YARLINGTON
Yarlington in 1838
The parish of Yarlington, the derivation of
whose name is uncertain, (fn. 73) lies 6 km. south of
Bruton. It is roughly triangular in shape, measuring 2.5 km. from north to south at its widest
and 3 km. from east to west. The only natural
boundary is a feeder of the river Cam in the
south-east; parts of the eastern and western
boundaries are marked by roads. (fn. 74) The boundaries of the manor, which by the 18th century
were conterminous with the parish boundaries
except in the south, were perambulated regularly. (fn. 75) The area measures 487 ha. (1,203 a.). (fn. 76)
The parish lies on the western side of hills
forming the watershed between the streams
feeding the Cale and those feeding the Cam. A
tributary of the Cam cuts a steep-sided valley
from east to west between God's Hill (107 m.
(352 ft.)) and Yarlington Sleights (127 m. (452
ft.)) to the north, and a large plateau to the south,
before crossing the western boundary at 70 m.
(230 ft.). In the east a small hill at Seamark (fn. 77)
wood (143 m. (468 ft.)) separates the plateau
from a second valley which marks parts of the
eastern and southern boundaries and falls from
120 m. (394 ft.) to 80 m. (262 ft.). Most of the
lower ground is composed of Midford Sands and
the higher land of Inferior Oolite limestone, but
in the east there are thin north-south bands of
Fuller's Earth and Fuller's Earth rock. (fn. 78) There
were said to be light and dark blue marls at
Woolston. (fn. 79)
The turnpike road from Ansford to Sherborne
passed through the north and east of the parish,
following an earlier route from Bruton to Sherborne recorded in 1719. It was turnpiked by the
Sherborne and Shaftesbury trust in 1753 (fn. 80) and
field boundaries in the south-east and in Blackford parish suggest that the southern part of the
route was new. The original road to Sherborne
may have passed through Yarlington village and
Woolston to Blackford. (fn. 81) Milestones appear to
have been provided in 1785. (fn. 82) The road along
the eastern boundary from Bratton to Holton
was turnpiked by the Vale of Blackmore trust in
1765 and taken over by the Wincanton trust in
1818. (fn. 83)
There are traces of prehistoric and Roman
activity in the parish but what was formerly
believed to be a British camp on God's Hill is
part of a series of medieval lynchets. Those have
been damaged but traces remain both there and
on the opposite side of the valley, and also on
the west-facing slopes in the west of the parish. (fn. 84)
Settlement consists of Yarlington village, Woolston Manor farm in the valley on the southern
boundary, and a scatter of farms and cottages
near the principal roads in the east of the parish.
Yarlington village lies around the junction of
four lanes: Pound Road to the west, West Street
to the south-west, South Street, now Lodge Hill,
which links the village to the Sherborne road on
the south-east, and Crockers Hill running northeast. (fn. 85) There was formerly a green south of the
medieval manor house and church. (fn. 86) Most
houses date from the 18th and 19th centuries
and are of stone with tiled roofs. A small 16thcentury house, converted to agricultural use,
stood on the north-west corner of the churchyard until the 1950s but has since been
demolished. (fn. 87) Woolston Manor farm was formerly on the edge of the village of Lower
Woolston but the latter has shrunk to a few
houses in North Cadbury. The shape of the
boundary here may indicate a field shared between the two parishes. (fn. 88) In the late 18th century
there were several cottages along West Street
and Stoke Lane in the far west of the parish.
Houses have been built at the southern end of
West Street in the 20th century. (fn. 89)
A park was laid out to the south and east of
Yarlington House and several plantations created to shelter it. (fn. 90)
A private 9-hole golf course was created by
the owners of Yarlington House at Seamark
wood c. 1900 (fn. 91) but by 1912 (fn. 92) a club appears to
have been established. The club took a lease of
the course and a clubhouse in 1938. The course,
known as the East Somerset, remained in use
until 1959. (fn. 93)
There were two licensed victuallers in the
parish in 1731 and four in 1743. (fn. 94) In 1753 the
only alehouse was presented as a public nuisance
and presumably closed. (fn. 95) Thereafter there was
no licensed house until the Stag's Head opened
in the 1850s in a cottage on the village green. (fn. 96)
Between 1871 and 1899 a shop and later a dairy
were attached and a room opened for a men's
club. (fn. 97) The Stag's Head remained in business in
1995.
