STOWELL
The ancient parish of Stowell lay 4 km. north
of Milborne Port and probably derived its
name from the stony stream which ran through
the parish. (fn. 27) In 1423 the parish was also known
as Stowell 'Misgros' after the Musgrove family, formerly owners of the manor. (fn. 28) It was
irregular in shape, measuring 2.5 km. from
north to south at its widest point and 2 km.
from east to west. Roads followed part of the
boundary, which included a tongue running
south into the valley above Milborne Wick.
The parish measured 903 a. (fn. 29) before gaining
in 1885 a small part of Charlton Horethorne
which had intruded into its west boundary. (fn. 30)
In 1933 the civil parish (932 a.) was merged
with Charlton Horethorne. (fn. 31)
Most of the parish lies on the south-western
slope of Windmill Hill over Fullers Earth, on
land falling from 170 m. (550 ft.) in the north
to 100 m. (325 ft.) in the south-west. It is
crossed by a strip of alluvium cutting through
a narrow band of Fullers Earth rock in the west
of the parish. A strip of Forest Marble clay
along the north-eastern boundary with Abbas
and Temple Combe is occupied by the church,
the former manor house, and the rectory
house. (fn. 32)
Lanes radiated from the village to Charlton
Horethorne, Milborne Port, Henstridge Bowden, and Horsington. The principal road from
Horsington to Milborne Port now follows a
tortuous route through the village, possibly
cutting through the former curtilage of the
manor. (fn. 33) In 1860 the Salisbury and Yeovil
railway was built across the parish from Temple Combe. (fn. 34)
The village, in the east of the parish, lay on
two sides of a square of lanes. (fn. 35) Most houses
are of stone with tiled roofs, including Clare
Farm of the mid 18th century.
There was a licensed victualler in 1755. (fn. 36)
About 1861 the Bugle inn was built in the
extreme south-west of the parish, near Milborne
Port station. It closed between 1875 and 1881. (fn. 37)
In 1641 there were 70 poll tax and subsidy
payers. (fn. 38) In 1801 the population numbered 88;
it rose to 123 in 1831 and to 133 in 1861. It fell
to 94 in 1891, by which date the number of
houses had declined to 18. (fn. 39) The population fell
to 73 in 1931. (fn. 40)
A black woman called Galatia was buried in
the parish in 1605. (fn. 41)
MANOR
In 1066 STOWELL was held by
Turmund and in 1086 by Geoffrey (d. 1093),
bishop of Coutances. Geoffrey's nephew and
heir Robert Mowbray, earl of Northumberland,
forfeited his estates in 1095. (fn. 42) Stowell may have
been held by Robert of Watelegh in succession
to Alice in the late 12th century. It was granted
by Henry of Sandwich to William Malet (d. c.
1216) who is said to have settled it on his
daughter Helewise for her marriage to Hugh
Pointz (d. 1220). (fn. 43) In 1252 the manor was held
of their son Nicholas, probably of his manor of
Curry Mallet, for a pair of white gloves. (fn. 44) In
1275 it was said to be held of Anselm Gournay,
possibly as mesne lord, (fn. 45) and in the 1280s of the
king in chief. (fn. 46) Nicholas Pointz (d. 1273) was
succeeded in the direct male line by Hugh (d.
1307), Nicholas (d. 1311), and Hugh Pointz (d.
