Barton St David's link to 5 former Presidents of the United States

Henry Adams was born in Barton St David in about 1583.  He was a tenant farmer and farmed land in the village and in neighbouring Chartlon Mackrell.  He married Edith Squire in Charlton Mackrell Church in October 1609.  They emigrated to America c1638 and settled in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts. Their 3x great grandson was John Adams, who was the 2nd US President (1797-1801).   He was also the 4x great grandfather of John Quincy Adams, who was the 6th US President (1825-1829).  There is a plaque in St David's Church in Barton St David commemorating this fact.  The wording on it is as follows:

TO THE GLORY OF GOD

IN HONOUR OF ST DAVID

AND

IN MEMORY OF

HENRY ADAMS

BORN IN THIS PARISH ABOUT 1583

AND A FOUNDER OF NEW ENGLAND 1638

ANCESTOR OF TWO PRESIDENTS

OF THE UNITED STATES

OF AMERICA

JOHN ADAMS AND JOHN QUINCY ADAMS

WHOSE EXALTED SERVICES

TO THEIR COUNTRY

EVOKE

A TESTIMONY OF RESPECT FOR

THEIR ANCESTRAL HOME

THIS MEMORIAL HAS BEEN ERECTED BY

EDWARD DEAN ADAMS

A.D. 1926

Edith Squire is also distantly related to the 13th US President, Calvin Coolidge (1923-1929).  She was born in Charlton Mackrell in 1587.  Her sister Ann Squire married Aquila Purchase and the 13th US President, Millard Filmore (1850-1853) is one of her descendants.  Edith's sister Margaret Squire married John Shepard and the 27th US President, William Howard Taft (1909-1913) is related to her.

Plaque on the wall in St David's Church

St David's Church

Charles Hardwick and the Highwayman

On the evening of October 21st 1830 Charles Capell Hardwick, who lived and farmed at Hewish, was riding his horse back from Bristol market.  He had a considerable sum of money with him.  He got talking to Richard Hewlett, who was travelling in the same direction, and they rode along together for a while.  When they were about 1.5 miles from Congresbury, Richard Hewlett drew a pistol and shot Charles Hardwick in the shoulder.  Hewlett galloped away towards Congresbury, but Hardwick caught up with him half a mile away at the bridge over the River Yeo on the edge of Congresbury Moor.  Hewlett then hit Hardwick on the head with a bludgeon and rode off towards Congresbury.  Hardwick followed him.  At Congresbury Bridge Hewlett's horse fell down as it swerved to avoid a cart.  Hardwick and Hewlett fought each other.  Hewlett hit Hardwick on the head and then stabbed him with a dagger.  Despite his injuries, Hardwick held on to Hewlett until some local men, who had heard the sounds of a fight, arrived to apprehend Hewlett.

Charles Hardwick was seriously injured, but eventually recovered from his injuries.  Hewlett was tried at Taunton Assizes in April 1831and found guilty of attempted murder.  Later the same month he was hanged at Ilchester Gaol.  

Charles Hardwick lived for another 19 years and died in July 1849, aged 50.  He was buried at Hutton near Weston-super-Mare.  In 1871 money was raised to pay for a granite cross to commemorate the event.  This was erected in the churchyard of St Andrew's Church in Congresbury.

Charles Hardwick's memorial in St Andrew's churchyard, Congresbury

The inscription on the memorial is as follows:

He was of such courage 

that being attacked

 by a highwayman

 on the heath in this parish

 Oct 21st 1830

and fearfully wounded by him

he pursued his assailant

and having overtaken him

in the centre of this village

delivered him to justice

RIP Bobby Booroff

On the wall of the churchyard in Barton St David there is a small plaque, which has the following inscription:

Allen Booroff

"Bobby"

Tragically drowned in the River Brue

23rd July 1939, aged 4

Buried in this churchyard

Allen George Rex "Bobby" Booroff was the only child of Mr Robert Booroff of Willesdon, London.   He was on holiday in Somerset with Mrs T. Coleman of Willesdon, who had fostered him nearly 3 years earlier.   They were staying with Mrs Coleman's parents, Mr & Mrs F. Cook, at Mill View, Barton St David.  At about 6.15pm on Sunday 23rd July, Bobby went for a walk with his 10 year old step-brother John Coleman, 14 year old Mary Louise Porter and 5 year old Violet Cook.  Bobby slipped down the bank, fell into the River Brue at Tootle Bridge and drowned. His body was recovered on the following day, from the river bed about 100 yards from Tootle Bridge.