Yarlington Mill is a variety of cider apple
raised by the miller in the late 19th century. (fn. 98)
The Yarlington wassail possibly dates from the
17th century, (fn. 99) and the Yarlington choristers
visited Redlynch House in 1782. (fn. 1) Horse races
were held in 1795. (fn. 2)
In 1641 168 persons were taxed. (fn. 3) The population rose from 252 in 1801 to a peak of 301 in
1821 and then fell sharply from 297 in 1841 to
234 in 1851 and more gradually to 159 in 1911.
Numbers remained stable until the late 20th
century when they declined again to 125 normally resident in 1991. (fn. 4)
Thirteen people were fined for their involvement in the 1497 rebellion. (fn. 5) King John probably
visited Yarlington in 1209, (fn. 6) as Edward III probably did in 1333. (fn. 7) George III is said to have
passed through on his way to Weymouth and
remarked upon the new Yarlington Lodge. (fn. 8)
MANORS
The 10 hides at Gyrdlingatone
given to Glastonbury abbey in the mid 10th
century have been interpreted as at Yarlington. (fn. 9) 'Gerlintune' was held by Alnod in
1066 and by Robert, count of Mortain, in
1086. (fn. 10) The fee probably passed to Robert's
son William who forfeited his estates in 1106. (fn. 11)
By 1166 it was held by Drew the younger (fn. 12) and
descended like the manor of Shepton Montague until both reverted to the Crown in
1539. (fn. 13) In 1541 YARLINGTON was granted
to Queen Catherine Howard (d. 1542) and in
1544 to Queen Catherine Parr for life. (fn. 14) In
1547 the reversion was granted to the Queen's
brother William Parr, marquess of Northampton, who in the same year sold it to (Sir)
Thomas Smith. (fn. 15) The Queen died in 1548 and
in 1556 Sir Thomas sold the manor to William
Rosewell and his son William. (fn. 16) The younger
William died c. 1566 and the elder in 1570,
having settled the manor on the younger William's sons Parry and William and on William
Dale and his brother George, probably stepgrandsons of William Rosewell the elder.
Parry appears to have died under age before
his grandfather, leaving his brother William as
heir. (fn. 17) In 1591 William Rosewell (d. 1593) sold
Yarlington to Sir Henry Berkeley of Bruton. (fn. 18)
Sir Henry (d. 1601) left Yarlington to his
second son (Sir) Henry (d. 1667). (fn. 19) Henry
settled the manor on himself and his wife
Elizabeth Neville and in 1613 purchased the
fee farm rent from Henry Hastings, earl of
Huntingdon, to whom it had been granted in
1554. (fn. 20) Sir Henry compounded for his estates
and was not finally discharged until 1650. (fn. 21) By
his will of 1667 he left his estates to his only
surviving son Maurice with remainders to his
daughters Dorothy, Frances, and Jael. Yarlington passed to Dorothy, wife of Sir Francis
Godolphin, (fn. 22) but when Maurice died unmarried and intestate in 1674 it was discovered
that the terms of Sir Henry's will were in conflict
with those of the earlier settlements which
eventually prevailed and the three daughters or
their heirs were declared coheirs. The manor
was then held by Sir William Godolphin, son of
Dorothy, by Peter Roynon, son of Frances, and
by Jael Berkeley. Peter Roynon died a minor and
was succeeded by his brother Henry. (fn. 23)
In 1685 Henry Roynon settled his third share on
himself and his heirs, but following a series of
mortgages it was assigned in 1698 to Sir William
Godolphin. (fn. 24) In 1693 Jael Berkeley (d. 1705)
settled her share on herself for life with remainder to Sir William, in return for an annuity and
sole use of two thirds of the house. (fn. 25) Sir William
died in 1710 leaving his nephew Francis Godolphin as his heir. Francis, later earl of Godolphin,
settled Yarlington on his wife Henrietta Churchill, duchess of Marlborough (d. 1733) and
their children. He died in 1766 and was succeeded by his only surviving child Henrietta,
duchess of Newcastle (d. 1776 s.p.), and by her
nephew Francis Osborne, marquess of Carmarthen, son of Mary, duchess of Leeds (d. 1764
v.p.). (fn. 26) Francis succeeded to his aunt's share
under her will but encumbered the manor with
mortgages and in 1782 sold it to John Rogers (d.
