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| Selworthy | |
  Selworthy shown within Somerset |
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| Population | 518 1 |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| District | West Somerset |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MINEHEAD |
| Postcode district | TA24 |
| Dialling code | 01643 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Bridgwater |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Selworthy is a small village and civil parish 5 kilometres (3 mi) from Minehead in Somerset. It is located in the National Trust's Holnicote Estate on the northern fringes of Exmoor. The parish includes the hamlets of Bossington, Tivington, Lynch, Brandish Street and Allerford.
At 308 metres (1,010 ft) Selworthy Beacon, which is above the village, is one of the highest points on Exmoor. It is defined as one of the Marilyns in England. Near the summit are a series of cairns, thought to be the remains of round barrows,2 and the British Iron Age Bury Castle.3
Contents |
History
The name of the village means "enclosure or settlement near sallows or willows". In the Domesday Book it was recorded as Selewrda.4 It was held by Queen Edith of Wessex in 1066 and, with Luccombe, awarded to Ralph de Limesy by William the Conqueror. In 1301 Edward I awarded it to Henry de Pynkeny.5 It passed down through the family until acquired by marriage by Sir Thomas Dyke Acland in 1802.6
Selworthy was rebuilt as a model village, to provide housing for the aged and infirm of the Holnicote estate, in 1828 by Sir Thomas Acland,7 in a similar style to Blaise Hamlet, Bristol, which had been built a few years earlier.3 One of the cottages, known as Periwinkle Cottage, is now a National Trust information centre.8 Many of the other cottages, whose walls are painted with limewash that has been tinted creamy yellow with ochre, some of which are now rented out, are still thatched and have listed building status.91011 The village and the surrounding Holnicote estate was given to the National Trust in 1944 by Sir Richard Acland, having been passed down through the Acland family for nearly 200 years.6
Few of the buildings preceding 1828 survive but those that do include the church, the tithe barn and Tithe Barn Cottage.12
Church
On the hill above the village is the whitewashed 15th-century Church of All Saints, with a 14th-century tower. The pulpit includes a 17th-century hourglass and the iron-bound parish chest dates from the same time.13 Within the church is a copy of the Chained Book of 1609 by Bishop John Jewel, entitled Defense of the Apologie of the Church of England.14
It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.15
In the churchyard is a medieval cross with three octagonal steps, a square socket, and an octagonal shaft. The head is missing.2 16 The churchyard provides views across the valley to Dunkery Beacon.3
Demography
The population of the parish of Selworthy is 518;1 this has grown by 100 since 1801 when the population was 418.17 It has a predominantly ageing population with 80% being over 45 years old.18
Gallery
 All Saints' church |
 Tea room |
 Thatched cottage |
 Looking over the village in Selworthy Combe |
References
- ^ a b "Selworthy". Visit Exmoor. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ a b Adkins, Lesley; Roy Adkins (1992). A Field Guide to Somerset Archaeology. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press, 101. ISBN 0946159947.
- ^ a b c Dunning, Robert (1980). Somerset and Avon. Edinburgh: John Bartholomew & Son, 125. ISBN 0702883808.
- ^ "Selworthy Parish". Exmoor National Park. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ Savage, James (1830). History of the Hundred of Carhampton: In the County of Somerset. Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown, & Green, 182-196.
- ^ a b Morgan Evans, David; Peter Salway & David Thackray, (1996). The Remains of Distant Times: Archaeology and the National Trust. Boydell & Brewer, 73-83. ISBN 0851156711.
- ^ "Selworthy". Tour UK. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Periwinkle Cottage Tea Rooms". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "No 1 Lower Cottage and Greenbanks". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Cottage (National Trust Estate No 68)". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Selworthy Cottage and wall abutting on south front returned to road". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "The Tithe Barn and Tithe Barn Cottage". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Selworthy". Pictures of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Selworthy". Everything Exmoor. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Church of All Saints". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Remains of churchyard cross". Images of England. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Selworthy AP/CP: Total Population". A vision of Britain through time. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "Selworthy Parish housing report". Exmoor National Park. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
Further reading
- Haw, Graham (2001). The Book of Luccombe & Selworthy.
External links
