STOCKLAND BRISTOL
The ancient parish of Stockland Bristol, formerly Stockland Gaunts, derived its secondary
names from its former owners, first the Gaunts
hospital, Bristol, and later Bristol corporation. (fn. 74)
The main part of the parish lay between Otterhampton and Stogursey, 9 km. north-west of
Bridgwater; the remainder comprised several
detached parts mostly to the east and north-east,
including the hamlet of Steart, on the coast 4
km. north-east of Stockland village. The ancient
parish covered c. 1,150 a. (fn. 75) In 1886 the detached
land around Steart (including 8 houses and 46
persons) was transferred to Otterhampton parish
and parcels in the south-west passed to Fiddington. Knaplock was added from Cannington
parish. (fn. 76) The area of the resultant civil parish is
335 ha. (828 a.). (fn. 77)
The principal part of the parish lies in the
south-west across a low ridge reaching 30 m.,
from which the land falls to the flat marshes at
c. 7 m. in the north-east. Weaving water or
North brook flows down the hill and then forms
part of the western and northern boundary. The
eastern boundary is marked in part by a stream
and in part by the road from Stockland to Steart.
Much of the southern boundary followed the
road between Combwich and Stogursey. The
boundaries of the detached area at Steart were
the coast and the sea wall which protected Wall
common in Stogursey and gave its name to
fields called Wallsend in Stockland parish. (fn. 78)
The sloping ground is clay overlying Blue Lias
with pockets of limestone. (fn. 79) Much of it was
formerly woodland, (fn. 80) full of springs, and was
described as cold clay, not very productive, and
benefiting neither from lime nor, if wet, even
from animal manure. (fn. 81) Quarrying was obstructing roads in 1575 and 1646, and in 1577 the
lessee of the rectory sold 60 cartloads of stone
from the estate, possibly from the land north of
the church. In 1637 tenants were forbidden to
sell paving stones outside the manor without
licence. In 1579 three men were accused of
building two unlicensed lime kilns and of making 700 bu. of lime in each. In 1774 a tenant of
the manor was given permission to build a
limekiln. (fn. 82) The alluvium of the marsh land was
good both for arable and for sheep provided that
it was well drained. (fn. 83) Maintenance of the clyces
or sluices and watercourses was of considerable
importance and an earth wall to protect an
outwarth (fn. 84) was constructed in 1445. (fn. 85) The marsh
north of Stockland village, known formerly as
Pederham or Petherhams Marsh, (fn. 86) is drained by
North, Middle, and South brooks, which flow
eastwards into the Parrett through North and
Combwich clyces. In the 1630s and 1640s Stockland manor court ordered hollow trees to be laid
to improve field drainage. (fn. 87) The manor was
responsible not only for the drainage within the
parish but also for Stockland clyce, probably
either the present North clyce or Combwich
clyce. (fn. 88) By 1741, however, responsibility for the
clyce was shared with other landowners and
Stockland manor paid only half the cost of
rebuilding it that year. (fn. 89)
Stockland village, a single street running along
the edge of the marsh eastwards from the
church, may originally have extended further
west, where earthworks north of the church
suggest the original nucleus. The surviving
street, with nearly all the houses, farmyards, and
paddocks on the north side running down to
South brook, faced an open arable field whose
nearest furlong was called Burgage. (fn. 90) A survey
of 1547 described 17 dwellings in Stockland
manor, probably the whole village except the
vicarage house. At least four were single storeyed, a further seven appear to have had halls
open to the roof, and one seems to have had two
halls to accommodate two related households.
Two dwellings appear to have been longhouses,
many had ground floor chambers, and only one
parlour and one buttery were recorded. Four
houses had kitchens, one of which might have
been separate from the dwelling. (fn. 91) Surviving
houses include Rosemary Cottage, a medieval
building enlarged in the 16th century, and two
of the 17th century, the Poplars and Rogers
Farm, the second having plasterwork dated
1675. (fn. 92) Most houses remained small in the 18th
century and in 1833 several were described as
old and thatched although one had had a new
roof and another had new farm buildings. (fn. 93)
Steart hamlet appears to have been called
Marsh in 1377 (fn. 94) and in 1762 and 1822 the Marsh
houses were recorded. (fn. 95) By the mid 19th century
the hamlet was known as Steart Marsh and in
1881 also as Steart Bay; from the late 19th
century it has usually been called Steart. (fn. 96) It is
a remote settlement of widely spaced farms and
cottages.
The road from Combwich to Stogursey ran
through or along the southern edge of the parish
and was joined there by the road from Steart
through Stockland village. Both were evidently
well used in the 17th century as gifts to travellers
by the parish officers in 1655 amounted to most
of the annual parish expenditure. (fn. 97) The parish
was indicted in 1809 for failure to repair the first
route. (fn. 98) The second, straightened in the 1860s
south-west of the village to improve the grounds
of the new Vicarage, later Stockland Manor, (fn. 99)
led along Marsh or Steart drove to Wall common
and then along the beach to Steart, a route which
was vulnerable to erosion and storms such as
that of 1869. (fn. 1) During the later 19th century
attempts were made to prevent Lord Clifford
allowing pebbles to be removed from Steart
beach for road repair as this was said to be
weakening the sea defences. (fn. 2) There was no
made-up road across Wall common and the
fields until the 20th century and it was not
metalled until c. 1961. (fn. 3)
The field names Beaverland and Midfurlong
indicate an open arable field on the rising
ground south of the village street, where small
strips were still cultivated in 1547. (fn. 4) A common
meadow north of the village was still in strips in
the 1820s. (fn. 5) There may originally have been
common grazing on the marshes but there was
apparently none in the 17th century, (fn. 6) although
some manor holdings were awarded allotments
in Steart common in 1803. (fn. 7)
No woodland was recorded in 1086 (fn. 8) but field
names show that the southern part of the parish
was once well wooded, largely with oak. Timber
was still plentiful in the 17th century, (fn. 9) and 602
timber trees were sold in 1813, mostly oak and
elm but also ash, aspen, and walnut. (fn. 10) Stockland
moor, described as peaty and unimprovable in
1801, had been planted by 1837 when there were
60 a. of woodland, most owned by Bristol corporation. (fn. 11) In 1947 over 25 a. of woodland was
felled, but at least 25 a. survived in 1982. (fn. 12)
The Stockland friendly society had been
disbanded by 1921 when it was decided that its
poles and flags should be kept in the church. (fn. 13)
The population rose in the first three decades
of the 19th century from 144 in 1801 to 202 in
1831 but fell thereafter to 181 in 1851, 142 in
1861, and 138 in 1871. By 1881 there had been
a sharp increase to 188 but following the transfer
of Steart to Otterhampton in 1886 the total was
140 in 1901 and it declined during the 20th
century to 97 in 1971. Ten years later the
population totalled 130, (fn. 14) because of new building in the village and the subdivision of
Stockland Manor.
Ten men were fined for alleged involvement
in the 1497 rebellion. (fn. 15) The alchemist Thomas
Charnock is said to have lived in Stockland after
his marriage in 1562. (fn. 16)