1821). (fn. 27)
Rogers had cleared the debts by 1808 and settled
the manor in tail male on his elder son Francis. (fn. 28)
Francis (d. 1863) was succeeded by his son
Thomas who, having only unmarried daughters, settled the manor in 1902 on a fellow
barrister Herbert Wright (d. 1922), husband of
his niece Ellen. Thomas died in 1912 and in
1914 Herbert took the name Rogers. Herbert
was succeeded by his only surviving son Roger
(d. 1961 s.p.), who divided up the estate for sale
in the 1940s. Lordship was not mentioned. (fn. 29)
The proceeds of the sales were used to endow
scholarships and prizes at Oxford and Cambridge
universities under the power of appointment of
Herbert's widow Ellen exercised in her will of
1947. (fn. 30)
In 1313 Simon de Montagu obtained a licence
to crenellate his house at Yarlington. (fn. 31) In 1540
the site included hall, chapel, and gatehouse, (fn. 32)
and later a fishpond possibly created from a
moat mentioned in 1485. (fn. 33) A house called Yarlington House was said to have been built by Sir
Henry Berkeley (d. 1601) (fn. 34) and in 1705 comprised
parlour, hall, dining room, kitchen, buttery,
cellar, and 13 chambers including the old, new,
long, and gallery chambers. (fn. 35) When the house
was sold in 1782 it was described as 'picturesque
but damp' and was demolished soon afterwards. (fn. 36)
Yarlington farmhouse was said to have been constructed out of the stables but was rebuilt in 1875. (fn. 37)
By 1785 John Rogers had completed a new
capital messuage, known as Yarlington Lodge
and later as Yarlington House. It stands on
former common on a hill south of the village and
is said to have incorporated materials from the
demolished manor house. (fn. 38) It is a red brick
house of two storeys and attics under a slate roof.
The 3-bayed east front has a central doorway
under a flat hood and a gabled pediment. The
9-bayed south front includes a 4-bayed extension of 1912 by W. H. Boney of Highgate. (fn. 39) The
fittings include 18th-century fireplaces, some
introduced later, and oak panelling and a staircase of 1912. The courtyard wall incorporates a
late 18th-century gatehouse decorated with
cherubs and baskets of fruit. The house was let
to the Ministry of Health in the 1940s. (fn. 40)
The manor of WOOLSTON GYAN may have
originated in the estate, called Ufetone, held by
Drew de Montagu of Robert, count of Mortain,
in 1086. Three thegns had held it in parage in
1066. (fn. 41) The terre tenancy seems to have passed
like Shepton Montague to Richard de Montagu
in the 12th century (fn. 42) and by 1166 it was held of
Drew the younger by Jordan Gwihaine. (fn. 43) It
probably passed to Sir Adam Gwyene or Gyan
(fl. 1238-42) (fn. 44) who died before 1272 leaving his
son Nigel (fn. 45) a minor. (fn. 46) In 1320 Nicholas Gyan held
a third of a fee at Woolston (fn. 47) and in 1327 Christine
Gyan, possibly his mother, was assessed for
twice his holding. (fn. 48) Nicholas was holding the
whole manor in 1344 and may have been
succeeded by Thomas Gyan. Thomas's
daughter and heir Ellen married John Cammell who held Woolston in her right in 1397. (fn. 49)
John Cammell (d. 1451), probably son of
Ellen, was followed by his son Robert (d.
1488) and by his grandson William Cammell. (fn. 50) William (d. 1506) settled Woolston in
1505 in trust for (Sir) Richard Weston (d.
