' DIRECTORY.] . PILTON. 367

PILTON is a parish, on the road from by the churchwardens to purposes connected with to , r! miles north-west from the church. Bethell's charity, founded in r863, Cook's station on the Somerset and Dorset railway, 3 south-west in 1865, and Hole's in r·845, and consisting together from Shepton Mallet and 6 south-east from Wells, in of .£355 r5s. Bd. invested in stocks, provide £r. 9s. the Wells parliamentary divisioo•, in the hundred of annually for education and about £9 for distribution 1Vhitstone, county court district of Wells, petty ses­ in money. Dunkerton's charity, founded in r867, and -sional division and union of Shepton Mallet, rural consisting of about £107 Stock, iJroduces about £3 deanery of Cary, Shepton Mallet portion, archdeaconry a year, for distribution in kind: the original bequests of Wells and diocese of Bath and Wells. The church were as follows :-Job Cook left the interest of £so for of St. John the Baptist is a large and handsome the keeping of his grave in repair and the residue to edifice of carboniferous limestone, in mixed styles, the Church Sunday school; Miss Philly Hole, the interest -consisting of chancel, clerestoried nave of five bays, of £ roo to ten poor unmarried men or women ; J ames north aisle, sout-h porch and! an embattled western Bethell esq. the interest of [100 to ten poor men or tower, with pinnacles, containing a clock and 6 bells, women; and Mrs. Martha B~hell the interest of £roo to dating from 1726 to 1785: the chancel and aisle are of ten old men and ten old women ; Dunkerton's charity of the period of Edward Ill.: the nave probably dates from £roo, the interest for distribution; Mr. C. Moody also about r18o, and a Norman arch in good preservation still left by will £roo, the interest to be distributed at Christ­ -exists on the south side : the star-shaped east window is mas among ten poor churchmen and women; and Mrs. stained, and there are memorial windows to Elizabeth Charles Orledge left in rgor a sum of £100, the interest Frances, wife of Robert· Clerk esq. D.L., J.P. of West­ to be used in the maintenance of the Sunday School. holme House; to Thomas Overall (which should be Near the church is an ancient barn, formerly belonging ()veray), a precentor of Wells from 1471 to 1493; to the Abbots of Glastonbury, in good preservation, and Thomas Hole; one placed in r897 in the south porch having a well-designed open-timbered roof, and on the in rqemory of Lieut.-Col. J. H. Balmain, of Pilton four sides are the emblems of the Evangelists. Perridge House, and one in memory of Alexander Forrest · House, the property and residence of Hugh Verner Harper: on the south side of the sacrarium is a piscina Dobson esq. J\II.A., J.P. is a fine and ancient residence, under a highly ornamented arch, and in the centre of overlooking the vale of Avalon. •Earl Temple is lord of the nave hangs a brass chandelier dated 1749 : the nave the manor and owns a portion of the land. The chief has. a fine open carved timber roof, and there are landowners are Lieut.-Col. William Dugald Stuart, monuments and ancient brasses and tablets to the J. F. Hole Bethell esq. H. V. Dobson esq. and James Strode and Bethell families, and a handsome muraJ Dredge Allen esq. The land is chiefly in pasture ; monument to the Clerk family: in the chancel are two cider is made in conside1•able quantities; the chief brass tablets to the Rev. James Theophilus Muller, produce is cheese. The area of the is vicar 1879-r8g3, and the Rev. Thomas Kirby Eaton, 4,626 acres; rateable value, £8,Io5; . the population in vicar 1893-1899: the remains of an ancient embroidered zgrr was 865. The area of the ecclesiastical parish is cope of the r6th century, for some ·time used as a 5,593 acres; population in 1grr, 978 (which comprises cover for the communion table, are now •preserved at parts of Pilton, , Shepton Mallet and North the church: the communion plate dates from 1570, but Wootton civil parishes). the pateu is supposed to be of still earlier date, By Local Government Board Order 15,664, March 24, probably about rsoo: the church was ·partly restored 1884, Queen's Sedgmoor was transferred from Pilton to in r862 and again 1n r879, at a cost of £3,ooo, raised Ncrtll Wootton, and by Order r6,337, Ham tithing to by subscription: in 1888 a new organ was erected in Croscombe, and under the provisions of the " Divided the chancel, at a cost of £4oo: there are sittings for Parishes Act" (45 and 46 Vict. c. 58) lands on Ridgway 450 persons. In the churchyard is a large yew tree, and other detached parts of Pilton were added to Shepton 1mpposed to be 8oo years old. The register dates from Mallet for civil purposes. · 1558, and there are churchwardens' accounts from r5oB to 1530. The living is a vicarage, net yearly value East Compton, r?t miles east-north-east; West Camp­ £235, including 28 acres of glebe, with residence, in ton, r north; and Upper and Lower Westholme, r mile the gift of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and held west, are hamlets. Cannard's Gra.ve, 3 east, is partly in ~ince 1899 by the Rev. Charles William Bennett, pre­ this parish and partly in Shepton Mallet and Doulting. bendary of Barton in . The rectorial The Mission room at Cannard's Grave, erected in tithes aro in the hand.s of the Ecclesiastical Com­ 1884 and enlarged in 1903 is a stone building consisting missioners. There are Wesleyan and United Metho­ of chancel and nave, and serves as a chapel of ease for dist chapels. The fair, formerly held on the first parts of Doulting, I>ilton and Shepton Mallet: it will Monday after the 10th Sept. is now obsolete. The seat 400 persons, and has a Sunday school attached. Working Men's Club and Reading Rooms were erected Sexton, Charles Stevens. · in r892 by the late E. H. Clerk esq. in memory of Post, M. 0. & T. Office.-Augustus George Williams, his wife, on the site of an ancient hostelry belonging sub-postmaster. Letters through Shepton Mallet to the Abbots of Gla.stonbury, of which it is externally an exact reproduction: t-he building comprises reading Wall Letter· Boxes.-East Compton; East Town; Whit­ :and smoking rooms for the use of members, and a stone Hill; Bealeshill; Steanbow & Lower Westholme large Toom for meetings, together with a caretaker's Public Elementary School (mixed & infants), erected in residence. The rents of the "•Church Lands," now 1846, & since enlarged on two occasions, for 200 (rgr8) amounting to about £r5 annually, are applied children; Charles L. Schofield, master