Accounts of the inquest into Bobby Booroff's death, which was held in the Court House at Somerton, were recorded in the Taunton Courier & Western Advertiser and in the Bristol Evening Post of 29th July 1939.  Colston Victor Williams, aged 51 of Hotwells in Bristol, was fishing on the bank of the River Brue when he heard a child running nearby.  Then he realised that the young boy had fallen into the river.  The other children asked him to go into the river to rescue Bobby.  He put his fishing rod into the water and shouted to the boy to catch hold of it, but Bobby didn't manage to do this.  Mr Williams couldn't swim and hadn't fully recovered his grip after losing a finger, so he didn't dare venture further into the river.  He said he wasn't familiar with the River Brue at Tootle Bridge and that it was muddy and fast flowing at the time.  He was criticised by the coroner, Mr C. Leslie Rutter, who said that the water in the river was no more than waist deep for an adult.  He also said that Mr Williams could easily have grabbed the boy, walked with him down to the bridge and climbed out of the river there.  The verdict of the inquest was accidental death.  

NB: Bobby's first name at birth was registered as Alan, but his death is registered as Allan.  The newspaper reports of the inquest and the memorial in the churchyard at Barton St David say he was called Allen. 

Memorial plaque on the wall of the churchyard in Barton St David

Tootle Bridge

The River Brue from Tootle Bridge

Hunky Punks

Hunky punks are grotesque carvings found on the outside walls of buildings, usually churches.  They differ from gargoyles because they are purely decorative: gargoyles drain water off roofs through their mouths.  The purpose of hunky punks seems to have been to break up long straight sections of stone walls and to ornament corners.

Hunky punks are particularly numerous in Somerset.  The term hunky punk is thought to have originated from the words hunkers and punchy.  Hunkers means "squatting on haunches" and punchy means having "short legs and a thick set body". 

Most hunky punks were carved between 1450 and 1550, during the second half of the Perpendicular period.  Parapets, pinnacles and window tracery were also often decoratively carved at this time.  The church towers built in Somerset in this period were mainly funded by the wealth generated by the wool trade.  The carving of hunky punks would have taken place on the ground (probably in the carvers' workshops) and not in situ.  They were carved using chisels and mallets.  The hunky punks on a particular church may not all have been carved by the same stone mason.

The subjects carved were rarely Christian symbols.  They were often mythological or heraldic creatures and occasionally humans.  Dragons, goats, dogs and griffins are the most common subjects.  Life in medieval times was greatly influenced by the Christian church, but also by superstition and folklore.  This may explain why so many hunky punks depict mythological and heraldic creatures.

My thanks to Nigel Stone for allowing me to use some of his photographs.

All Saints' Church, Langport

Lion, All Saints' Church, Langport

Three faces, All Saints' Church, Langport

Lion, Church of St Peter & St Paul, Kilmersdon

The north aisle of the St Peter & St Paul's Church was added in the 15th century and almost certainly paid for by William, Lord Botreaux. The hunky punks are thought to have been carved at the same time.

Antelope, Church of St Peter & St Paul, Kilmersdon

Toad and monk (or angel?) 

Church of St Peter & St Paul, Kilmersdon

Holy Trinity Church, Chantry

This church was built 1844-1846, so the hunky punks on it are not medieval.