1541). (fn. 51) In 1538 Sir Richard settled the manor
on his wife Anne with remainder to his infant
grandson Henry Weston. (fn. 52) In 1556 Henry and his
wife Dorothy granted the manor for 31 years
to Richard FitzJames who was living at Woolston in the 1560s. (fn. 53) In 1565 Sir Henry sold it
to Sir James FitzJames, Richard's brother, who in
1568 sold it to Thomas Chafyn. (fn. 54)
Thomas Chafyn (d. 1593) was succeeded by an
infant son Bampfylde (d. 1644) (fn. 55) who was followed
in the direct male line by Thomas (d. by 1657),
Thomas (d. 1691), and George Chafyn (d. 1766). (fn. 56)
In 1746 trustees conveyed Woolston to James Harding. (fn. 57) By his will dated 1772 James left the manor
to his nephew William Beach (d. c. 1790) for life
with remainder to William's son William Withers
Beach (d. 1829), an imbecile. William (d. c. 1790)
left a daughter Henrietta, wife of Michael Hicks.
They assumed the additional name Beach. (fn. 58) In 1815
Michael and Henrietta sold their interest to Stephen
Harding (d. c. 1828). (fn. 59) In 1830 Woolston was put
up for sale as a single farm (fn. 60) and it was sold in 1835
to Joseph Goodenough. (fn. 61) In 1858 Goodenough sold
it to Thomas Rogers and the manor descended with
Yarlington. It was not included in the sales of the
1940s and in 1962 Virginia, widow of Roger Wright
Rogers, sold the farm to Robert and Gerald Amor.
Lordship was not included. (fn. 62)
In 1725 the manor house appears to have had
an asymmetrical four-bayed front of two storeys
and attics. (fn. 63) Between 1835 and 1838 the house was
rebuilt further back from the road by Joseph
Goodenough. (fn. 64) Woolston Manor Farmhouse is a
square three-bayed house of two storeys built of
local stone under a slate roof. North of the house
is a wall with circle and acanthus decoration.
ECONOMIC HISTORY
In 1086 Yarlington
was assessed at 7 hides and had land for 7
ploughteams, but only 3 teams were recorded of
which one was in demesne worked by 6 servi and
two were worked by 8 villani and 6 bordars. The
demesne livestock comprised 6 cattle, 3 pigs, and
60 sheep. Woolston was assessed at over 3 hides
and had 2½ ploughlands of which one was in
demesne and one was worked by a villanus and 5
bordars. There were also 8 cottars. The demesne
had 10 a. of meadow and a flock of 66 sheep. The
value of both estates had been reduced from £9
10s. in 1066 to £7 in 1086. (fn. 65)
In 1320-1, when Yarlington manor was in
Crown hands during a minority, the demesne
farm was almost entirely producing grain. Apart
from some inclosed pasture it comprised 488 a.
of arable of varying quality. (fn. 66) In the spring of
1321 106 a. was sown with wheat, 42 a. with oats,
35 a. with barley, and c. 50 a. with rye, beans,
peas, and vetches, a total of about half the entire
arable on the manor. The seed amounted to
about a third of the grain produced in the
previous year; another third, mainly of wheat,
was delivered to the sheriff, and most of the rest
was sold. (fn. 67) In 1344 the arable had reduced
slightly to 410 a. of which half was to be planted;
already 144 a. had been sown in the previous
winter. At that date there was nearly 50 a. of
meadow but most of the pasture was in the two
parks or in Aylescombe wood, where the underwood had recently been cleared but standard
trees remained and grazing was thus poor. Labour services, valued at 51s., comprised 140
owed every Friday except feast days between
Michaelmas (29 Sept.) and Lammas (1 Aug.),
200 owed on unspecified days between Lammas
and the beginning of September, and 112 mowing works owed between 24 June and Lammas. (fn. 68)
By 1485 assessed rents produced £10 11s. 10d.,
new rents at least 13s. 10d., and the farm of the
demesne £18. Renders of pepper, geese, hens,
and pigs and rents for pasture in the woods and
the former moat at the manor house had been
abandoned. (fn. 69) By 1489 some rents had decreased (fn. 70) but by the early 16th century rents and
farms brought in twice as much as the assessed
rents although in 1540-1 assessed rents had
increased to £19 9s. and the demesne was farmed
for just over £14. (fn. 71)
Aylescombe wood appears to have been
shared by Yarlington and Bratton manors and
probably included Seamark wood in Yarlington
and Elliscombe, formerly Brattonsaylescombe,
in Bratton parish. (fn. 72) Muchelwode appears to have
adjoined Aylescombe and was inclosed in 1320
but converted to a park by 1344 and called the
New park in 1472. (fn. 73) It lay in the extreme east of
the parish and was bounded on the north and
south by a deer leap, part of which survives. (fn. 74)
By 1694 it appears to have been divided and by
1780 it had been converted into a farm, known
as Park Hill or New Park. (fn. 75) The inclosure of a
park mentioned in 1320 (fn. 76) may have been that of
Home park, recorded in 1344. (fn. 77) It lay east of
Yarlington manor house alongside the stream
bounded by lanes on the south and east. It may
have covered over 100 a., extending as far as the
parish boundary where the lord claimed a deer
leap in the 18th century. (fn. 78) It was known as the
Old park in 1540 (fn. 79) and thereafter was divided
into large fields. (fn. 80) Nevertheless, in a lease of an
adjoining cottage in 1714, the lord reserved the
right to stand outside the park pale to watch deer
killed. (fn. 81) The park bank survives on the boundary
with Pitcombe.
