CHURCH.
The church was a dependent chapel
of North Petherton and was given with the
mother church to Buckland priory on its foundation c. 1166. (fn. 96) Temporary burial rights were
granted to the chapel, probably during the civil
war in the 1140s. (fn. 97) The church had achieved
independence by the early 13th century, (fn. 98) and
was a sole rectory until 1978. It was held with
St. John the Baptist's, Bridgwater, between 1978
and 1984 and thereafter with Weston Zoyland. (fn. 99)
A dispute over patronage between the bishop
of Bath, Buckland priory, and the lord of Chedzoy manor was settled in 1280 in favour of the
lord, Simon de Montagu, (fn. 1) and the advowson
descended with the manor until 1678 or later. (fn. 2)
It was acquired by John Coney (d. c. 1713), (fn. 3) and
remained in his family, several members of
which were rectors, until Thomas Coney, rector
1835-40, sold it to Richard Luscombe, vicar of
Moorlinch. (fn. 4) By 1861 George Mullens, rector
1855-91, had acquired the patronage and his
nephew and successor, George Richard Mullens, held it from 1897 until 1940. (fn. 5) He was
succeeded as patron by Mrs. S. A. Rowlands,
but since 1960 the bishop of Bath and Wells has
held the advowson. (fn. 6)
The church was valued at £20 in 1291, (fn. 7) £38
16s. 8½d. net in 1535, (fn. 8) and c. £300 in 1668. (fn. 9)
Average income had fallen to £111 in 1829-31. (fn. 10)
Tithes and offerings were worth over £37 in
1535 (fn. 11) paid, it was later claimed, in the form of
moduses. (fn. 12) Rectorial tithes were commuted for
£385 5s. in 1840; tithes on Fowler's or Vowle's
Mead, inclosed under Act of 1797 and worth
then £2, were due to the bishop. (fn. 13) In the mid
12th century 3 a. of land appear to have been
given to the church, (fn. 14) and the rector held a
cottage by 1353. (fn. 15) In 1535 the glebe was valued
at £2 3s. 6d. a year; (fn. 16) in 1626 it comprised 32¼
a. in the open fields. (fn. 17) It was assessed at 29 a.
in 1840 (fn. 18) and remained church property in
1978. (fn. 19) A rectory house stood with two barns
and other buildings in 1626. (fn. 20) The house had
been recently repaired in 1815 (fn. 21) but was substantially rebuilt later. (fn. 22) In 1848 Charles
Knowles designed additions in the Gothic
style. (fn. 23) The house was replaced c. 1957 by a new
building to the north, which itself was sold in
1978. (fn. 24)
The value of the living and the prominence of
the patrons attracted distinguished and absentee
rectors including Godfrey Giffard, rector in the
mid 13th century and later bishop of Worcester
1268-1302, (fn. 25) and Thomas de Montagu, rector
by 1391 and until 1394 or later and during that
time dean of Salisbury. (fn. 26) John Welles, rector
from 1415, died at the council of Constance in
1417; (fn. 27) Nicholas Upton, rector 1427-34, wrote
a book on heraldry and knighthood; (fn. 28) Thomas
Northwich, rector 1470-87, was also prior of Eye
(Suff.). Northwich's immediate successors were
Christopher Urswick, rector 1487-8, a scholar,
courtier, and diplomat, (fn. 29) and Richard Nykke,
rector 1489-1501, bishop of Norwich 1501-36. (fn. 30)
The parish was served by a chaplain in 1450 and
1463 and by two in 1468 and c. 1535. (fn. 31) The
church had endowed lights, some probably established by 1406, (fn. 32) and c. 1510 the
churchwardens maintained a rood light and a
fund called Our Lady's service. (fn. 33) A chantry
dissolved in 1548 had land in the parish and in
Bridgwater, Axbridge, and Crediton (Devon). (fn. 34)
A house called Our Lady house, mentioned in
the early 16th century, may have been the
predecessor of the five-bayed church house
which was also used for holding manor courts in
the 1570s. (fn. 35) It was being maintained by the
churchwardens in the later 17th century (fn. 36) but
the overseers paid for repairs in 1740. (fn. 37) A piece
of land at Dunwear in Bridgwater was owned by
the church by 1529 and continues to be let by
candle auction. (fn. 38)
Nicholas Mason, rector from 1547, was deprived in 1554 but would not leave (fn. 39) and John
Cotterell, rector 1558-72, was a considerable
pluralist. (fn. 40) George Montgomery spent some
time in Ireland from 1609 where he was bishop
of Clogher and of Meath. (fn. 41) The rectory house
was plundered during the Civil War and Walter
Raleigh, rector 1620-46 and dean of Wells 1642-
6, was imprisoned there. (fn. 42) There were usually
12 communicants in the 1770s. (fn. 43) In 1827 there
were two services each Sunday (fn. 44) and by the early
1840s celebrations of communion were held
eight times a year for 30 communicants. (fn. 45)
Monthly communion was celebrated by a resident rector in 1870. (fn. 46)
The church of ST. MARY, so dedicated by
1343, (fn. 47) is built of coursed lias and comprises a
chancel with north vestry, clerestoried nave with
north and south transepts and aisles, a south
porch, and a west tower. The arcades and the
north aisle are of the earlier 13th century but the
south aisle was widened in the early 14th century, aligning it with a chapel built on the south
side of the chancel when that was restored and
altered in the later 13th century. The tower (fn. 48) was
added in the earlier 16th century together with
the porch, the clerestory, the arch into the north
transept, and windows in the north aisle. The
south chapel may have been demolished at the
same time. A gallery in the north transept was
removed c. 1845 (fn. 49) and the chancel was rebuilt in
1884. (fn. 50)
The font is of the 13th century and among the
furnishings are a pulpit and bench ends of the
16th century. The former reading desk (1620) is
part of the organ screen, and the altar rails (1637)
are under the tower arch. The screen of the
1880s incorporates part of the late medieval
screen and rood loft which were removed c.
1841. (fn. 51) There is a memorial brass, probably of
Richard Sydenham (d. 1499). (fn. 52)
The church plate includes a cup and cover of
1573 and a flagon of 1758. (fn. 53) Two bells, the great
bell and the Lady bell, were recorded c. 1508-9 (fn. 54)
but the oldest surviving bell in a peal of six is of
the late 16th century by Roger Semson. (fn. 55) The
registers date from 1559 and are virtually complete. (fn. 56)