1337). (fn. 47) Sir Nicholas Pointz, son of the last, sold
the overlordship to Sir Matthew Gournay in
1358. After Matthew's death in 1406 it passed
to his widow Philip and to her third husband Sir
John Tiptoft (d. 1442). (fn. 48) In 1497 the manor was
said to be held of the honor of Gloucester. That
overlordship was last recorded in 1618. (fn. 49) In 1521,
however, Stowell was said, probably in error, to
be held of Charlton Musgrove manor. (fn. 50)
Stowell in 1839
In 1086 Stowell was held by Azelin. (fn. 51) In 1252
the manor was granted by Nicholas Pointz to his
stepfather Robert Musgrove (d. 1254) (fn. 52) and the
terre tenancy descended like that of Charlton
Musgrove until 1329. (fn. 53) In that year Hawise
Musgrove and her third husband John de Bures
settled it on Hawise's granddaughter Parnel
Ferrers. (fn. 54) In 1346 it was held by Edmund
Molyns (fn. 55) but by 1348 he had been succeeded by
Reynold Molyns (d. 1384) whose son Edmund
(d. 1385) left a son Reynold under age. (fn. 56) In 1427
the younger Reynold and his wife Alice sold it
to Sir John Hody in return for a rent for their
lives. (fn. 57) Hody died in 1441 or 1442 (fn. 58) and his
widow Elizabeth (d. 1473) married Robert Cap
pes. (fn. 59) Elizabeth was followed by her son John
Hody (d. 1497) and his widow Edith, later wife
of John Plumpton. On Edith's death in 1521
Stowell passed to John Hody's grandson William, son of Andrew Hody (d. 1517). (fn. 60) William
(d. 1561) (fn. 61) was succeeded in the direct male line
by Richard (d. 1599), John (d. by 1611), (fn. 62) Christopher (d. 1617), Christopher's sons John (d.
1632, s.p.), (fn. 63) Gilbert (d. c. 1652, s.p.), (fn. 64) and Hugh
(fl. 1657) in turn, and by Hugh's son Hugh (d.
1671). (fn. 65) Hugh Hody (d. 1677-8), son of the last,
was followed by his son John (d. 1698), (fn. 66) by
John's widow Lucy, and John's sons John (d.
1710), Arthur (d. 1717), and William (d. 1741).
Arthur and William sold off much of the land (fn. 67)
and in 1720 William sold the manor and remaining land to Robert Knight, cashier of the South
Sea Company. In 1728 Knight's lands were sold
by the parliamentary trustees for the company
to Thomas Oborne but in 1730 the manor was
bought from Oborne by Knight's son, also
Robert (cr. Baron Luxborough 1745), (fn. 68) who in
1753 sold it to George Dodington. Thereafter it
descended with the Dodingtons' Horsington
estate until 1920 when Stowell was divided and
sold. (fn. 69)
A court house was recorded in 1280 (fn. 70) and was
rebuilt possibly by John Hody (d. 1497). It was
let by the 17th century. (fn. 71) Before 1718 it was in
the possession of Roger James alias Gilbert who
sold it to John Wickham in 1723. (fn. 72) It was held
by the Wickham family until 1849 when it was
bought by John Bailward (fn. 73) and it descended with
Horsington manor until it was sold in 1957. (fn. 74) By
the 1830s only part of the house was occupied,
but the hall still had carved and gilded panelling. (fn. 75) The house, of five bays and two storeys
with a massive west gable chimney, (fn. 76) was largely
demolished and rebuilt in the later 19th century. (fn. 77) Known as Stowell Farm, it is a
three-bayed house of two storeys and attics, of
local stone with ashlar dressings and a tiled roof.
The massive chimney of the old house survives.
ECONOMIC HISTORY
In 1086 there were
4 ploughlands and 4 teams; 2 teams in demesne
were worked by 2 servi; five villani, 7 bordars,
and 2 cottars had the remainder. There were 16
a. of meadow and 5 a. of pasture. The demesne
livestock comprised 2 riding horses, 6 beasts, 20
pigs, and 140 sheep indicating unrecorded grassland. Since 1066 the estate had increased in value
from £2 to £3. (fn. 78)
In 1086 there was 6 a. of underwood (fn. 79) and
woodland mentioned in 1280 (fn. 80) may have been
west of the church where an area had been
cleared by 1838. (fn. 81)
In 1280 the demesne comprised 240 a. of
arable, 40 a. of meadow, and unspecified
amounts of pasture. There were also two small
vineyards. Villeins paid three quarters of the
rental and their works were worth more than
their rents. (fn. 82)
In 1535 tithes were paid on wool and lambs. (fn. 83)
In 1606 tithes were due on orchards, corn, hay,
wool, lambs, dairy produce, calves, pigs, and
geese. Most arable was inclosed but some
meadow and an arable field called Stowell field
still remained open in the early 18th century. (fn. 84)
Common pasture on Blackmoor waste was used
for cattle in summer and sheep in winter in 1738
but there is no further record of common