There were two open arable fields; the west
field extended from Lodge Hill to the lands of
Woolston manor and probably included the later
grounds of Yarlington House. (fn. 82) In the mid 17th
century the rector had shared pasture for sheep
in the common fields. (fn. 83) A lease of 1694 included
closes lately inclosed out of the common fields
with 17 a. uninclosed. Land in the east field was
let in 1711 and in the west and east fields in
1719. (fn. 84) In 1746 tenants were allowed to stock up
to 3 sheep per acre on the common field and two
sheep tellers were appointed. (fn. 85) Small areas remained common because of their fragmented
ownership until 1786 and 1802 when they were
bought by John Rogers. (fn. 86)
In 1540 the demesnes were in closes (fn. 87) and by
the early 18th century had come to form Yarlington farm of over 300 a. (fn. 88) By the 1780s about
half the land was arable and crops included flax (fn. 89)
but the land was not marled. (fn. 90) Yarlington manor
comprised four farms all let at rack rents producing £599 out of the total rental of over £651
and measuring between 120 a. and 313 a. (fn. 91)
Woolston manor was in closes by 1725 and a
large area of sheep pasture was also divided. (fn. 92) In
1765 Woolston farm comprised the entire former
manor, over 250 a., including land outside the
parish. The tenant was required to keep
'sufficient' sheep on the farm and to maintain
the old barley barn. (fn. 93) In 1794 the farm was to
be improved by converting some arable to pasture. (fn. 94)
In 1801 404 a. of arable in the whole parish
produced mainly wheat, barley, and oats but also
potatoes, peas, beans, and rape. (fn. 95) In 1836 the
parish was said to be largely pasture for sheep
and cows (fn. 96) but there was 397 a. of arable in 1838
compared with 633 a. of grass. A further 40 a.
was under orchard. In 1838 the Rogers family
had c. 940 a. and after the purchase of Woolston
in 1858 owned the whole parish of 1,210 a. (fn. 97) In
1838 there were four farms of over 100 a.