Holy Trinity Church, Chantry

Toothache, All Saints Church, Monksilver

Dragon, Monksilver

Cat, Kingston St Mary

Woman giving birth, Kingston St Mary

Griffin/dragon, Norton-sub-Hamdon

Devil, North Curry

Dog, All Saints Church, Curry Mallet

Goat, All Saints Church, Curry Mallet

Bagpipe player, Isle Abbotts

Further reading: 

Hunky Punks: A Study in Somerset Stone Carving by Peter Poyntz-Wright, first published 1982, revised edition 2004, Heart of Albion Press

Church of St Mary the Virgin, East Stoke

The church of St Mary the Virgin, East Stoke has an eclectic collection of features from different historical periods.  It serves the village of Stoke-sub-Hamdon, but is located a mile east of the village in the hamlet of East Stoke.  The church was built using local Ham stone in the 12th century and enlarged in the 13th and 14th centuries.  It was restored by Benjamin Ferrey in 1862.   The church was previously dedicated to St Denys (c1840-59) and St Andrew (1866-c1891).

The carved tympanum above the porch door on the north side of the church has three birds (possibly doves) around the Tree of Life, the Lamb of God and the astrological figures of Sagittarius and Leo.  The tympanum was walled up when the porch was added.  It was rediscovered in 1856. The main doors were probably replaced in the mid 19th century and are reputed to have come from Ilchester Gaol when it closed.

The octagonal panelled pulpit and the altar are Jacobean.  There is an hourglass timer near the pulpit. The altar rails date from the reign of Charles I.

The 12th century circular tub font is decorated with raised cable and diamond designs. It was originally located in the centre of the nave, but it was moved in 1916 to its current location.

The wall paintings on the wall above the chancel arch date from the 14th or 15th centuries.  The ones on the nave walls are 17th century.

A 12th century window has a carving of St George or St Michael the Archangel slaying a dragon above it. 

The four light east window was designed by someone called Bell as a war memorial.  It depicts local occupations: glove making, agriculture, Ham stone industry and work in the home.  It contains some medieval glass in the small panels at the top. The symbols at the bottom are of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force and the Merchant Navy.

Two possible sheela-na-gigs are located on the Norman corbel table on the north wall of the chancel.

There are 4 scratch dials on the south wall.

St Mary's Church

Porch with tympanum above

Tympanum

Nave and Norman chancel arch

Scratch dial

Scratch dial

Scratch dial

Norman window

St George and the Dragon carving

Pulpit

Hour glass timer near the pulpit

Norman Font

Wall paintings in the nave

Angel 

Squint or hagioscope in the north transept

Carved corbel

Two possible sheela-na-gigs

These are located on a corbel table on the north wall of the chancel.

War memorial stained glass window

Roger Bacon: Franciscan monk, philosopher, scientist and scholar

Roger Bacon was a medieval philosopher and scientist.  He was a great proponent of the importance of experimental science.  He was the first European to write a detailed description of the process of making gunpowder.  He also speculated about flying machines and motorised ships and carriages. 

Roger Bacon was born c1214-1220, probably in Ilchester. His family was wealthy and he was educated in geometry, arithmetic, astronomy and music.  He then studied, and probably also taught, arts at Oxford University.  He travelled to Paris sometime between 1236 and 1245.  He was a pioneer in teaching Aristotle's natural philosophy at the University of Paris.  He may have returned to Oxford c1247, where he met and was influenced by the philosopher and theologian Robert Grosseteste (who was the Bishop of Lincoln), the Welsh Franciscan Thomas Wallensis and the Franciscan scholar and theologian Adam Marsh (also known as Adam de Marisco).  Bacon may have returned to Paris in 1251.

In around 1257 Roger Bacon became a Franciscan monk, probably in England.  Soon after this he returned to Paris, where he stayed for about 10 years. Roger Bacon was an innovative thinker, who wasn't afraid to challenge current beliefs about science, philosophy and religion. He met Cardinal Guy Foulquois in Paris, who showed an interest in Bacon's ideas.  Foulquois became Pope Clement IV in 1264 and then demanded to see Bacon's written work. 

