England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Somerton St Michael

The Parish

The parish of Somerton lies in the southern portion of central Somerset roughly 6 miles southwest of the town of Glastonbury. Somerton sits upon the B3153 road which links Langport through the Somerset Levels to Castle Cary. Somerton is a large town and market for its district which has spread out from its former rather linear structure along the B3153. Early maps show a length of town stretching westwards from the market place and church for almost a half mile, today's town has spread a little further to both north and south of that route, albeit constrained northwards by the course of the River Cary. Somerton has an ancient history, believed to have been in Saxon times the chief town of its county and the seat of a royal castle, latter converted to be the county gaol. That role has long since passed to Taunton but Somerton remains a centre for specialist trades, a market for trade in the local agricultural produce, a small inland port and once a manufacturer of gloves from the hides of the local cattle, the wider parish being largely pastoral. Modern developments have come to Somerton, Brunel's Great Western Railway passes through en route to the southwest granting Somerton a station. The Cary drains the parish northwestwards,crossing the Levels to join the Parrett north of Bridgwater via the King's Sedgemoor drain, one of a number of man-made interventions to quickly drain the low-lying land, before reaching the outer Bristol Channel. Somerton sits upon rising ground, its bridge over the Cary standing at 10 metres whilst its outer suburbs rise to around 40, it sits upon one of the tracts of higher ground within the Levels reaching 86 metres on nearby Kingsdon Hill. Covering almost 7,000 acres Somerton parish was one of most extensive in its county with that acreage supporting a population of close to 2,000 parishioners. Somerton i Domesday times was already one of the largest 20% settlements recorded at that time by population, it was shared between the King and one Alfred of Spain and its assets were aplenty, an incredible 49 ploughs are recorded which are backed by meadows, pastures and woodland and its riverside setting lent it the further assets of 2 fisheries making it one of the land's wealthiest settlements of its day.

The Church

St Michael's church sits towards the eastern end of the town immediately north of the market place and accessed by a splendid walk-way from that. This is a church with one standout major feature and it is also some of the oldest fabric remaining to it, the big octagonal tower, placed unusually above the southern transept, is what immediately draws the eye. Rising from a square base to become octagonal in its upper stages the tower dates from the early English Gothic period of the 13th century. Lancet styled windows give away the dating readily and they are also found in the corresponding northern transept of the same date. The main body of the church, nave and aisles in particular, carry dating detail indicating a rebuild during the mid-14th century, a period when Decorated was giving way to Perpendicular with both styles shown. Whilst the chancel arch is of the 14th century too, the chancel itself was also a later rebuild completed, as Pevsner states, c1500 making it late-Perpendicular in styling. Early restoration work in 1770 saw a vestry added to the north whilst a typical Victorian restoration followed in 1889 which also added a porch to the south to complete the church as we see it today. Parking around the Market Place is available and the walk from there is undoubtedly the best approach to the church, cobbled streets opposite the White Hart Inn give way to a pathway leading straight towards that iconic tower, whilst a few trees dot the churchyard they do not cause undue interference for the photographer who has relatively unfettered aspects from most angles.