including Yarlington farm (319 a.), Woolston
farm (231 a.), Middle farm (119 a.) and the
Yarlington House estate (431 a.) run by a bailiff
living at New Park Farm; one farm was between
25 a. and 50 a. and two between 10 a. and 25 a. (fn. 98)
In 1861 the pattern of farms was similar with
over 40 labourers employed (fn. 99) but by 1881 there
were only four farms, all over 150 a., (fn. 1) a pattern
which persisted into the 20th century. (fn. 2) Eastwood
farm had been created to replace New Park as a
home farm for Yarlington House by the 1880s. (fn. 3)
By 1905 arable had shrunk to 256 a. and grassland had increased to 1,009 a. (fn. 4)
In 1851 a dairyman was employed at Woolston farm and in 1858 a double cottage was used
as a dairy. (fn. 5) Dairymen were recorded throughout
the parish in the later 19th century and in 1891
there was a cheesemaker. (fn. 6) The tenant at Woolston was required to supply straw to the
landlord (fn. 7) and in 1905 was forbidden to use
barbed wire and was required to maintain the
orchard. (fn. 8) A farm sold in 1939 included a dairy
with cheesemaking equipment and stalls for 26
cows. (fn. 9)
In the 18th century tenants of the manor had
the right to take stone from Cleeve in the east of
the parish. (fn. 10) In the later 19th century there were
quarries south of the village and on Yarlington
Sleights, the latter with a limekiln. (fn. 11) Timber sold
from the Yarlington estate between 1911 and
1936 included oak, ash, poplar, wych elm, and
lime. Beech, larch, and spruce were planted. In
1936 over 1,690 trees, nearly all oak, were sold
to a Glastonbury merchant. (fn. 12)
In 1801 there were 26 families engaged in
unspecified manufacture, but in 1831 only five
families were not employed in agriculture and
only one manufacturer was recorded. (fn. 13) A shopkeeper was mentioned in 1841 (fn. 14) and a grocer in
1861. (fn. 15) There were two or three glovers in 1871
and 1881. (fn. 16) The shop closed in 1942 and the post
office in 1955. (fn. 17)
Mill
There was a mill in 1086 (fn. 18) and 1320. (fn. 19)
In 1485 the miller had to maintain stones and
floodgates (fn. 20) and in 1542-3 was fined for taking
excess toll. (fn. 21) The mill was probably replaced
between 1561 and 1569 by Richard FitzJames
who built on a site adjoining the highway at the
pond or pound head probably near Yarlington
manor house. That mill was said to have been
demolished in the 1780s although it had probably gone out of use earlier, possibly by 1685. (fn. 22)
Another mill, recorded in 1592, may have stood
near Stoke Lane in the east of the parish. It was
probably in use in 1746, (fn. 23) and had a small farm
attached in the 19th century. (fn. 24) Yarlington Mill
was the name of the farm when milling ceased
shortly after 1906. (fn. 25)
A mill recorded at Woolston in 1086 was not
recorded again. (fn. 26)
Fair
In 1314 Simon de Montagu was given
a weekly Tuesday market and a three-day fair at
the Assumption (15 Aug.). (fn. 27) There is no evidence that the market was ever held. The fair
was worth 2s. to the lord in 1344. (fn. 28) It was held
on the Assumption in 1541 but by 1545 on the
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (8 Sept.). (fn. 29)
It was let to the manor bailiff in 1546, and
probably earlier, for 2s. 8d. (fn. 30) It was presumably
held on Fair Ground west of the village. (fn. 31) In
1648 Sir Henry Berkeley let the profits of the
fair for 21 years at 50s. but a new lease in 1670
brought in only 40s. a year. (fn. 32) In the 18th century
the fair appears to have reverted to 15 August
and after the adjustment to the calendar it was
held on 26 August and was known for cattle,
sheep, and horses. (fn. 33) It was said to have suffered
from competition with 'fortnightly markets' but
the licensee of the Stag's Head was required to
provide a licensed booth, sheep pens, and hurdles for the fair in 1897 and to use his best
endeavours to further the fair. (fn. 34) In 1900, however, the fair was discontinued with the consent
of the lord of the manor. (fn. 35)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Two manor courts
were held annually for Yarlington manor in the
later Middle Ages, one incorporating a court
leet. (fn. 36) Estreats survive for the 1540s, when the
court dealt with assaults and fined the miller for
excessive toll. (fn. 37) A court book survives for 1746-
1856 in which sessions, described as courts
baron and leet, appointed a tithingman, a hayward, and one or two sheep tellers until 1766.
Business included maintenance of buildings,
watercourses, stiles, and bridges, suppression of
nuisances, control of stock on the commons, and
perambulations. Courts leet ceased to be held in
1850 and thereafter courts baron were held only
when needed. (fn. 38) The pound, out of repair in the
1780s and again in the 1800s, lay in the corner
of the Fair Ground west of the village. (fn. 39) There
are no records of a manor court for Woolston.
