England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Brympton D'Evercy St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Brympton D'Evercy (often shortened to simply Brympton) lies in southern Somerset not too far from its border with neighbouring Dorset. Brympton lies about 3 miles west of the market town of Yeovil. There is very little to Brympton, not even a village of note, it is likely the parish was a "closed parish" wherein a single landowner held all the land and restricted access preventing a village developing. Brympton sits around a half mile south of the A3088 Yeovil's link road to the busy A303 (London to Exeter) road. As an estate parish Brympton's economy would have revolved around the affairs of the estate, farming in the main. Today the hall is an exclusive wedding venue set in attractive parkland. A small tributary of the Yeo drains eastwards to join said river, turning northwards and back westwards to join the Parrett at Langport and thence through Bridgwater to the Bristol Channel. Brympton is sited at around 60 metres above the sea in rolling countryside, land rises steadily to the west to reach local heights of 130 metres on Ham Hill Fort, an ancient pre-Roman defensive hill-fort. Even within a county of small parishes Brympton was very small, covering just under 500 acres it would have only supported a population of a little over 100 parishioners, In Domesday times Brympton was equally small, held by one Roger de Courcelles it could muster just 4 ploughs together with meadows and woodland.

The Church

St Andrew's church sits within the parkland setting of Brympton D'Evercy House situated next to the stream passing through the grounds. The church uses the local Ham Hill stone and is praised by Pevsner as being "low, rambling and extremely attractive". The church has its origins around the cusp of 13th into 14th century, the southern transept being the oldest remaining portion of the church. It's sister transept is definitely of the 14th century while the north chancel chapel is 15th century. The most notable feature is the bellcote with its lantern-shaped top, a feature which Pevsner describes as "picturesque". The entrance to the site is marked by a brick wall marshaled gateway signed as "Brympton", a roughly surfaced driveway heads towards hall and church, at the split head right to round a bend and come to a small parking area. Brympton House and St Andrews are east of here. St Andrew sits within an oblong churchyard with scattered trees which do not unduly limit photographic angles.