In 1266 Roger Bacon completed his Opus maius, which was divided into seven parts: the causes of human ignorance, the relation of the sciences to theology, grammar and the power of languages,  mathematics (including astronomy and astrology), optics, experimental science and moral philosophy.  The most famous passage in this work includes the sentence "without experiment, nothing can be sufficiently known". He sent his Opus maius to Pope Clement IV in Rome.  Bacon then worked on his Opus minus, which summarised and supplemented the Opus maius. This work was also dispatched to the Pope.  He then began writing his Opus tertium, which was his longest work. This was probably never sent to the Pope, who died in 1268.  There is no written record of Pope Clement IV's reaction to Bacon's ideas.

Roger Bacon probably returned to Oxford in around 1270.  He was annoyed by the increasing corruption of knowledge and was outspoken in his contempt for many of his contemporary intellectuals, including prominent Dominicans and Franciscans.  In about 1278 Girolamo da Ascoli, who was Master-General of the Franciscans, condemned Bacon's teachings and had him imprisoned. He was probably released in 1290 and he died c1292 in Oxford.

There is a brass memorial plaque to Roger Bacon in the Church of St Mary Major in Ilchester.  It says:

To the Immortal Memory of

Roger Bacon

A Franciscan Monk and also a free enquirer after

true knowledge.  His wonderful powers as

mathematician, mechanic, optician, astronomer, chemist,

linguist, moralist, physicist and physician gained 

him the title of "Doctor Miribilis"

He first made known the composition of

gunpowder, and his researches laid the

foundations of modern science.  He prophesied the 

making of machines to propel vessels through the water

without sails or oars; of chariots to

travel on land without horses or other draught 

animals; of flying machines to traverse the air.

He was imprisoned, starved and persecuted by

the suspicious ignorance of his contemporaries

but a fuller knowledge now acclaims and 

honours him as one of the greatest of mankind.

Born at Ilchester in 1214

Died at Oxford 1294

This tablet is erected to commemorate the Seventh Centenary

by a few admirers of his genius

AD 1914

Roger Bacon's memorial plaque in Church of St Mary Major, Ilchester 

Fabulous Fish

These are the artistic representations of fish that I have found on my travels around Somerset.

Kneeler in Exford Church

Fish bike racks at RSPB Ham Wall

Kneeler at St Andrew's Church, Old Cleeve

The apostle St Andrew and his brother, Simon Peter, were both fishermen.  

Altar front, St Andrew's Church, Old Cleeve

Stained glass window, St Andrew's Church, Old Cleeve

River Tone, Taunton

Stained glass window in Winsford Church

Chiselborough Bus Stop

St Andrew's Church, Mells

This window is in memory of Sir John Francis Fortescue Horner (1842-1927).  He was a barrister and he lived in Mells Manor.  The window was designed by Sir William Nicholson and depicts St Francis of Assisi preaching to the fish and birds.

Church of St Mary and St Andrew, Pitminster

"I will make you fishers of men" Matthew Ch.4 v.19

Seals & goldfish by Curtis Hylton, Oxford Corner, Weston-super-Mare

This was painted for Weston Wallz Project 2022.  I think the seals look more like sea lions.

Fish and a sheep on a bench end, Church of All Saints, Monksilver

Fisherman Metal Head, Minehead Harbour

Altar rail, St Peter's on the Quay, Minehead

Hedgehog and fish on the west doors of St Mary's Church, Norton-sub-Hamdon

Seats painted with fish, an octopus, a turtle, a jellyfish and a shark

High Street, Taunton

These concrete seats were painted by GoCreate and Rights Community Action in 2023 to raise awareness of climate change.

Seats painted with lots of fish, a jellyfish, a hermit crab, two sea anenomes and a starfish, High Street, Taunton

Bench end, Church of St James the Less, Halse

3 fish in the centre, 2 eels at the bottom and 2 newts at the top.

Bench end, Church of St James the Less, Halse

Tony Hills' (1956-2015) memorial bench, 

Wych Lodge Lake, Blackdown Hills

Fish sculpture, Wych Lodge Lake, Blackdown Hills

This sculpture is a memorial to Alan Roy Berry, who was President of Taunton Angling Association.

Alabaster fish decorating the font in St Mary's Church, Norton-sub-Hamdon

The font was designed by Henry Wilson in the late 19th century.