lady (preserved under the tower), (5) bits of old glass in chancel windows, (6) consecration crosses on exterior chancel wall. There are some carved bench-ends and old oak seats.

_Muchelney_, 2 m. S.E. of Langport, is a small village rich in antiquities. Like Athelney, it was once a marsh-girt "island "--the largest, or _muckleey_, amongst its peers. Its church has a fair tower (double windows in the belfry), though much inferior to those of Huish and Kingsbury. At the W. door there is a fine stoup. There are N. and S. porches with parvises or chambers, and the vault of the S. porch is groined. Within should be noticed (1) quaint paintings on the nave roof, (2) piscina and sedilia with fine canopies, (3) group of canopied niches E. of the S. aisle, (4) fine carved Perp. font. In the churchyard, E. of the church, is a fine panelled tomb. S. of the parish church are the foundations of the _Abbey Church_. The Abbey was founded by the Saxon Athelstan, about 939. The remains may be traced of (1) an apsidal Norm. Lady Chapel, (2) a square-ended Lady Chapel of later date. A few tiles are preserved in the adjoining church. S. of the churchyard is the _Abbot's House_, which exhibits much of interest (especially a room with a settle of Henry VIII.'s time), if admission can be obtained. A panelled (interior) wall may be seen from the road: behind it is a cloister (now a cider cellar). N. of the parish church is another interesting building, the old Vicarage House, dating from the 14th or 15th cent. In another house hard by is a fragment of Norm. carving. Note, too, the village cross (restored.)

_Mudford_ is a village on the Yeo, 3 m. N. of Yeovil. The church has a good tower, but contains little of interest. The pulpit appears to be Jacobean, and there is a curious bracket near one of the S. windows.

_Mudgeley_. See _Wedmore_.

_Nailsea_, a village (with station) 9 m. W.S.W. of Bristol. Its church preserves some features of interest, among them being (1) stone pulpit, entered through the wall by a staircase which formerly led to the rood-loft, (2) curious carving on the capitals of the arcade, (3) piscina, (4) monument to Richard Cole and his family, with its punning Latin epitaph and free translation. Some way from the village is _Nailsea Court_, a manor house of partly Tudor, partly Elizabethan construction.

_Nempnett Thrubwell_, a small village 7 m. S.W. from Pensford Station, and 10 S.S.W. of Bristol. It stands on high ground overlooking a deep valley. In the neighbourhood some very fine views may be obtained of the Mendip Hills, the Blagdon Reservoir, and the Wrington valley. The church is a small building with a Perp. W. tower, from the W. face of which project two curious and uncanny carved heads of a man and beast. The walls of the nave still bear the original 13th cent. consecration crosses. The chancel is modern, and contains a rich modern screen and a good E. window of Munich glass. Note (1) rude Norm. S. doorway filled with Perp. tracery; (2) Norm. font carved with a curious device by some later craftsman. Near the porch in the churchyard is (1) base of ancient cross; (2) tomb of first rector--Robert--bearing an incised cross. The parish once contained a remarkably fine tumulus of masonry, said to have been one of the finest in Britain, in the chambers of which skeletons have been discovered. A few vestiges of it now only remain, the rest has been used as a lime-kiln.

_Nettlecombe_, a parish 2-1/2 m. S.W. of Williton. Its church stands in the park of _Nettlecombe Court_, the seat of Sir J.W. Trevelyan. Though restored in 1869 it retains several features of interest. The tower has the staircase turret at the N.W. angle (cp. Martock and Yeovil). In the interior note (1) the foliage round the capitals of the arcade piers; (2) the fine ancient glass in two windows in the N. aisle, representing seven saints; (3) the octagonal font, with carved sides (much defaced), seven of them supposed to represent the seven sacraments; (4) the effigies under two E.E. recesses in the S. aisle, representing (i) a crusader, (ii) a knight (hip-belted) and his lady. They probably belong to the Raleigh family, the former owners of Nettlecombe Court. There is also a slab with an inscription to John Trevelyan (d. 1623). The pulpit is approached by the old rood staircase. The Communion plate dates from the 15th cent. (1479).

_Newton, North_, a parish 4-1/2 m. S. of Bridgwater and 2 m. N. of Durston Station. Its church has been wholly rebuilt with the exception of its very ancient tower (which is thought by some to be of Saxon origin). The only antiquities which the building contains are (1) a beautiful screen, with four figures in relief, three of which represent Faith, Hope and Charity (cp. the similar figures at Stoke St Gregory and Thurloxton); (2) a carved door leading into the vestry, with figures of the Ten Virgins; (3) a Caroline pulpit (1637). In this parish there was found, in 1693 a jewel set in gold, with an inscription on the rim: AELFRED MEE HEHT GEWYRCAN (Alfred directed me to be made). It is now in the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, whilst a copy of it may be seen in Taunton Museum.

_Newton, St Loe_, a well-kept village 3-1/2 m. W. of Bath, standing on high ground on the outskirts of _Newton Park_. The church has been much restored, but retains on the S. the original Dec. arcade and a squint. There is some good modern carving. In the graveyard are the base and stump of what was once a fine cross. The church possesses a chalice of the date 1555.

_Northover_, a parish adjoining Ilchester, on the opposite side of the Ivel. Its church (restored 1878) has an ancient tower, and contains a Norm. font and a plain Jacobean pulpit.

_Norton Fitzwarren_, a village 2 m. N.W. of Taunton. Its church (restored) is of late 14th cent. origin, with Dec. windows, and the tower is Perp. The edifice is interesting chiefly for its fine rood-screen, supposed to date from about 1500; the carvings on it deserve attention (note dragons, ploughman and team, and name of churchwarden). The figures above it are modern. There are some carved seat-ends in the body of the church. On the hill above is a circular British camp, about 13 acres in extent.

_Norton Malreward_, a small and secluded village under Maes Knoll, 1 m. N.W. of Pensford. The church (rebuilt 1861) retains its original tower, a good Norm. chancel arch, and a Norm. font. In the churchyard is a square dole-stone, similar to the one at Dundry, but smaller.