A court leet was held in 1653 (fn. 40) and a tithingman
was recorded in 1693. (fn. 41)
The parish had a churchwarden and two
sidesmen in 1602. (fn. 42) In 1647 it was said that the
parish could not support its poor without assistance. (fn. 43) In the 18th century most relief was in
the form of regular cash payments but by 1790
a poorhouse had been acquired and in the early
19th century the overseers paid £4 a year to the
lord of the manor as rent. (fn. 44) By 1838 there were
two houses on the same site in West Street,
outside the village. (fn. 45) They were last recorded in
1841 and had been demolished by 1888. (fn. 46)
In 1835 Yarlington became part of Wincanton
poor-law union and in 1894 formed part of
Wincanton rural district which was absorbed
into Yeovil, later South Somerset, district in
1974. (fn. 47)
CHURCH
There was a church c. 1100 when it
belonged to Montacute priory. (fn. 48) Probably by
1175 and certainly by 1189 a pension was payable to Montacute from the living (fn. 49) which
remained a sole rectory until 1966. From that
year it was joined with North Cadbury and since
1976 it has formed with Blackford, North Cheriton, and others part of the Camelot team
ministry. (fn. 50)
The advowson was held with Yarlington
manor but in 1573, 1627, and 1634 it was
exercised by grantees and in 1655 Oliver Cromwell presented. (fn. 51) By 1876 patronage had been
acquired by the incumbent Arthur Rogers,
cousin of the lord of the manor, (fn. 52) and was vested
in his trustees who in 1921 conveyed it to the
trustees of George Grey's marriage settlement
who held it in 1939. By 1951 patronage was held
by the Bishop. (fn. 53)
In 1291 the living was valued at £7 10s. (fn. 54) In
1535 it was worth £16 11s. 7d. gross. (fn. 55) Its
reputed value c. 1670 was £60. (fn. 56) By the 1830s
the average income was £460 gross. (fn. 57)
The tithes amounted to £15 4s. 11d. including £1 for personal offerings and £2 6s. 8d. for
tithes of wool and lambs. (fn. 58) In 1839 all tithes
were commuted for a rent charge of £252. (fn. 59)
The glebe lands were worth 6s. 8d. in 1535 (fn. 60)
and in 1634 amounted to 60 a. (fn. 61) Only 40 a.
remained in 1839 (fn. 62) and, apart from the parsonage house and grounds, the glebe was sold in
1920. (fn. 63)
There was a parsonage house in 1343. (fn. 64) In
1555 it had a parlour and a middle chamber. (fn. 65)
In 1629 the kitchen needed repair and in 1634
the buildings were said to be in decay. (fn. 66) In the
later 18th century the house was said to be a very
good dwelling in a pretty, romantic situation. (fn. 67)
By 1815 it was considered unfit for the then
rector's large household and a new one was built
c. 1827-30, (fn. 68) much larger and sited behind the
old. (fn. 69) The new building ceased to be the rectory
after 1966. (fn. 70) About 1830 the former rectory
house, later known as the Old Parsonage, became the glebe farmhouse. (fn. 71) It was a stone house
of two storeys with attics and was rebuilt after
1920. (fn. 72) The second house, renamed Yarlington
Lodge after 1966, of Cary ashlar under a slate
roof, has a two-storeyed, three-bayed south front
with projecting centre. The entrance is on the
west under a single-storeyed battlemented
porch.
Osbert the priest, chaplain of Richard son of
Drew, is said to have held Yarlington church in
the late 11th or early 12th century. (fn. 73) Several
rectors in the 14th century were acolytes, one of
whom was allowed to farm out his church
provided he found a fit proxy. (fn. 74) In 1434 the
rector was absolved from excommunication for
wounding the rector of Bratton. (fn. 75) Thomas
Chauntry, rector 1453-7 and 1464-85, was probably a pluralist and employed two chaplains. (fn. 76)
John Newman, rector 1485-94, was an acolyte
and fellow of All Souls College, Oxford, when
appointed, (fn. 77) and Thomas Hobbys, rector 1494-
8, was warden of All Souls and a considerable
pluralist. (fn. 78)
By 1548 a light in the church had been
endowed with 2 a. in Galhampton in North
Cadbury. (fn. 79) In 1568 the rector was accused of not
catechizing and the parish was served by a curate
who also served Blackford. (fn. 80) In the 1570s rectors
were said to be normally resident but employed
curates. (fn. 81) William Clifford, rector 1628-34, was
also a lecturer at Chewton Mendip and was
presented at least twice for his unorthodox
views. In 1634 he was in dispute with his patron
in the Court of High Commission and was at
law with the parish clerk. Clifford resigned his
benefice. (fn. 82)
Bernard Banger, rector 1634-73, may have
been deprived c. 1649 and compounded as a
royalist. He was replaced by John Dorrington,
a reputed papist, (fn. 83) and in 1656 perhaps by his
son, also Bernard Banger. He was restored in
1660. (fn. 84)
Rectors appear to have been generally resident in the 18th century (fn. 85) and one, Richard
Gapper (1754-82), served as rural dean. (fn. 86)
Thomas Jackson D.D., rector 1782-97, was
also a chaplain to the king and a canon of St.
