East Harptree

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East Harptree
East Harptree shown within Somerset
Population	approx. 700
OS grid reference	ST566559
Unitary authority	Bath and North East Somerset
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	BRISTOL
Postcode district	BS40
Dialling code	01761
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Avon
Ambulance	Great Western
European Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	Wansdyke
	(North East Somerset from next general election).
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Coordinates: 51°18′02″N 2°37′19″W / 51.3005, -2.6218

East Harptree (grid reference ST566559) is situated 5 miles north of Wells and 15 miles south of Bristol, on the northern slope of the Mendip Hills overlooking the Chew Valley. The nearby Harptree Combe is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and slightly further southwest towards Priddy is the Lamb Leer Cavern SSSI.

[edit] History

One suggested explanation for the derivation for the Harptree name is from "hartreg", an Old English word for a grey hollow. According to Robinson it is listed in the 1086 Domesday Book as Harpetreu meaning 'The military road by the wood' from the Old English herepoep and treow.^[1]

In November 1887, while searching for the source of a spring, a labourer put his pick into a pewter vessel full of Roman coins. The jar was six inches below the surface in swampy ground. It contained 1,496 coins, five ingots of silver and a ring. The coins were all struck around 375 AD, and the best twenty-five were selected by the British Museum, and can still be seen there.

Around 1870-1880 the 'East Harptree Lead Works Co Ltd' mined the area around the village for lead, but this seems to have been largely unsuccessful and did not last for many years.^[2]

[edit] Government and politics

East Harptree has a parish council which has some responsibility for local issues, and, along with West Harptree and Hinton Blewett, is part of the Mendip ward which is represented by one councillor on the Bath and North East Somerset Unitary Authority which has wider responsibilities for services such as education, refuse, tourism etc. The village is a part of the Wansdyke constituency, which will become North East Somerset at the next general election and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament.

[edit] Demographics

According to the 2001 census the Mendip ward (which includes West Harptree and Hinton Blewett), had 1,465 residents, living in 548 households, with an average age of 39.0 years. Of these, 79% of residents described their health as 'good', 22% of 16-74 year olds had no qualifications, and the area had an unemployment rate of 1.5% of all economically active people aged 16-74. In the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2004, it was ranked at 25,387 out of 32,482 wards in England, where 1 was the most deprived LSOA and 32,482 the least deprived.^[3]

[edit] Buildings

[edit] Clock Tower

Clock Tower

An interesting and unusual clock can be seen in the centre of the village. It was a gift of Mr W.W. Kettlewell, and was erected in 1897 to commemorate the 60-year reign of Her Majesty Queen Victoria. Squared, irregular coursed rock-faced sandstone with stone dressings, plain tile roof and wooden bargeboards. Commemoration tablet beneath circular clock face set in chamfered stone surround with the inscription: 'TIME FLIES DONT DELAY' - each word in separate spandrels. Bargeboarded gable and has the wording 'HEAVEN'S LIGHT OUR GUIDE'. Set in prominent position at street junction. A Grade II listed building (Village Clock Tower at Images of England)

[edit] Richmont Castle

The scanty ruins of Richmont Castle are about ¼ mile south—east of the village church. The castle was besieged in 1138 when King Stephen captured it from Sir William de Harptree, a supporter of Queen Matilda's cause in the civil war between the king and queen. The castle was also visited by King John in 1205.^[4] The castle was demolished by its owner, Sir John Newton, in the reign of Henry VIII.

Wade and Wade in their 1929 book Somerset described it; "On an inaccessible tongue of land at the far end of the gorge are the remains of Richmont Castle, one of those lawless strongholds which in the days of Stephen were a terror to the country side. In 1138 it was strongly garrisoned by its owner, William de Harptree, on behalf of the Empress Matilda, but was taken by Stephen by the ruse of a feigned repulse. Now, only a fragment of the keep overlooks the glen."^[5]

[edit] Church

St Lawrence church at East Harptree

Stile in St Lawrence churchyard

Following his death in 1568 Sir John's huge, canopied tomb stands in the Norman porch of the church of St Lawrence, which itself is a Grade II* listed building (Church of St Laurence at Images of England) parts of which date from the 12th century. Two stiles in the churchyard are also listed (Stile, 15 metres north-west of tower at Images of England), (Stile, 8 metres north-east of chancel at Images of England)

Further information and images of this church are available from:

• Church Crawler

[edit] Harptree Court

Harptree Court was probably built in the late 1700s. It has a Greek Doric four-column portico probably added around 1820. Grade II listed building. (Harptree Court at Images of England). See also (Gatepiers at Lower Lodge south-east of Harptree Court at Images of England), (Gatepiers to Stableyard south-west of Harptree Court at Images of England)

[edit] Other Grade II listed buildings

• (The Old Rectory at Images of England)
• (Gates and piers at Upper Lodge at Images of England)
• (Church Farmhouse and attached garden wall and gate piers at Images of England)
• (Bridge, 50 metres north of Harptree Court at Images of England)
• (K6 Telephone kiosk at Images of England)
• (Manor Farmhouse at Images of England)
• (Aqueduct in Harptree Combe at Images of England)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• East Harptree Village Website
• Area 4 - Mendip Slopes. BANES Environmental Services. Retrieved on 2006-04-23.
• Map of East Harptree circa 1900