rights. (fn. 85) One tenant was required in 1758 to sow
clover with wheat and beans and another was to
mow his ground in alternate years, dressing the
land with soap ashes and soil from the barton. (fn. 86)
In 1758 the manor comprised mainly small
holdings. (fn. 87)
In 1801 dairying predominated and eight
small farms were recorded. The largest arable
crop was wheat, followed by barley, oats, rape
or turnips, peas, potatoes, and beans. (fn. 88) In 1838
only 62 of the 864 titheable acres were arable
and there was 47 a. of orchard. (fn. 89) In 1905 there
were 23 a. of arable and 799 a. of grass. (fn. 90) Of the
12 holdings over 25 a. in 1838, three were over
50 a. and a further three over 100 a. (fn. 91) Five farms
were recorded between 1851 and 1881 and the
number of labourers fell from 19 in 1871 to 10
in 1881. Dairymen and women were at work
during the same period. (fn. 92) Most farms were
described as dairy farms in the early 20th century, each with between 20 and 40 cows,
including a herd of pedigree Friesians. (fn. 93)
Woollen and linen weaving, flax spinning, and
stocking making were practised on a small scale
in the 17th and the earlier 18th century. (fn. 94) A
cooper was recorded between 1841 and 1866 and
brick and tile makers were recorded in 1861 and
1866. (fn. 95) In 1863 there were three quarries for
roadstone (fn. 96) and in 1889 two limekilns. (fn. 97) The
arrival of the railway provided employment.
There was a shop in 1871, and a few women
worked as glovers between 1861 and 1881 but
only one was recorded in 1891. (fn. 98)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Tenants owed suit
of court in the 17th and 18th centuries and in
1670 courts were to be kept in the hall of the
manor house. (fn. 99) Court rolls survive for 1397-
1468 (fn. 1) and a court book for 1848 when a hayward
was appointed. (fn. 2) There was a pound in 1838. (fn. 3)
In the 1790s the parish rented a poorhouse,
known as Hollomans house and built on roadside
waste before 1754. (fn. 4) The overseers had a cottage
which was sold c. 1841. (fn. 5) During the early 1800s
wood, barley, potatoes, and other provisions
were bought for sale to the poor. Four people
emigrated in 1841 and the parish agreed to raise
money for more pauper emigration. (fn. 6)
The parish became part of Wincanton poorlaw union in 1835, formed part of Wincanton
rural district in 1891, and was absorbed into
Charlton Horethorne civil parish in 1933. (fn. 7)
CHURCH
A rector was mentioned in 1272 but
the advowson was recorded in the early 13th
century. (fn. 8) The living remained a sole benefice
until 1930 when it was united with Charlton
Horethorne. (fn. 9) In 1979 it became part of the
united benefice of Henstridge with Charlton
Horethorne and Stowell. (fn. 10) The advowson was
usually held with the manor, but during the 16th
and 17th centuries presentations were sold. (fn. 11)
The patronage was retained by the Dodington
family until 1978 when it was conveyed to
Kenelm Digby who c. 1980 transferred it to the
bishop. (fn. 12)
In 1291 the living was valued at £4 13s. 4d. (fn. 13)
and in the 15th century it was exempt from
taxation because of its poverty. (fn. 14) It was assessed
at £6 14s. 10d. net in 1535 (fn. 15) and at £49 16s. 11d.
net in 1707. (fn. 16) In 1829-31 the average income of
the rectory was £197 gross. (fn. 17) The tithes were
valued at £3 6s. gross in 1535 and at £31 in 1707
when most were farmed with Easter dues and
the rest taken in kind. (fn. 18) In 1838 tithes were
commuted for a rent charge of £325. (fn. 19)
The rector had nearly two virgates of land in
1272. (fn. 20) Glebe worth £4 was recorded in 1535 (fn. 21)
and in 1571 there was 29 a. (fn. 22) The glebe was
valued at £20 in 1707. (fn. 23) In 1838 there was nearly
28 a., (fn. 24) exchanged in 1868-9 for other land. (fn. 25)
More land was bought in 1944. (fn. 26)
The rectory house was recorded in 1571 and
in 1639 comprised entry, hall, buttery, milkhouse, and four chambers above. (fn. 27) In 1815 it was
described as 'old and bad but in good repair' but
was not used by the rector. (fn. 28) By 1840 it was said
to be not fit for residence (fn. 29) but was used as a
farmhouse. It stood opposite Manor Farm (fn. 30) and
was demolished before 1885. (fn. 31) In 1868-9 a new
rectory house was built near the church. It was
sold after 1930 and in 1993 was known as Stowell
House. (fn. 32)
William of Toomer was instituted rector in
1348 when only an acolyte and was given a year
to study at Oxford. (fn. 33) There was a curate c.