Paul's. (fn. 87) Communion was celebrated four
times a year in 1761. (fn. 88) In 1815 the rector was
living in a nearby parish but held two services
on Sundays. (fn. 89) In 1827 morning and afternoon
services were held and by 1840 communion
was celebrated at least three times a year. (fn. 90) On
Census Sunday 1851 morning service was attended by 83 people and afternoon service by
138, with the addition of about 40 Sunday
school children at each service. Average attendance was said to be higher. (fn. 91) In 1870
communion was administered six times a year
at midday. (fn. 92) In 1923 it was agreed that communion be celebrated monthly. (fn. 93)
The church of ST. MARY is built of rubble
and uncoursed ashlar and has a chancel, a nave
with a north vestry and aisle, a south tower,
and a south porch. The tower arch is semicircular and has a 12th-century hood mould and
a length of thick walling on the north side of
the nave which was demolished in 1877 may
also have been 12th-century. (fn. 94) The spacious
chancel is 14th-century and there is a contemporary cusped tomb recess in its north wall.
The tower and the nave to the west of it were
probably rebuilt in the 15th century.
The west wall of the nave may have been
rebuilt in 1760 (fn. 95) and there was formerly a west
gallery from which a panel was returned to the
church in 1972. (fn. 96) In the 1780s the roof was
said to be arched and ceiled in square compartments and the pulpit and reader's desk were
panelled. (fn. 97) The chancel was repaired in the
1820s (fn. 98) and a vestry was added to the north of
the nave and a porch in the angle between nave
and tower shortly before 1840. (fn. 99)
At the restoration of 1877-8, under Arthur
Reeve of London, the nave, vestry, and porch
were demolished and replaced by a wider
nave, a north aisle, which incorporates a
vestry, and a south porch. (fn. 1) The roofs and
furnishings are mostly of that date or later.
The principal exception is the 15th-century
font. There is a medieval stone coffin in the
churchyard.
There are three bells, recast c. 1911. (fn. 2) The
plate includes a cup and cover of 1573. A very
large cup and cover of 1611 given by Arthur
Rogers, rector 1876-1908, was sold in 1956. (fn. 3)
The registers date from 1655. (fn. 4)
In 1555 there was a stone Palm cross in the
churchyard. (fn. 5)
NONCONFORMITY
Several people were
presented for not receiving communion in 1600
and 1627. (fn. 6) In 1666 there were no nonconformists. (fn. 7) A house was licensed for worship by
an unspecified congregation in 1824. (fn. 8) It was not
recorded again. In 1896 the parish was visited
by the Congregationalist Somerset Evangelist
Society. (fn. 9)
EDUCATION
In 1818 there was a Sunday
school attended by 20-30 children. (fn. 10) Probably the
same school had 63 pupils in 1825. (fn. 11) In 1833 there
were three schools: a day school for girls begun in
1828 which had 12 pupils attending at their parents' expense; a school for 25 children, also paid
for by parents; and a Sunday school for 53 children
supported by the rector. The last two were probably held in a building near the churchyard
described in 1836 as 'newly built' and in 1846 as
housing 'a superior village school'. (fn. 12) In 1847 two
day schools, both mixed, taught a total of 32
children, the Sunday school 34 children. (fn. 13)
A single school survived in 1903 with 31
pupils. (fn. 14) By 1908 the building was poor but
improvements were made on condition that
Bratton children no longer attended. (fn. 15) Attendance declined and staff proved difficult to keep.
In 1922 there were 10 children on the books, in
1934 only 8. In 1938, when there were 4, the
school closed and children transferred to North
Cadbury. (fn. 16)
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR
None known.