England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Batcombe St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Batcombe lies in eastern Somerset not too far from its border with neighbouring Wiltshire. Batcombe is located roughly 6 miles southeast of the market town of Shepton Mallet and sits about a mile west of the A359 road that links Frome through to Yeovil. Batcombe sits in a side valley east of the deeply cut valley of the River Alham, it stretches eastwards from the main valley initially as twin parallel lanes at differing heights of the valley's slopes, these lanes merge and as the valley tightens the village continues on the northern slope towards the A359, Whilst essentially linear in its construction Batcombe is still a substantial village which has managed to preserve many of its facilities. The steep slopes within which it lies gave their farming more of a pastoral bent than arable, the sheep of the area in particular powering the cloth industries of both nearby Shepton Mallet, Bruton and Frome. During the period of this transcript neighbouring Upton Noble parish ceased to temporarily function and Batcombe was the parish of choice for its parishioners during this time. The River Alham drains the parish southwestwards, soon joining the Brue close to Castle Cary, the Brue turns northwestwards, crossing the Levels and man's drainage efforts to reach the outer Bristol Channel through Highbridge. Batcombe's sloping site cover from 80 to 130 metres above the sea in strongly undulating countryside where local high points rise to a local hilltop of Small Down Knoll to the northwest at 222 metres. Batcombe parish was almost double the size of many of its neighbours, covering almost 3,200 acres it would have supported a population of close to 800 parishioners. In Domesday times Batcombe, like many settlements in the area, was held by Glastonbury Abbey, a relatively wealthy holding offering 10 ploughs, meadows, pastures & woodland and along the Alham 3 mills.

The Church

St Mary's church sits on the lower of Batcombe's twin lanes with extensive views across the valley to the south, taking in the preserved woodland of Coney Wood Nature Reserve. St Mary is quite a late medieval church built largely in the 15th and 16th centuries and utilising the Perpendicular style throughout. The basic structure of nave of 4 bays, complete with clerestory, pierced parapet and gargoyles, and chancel, of 2 bays, is augmented by both northern & southern aisles, a southern porch and vestry. The church's dominant feature, however, is its dominant western tower. Believed by Pevsner to be one of the latest such towers built in its county the tower stands at 87 feet and is a landmark for many miles. Not only lofty but extremely complex in its design the tower alone merits an extended visit. Documentary evidence from donations in wills place its construction to the 1530s, a period at the very end of the great church-building era of the medieval and only shortly before the Reformation put such activity on hold. The southern porch of 1629 is a notable exception Whilst a Victorian restoration is mentioned for once Pevsner declines to assign a date. The late piece added is the above-mentioned vestry, a 20th century addition to complete the building. The lower of the twin lanes is sufficiently wide to permit careful street parking below the churchyard which is raised well above road height and is approached from the western end by a sloping, railed, pathway. Once within the re are few obstacles to prevent the photographer gaining excellent views from most aspects.