1533. (fn. 34) In 1548 there was an endowed light (fn. 35) and
in 1557 the church claimed a meadow called
Church Acre. (fn. 36) From the 1790s until 1888 or
later the church received 5s. a year from church
land. (fn. 37) Rectors appear to have been resident in
the late 16th and the early 17th century. (fn. 38) There
were usually four communicants in the 1780s. (fn. 39)
In 1808 the parish paid for a choir of two women
and six men to be taught twice a week. (fn. 40) In 1815
there was one Sunday service held alternately in
the morning and the afternoon when the parish
was served by the rector of Charlton Horethorne. (fn. 41) In 1827 it was served from
Horsington. (fn. 42)
Attendance on Census Sunday in 1851 was 56
in the morning and 66 in the afternoon both
including Sunday school children. (fn. 43) Monthly
communion was celebrated in 1870 and there
were two Sunday services. (fn. 44) In 1893 there were
three Sunday services, a choir of 22, and three
bellringers. (fn. 45) Henry Poole, rector 1876-97,
composed church music and promoted unison
singing for choir and congregation. In 1896 he
published The Antiphonal Chant Book which
included many of his own works. (fn. 46)
The church of ST. MARY MAGDALENE, so dedicated by 1545, (fn. 47) is built of
squared rubble with ashlar dressings and comprises chancel with north vestries, nave with
south porch, and west tower. The oldest part
of the church is the 14th-century base of the
tower. The upper stages were rebuilt in 1748. (fn. 48)
Before 1834 the church had 'ancient narrow
windows', perhaps of the 13th century, and
coved ceilings. It comprised chancel, nave
with south porch, and west tower. (fn. 49) A gallery
was erected in 1814 and enclosed in 1824. (fn. 50) In
1834 the church, said to be of one piece, (fn. 51) was
rebuilt, apart from the tower, to the designs of
Mr. Read. (fn. 52) Extensive restoration was carried
out in 1890 including removal of a gallery and
the provision of new seating, floor, west window, and iron chancel screen. Glass by
Clayton and Bell was installed in 1892. (fn. 53) The
church, apart from the tower, was demolished
in 1913, because of insecure foundations, and
was replaced by the present structure, designed in the Perpendicular style by F. Bligh
Bond. (fn. 54) The font may date from the 13th
century and a bench end is dated 1670.
The three bells were cast in 1815 by Edward
Cockey of Frome from two old ones. (fn. 55) The
plate includes a cup and cover of 1574. (fn. 56) The
registers date from 1574 but there is a gap
between 1678 and 1745. (fn. 57)
NONCONFORMITY
Two meeting-house licences were issued in 1691, one for Baptists. (fn. 58)
In 1761 a house was licensed for a Presbyterian
meeting and there were five Presbyterians in the
parish c. 1788. (fn. 59) Wesleyan Methodists preached
at Stowell in 1844. (fn. 60)
EDUCATION
A Sunday school was started
between 1818 and 1825. (fn. 61) In 1833 the Sunday
school, supported by subscription, taught 12
children and a day school taught 15 children at
their parents' expense. (fn. 62) In 1846 only the Sunday school with 20 pupils was recorded. (fn. 63) A
cottage at the west end of the village was given
to the parish in 1864 to house a school and a
teacher. Average attendance in 1889 was 32 and
in 1892 the schoolroom was enlarged. (fn. 64) By 1894
the school was in financial difficulties and later
closed but in 1905 it reopened with 14 children. (fn. 65)
Average attendance fell from 27 in 1907 to 10 in
1911 and although numbers rose again to 14 in
1914 the school closed in 1915. (fn. 66) The old schoolroom was used as a parish hall in the 1940s (fn. 67) and was subsequently converted into a dwelling.
CHARITIES FOR THE POOR
None known.