(Marked thus t receive letters through COM}lERCUL. Connock Maria (Miss), shopkeeper Shepton Mallet direct.) Early closing day, Thursday. Corp Alfred, cowkeepr.Westholme cot PRIVATE RESIDENTS. A.llen John (Mrs.), shopkeeper Corp Arthur James, farmer, Upper

tAll en J ames Dredge, Spring-field ho Alien Richard Parnall, clerk to Pa.rish 1 W estholme farm· Alien Richard Parnall, The Gables Council, assistant overseer, assessor Creed Herbert, farmer, East town 1 Austin Mrs. Hill view & collector of taxes for Pilt.on & 1 tCreed Rbt.Swanton,frrnr. Ea.Comptn Bennett Rev. Preb. Charles William North '\-Vootton, collector of rents & I Creed Robert Thomas, farmer, cheese ~vicar), Vicarage tithes & general insurance agent, maker & cider manufactr.Steanbow Board J oscph, Cock mill croft The Gables Darch Fredk. co-wkeepr. Westholme Cattlev Mrs. East Town house Andrews Alfred, -watch & clock re- Davis Edward George, carpenter Chesshire Miss, Burford pairer, Whitstone hill i'Davis William, farmer & assistant Clerk Miss Fanny, Culverwell Ashman Gilbe-rt Francis, farmer, overseer for Doulting, Ea. Compton Crosthwaite Major John Symonds, Winding- Lake farm tDix Alfred, cowkpr.Cannard's Grave ChantPrs house Beaumont Josephine (Mrs.), beer ret Duckett Joseph, farmer, Westholme Pobson Hugh Venter J'4.A., J.P. Per- Binning Mahala (Mrs.), grocer Eavis Wm. Geo. farmer, Worthy farm ridge house Binning George, baker Gould Herbert, cowkeeper Gordon Col. Conway, Bowermead Binning Hnbert Somers, farmer & Gould John, farmeT, Perridge farm tHankins Edward, Cannard's Grave corn merchant, Whitstone Hill. HaTvey Frederick, Crown inn Harper Mrs. Manor house Bovce & Son blacksmiths Hiscox Frederick, haulier Hart Mrs. A. M. Burford Boyce Frank' George, dairy farmer, tHoskins Bros.farmers,East Compton tHoskins Robert C. Beaumont house, Knowle farm Jones Hugh Jordan, poultTy farmer Cannard's Grave Brown Edgar Gideon, farmer, Holt I Langley Thomas, farmer,Manor farm Hughes Miss, Trevelyen cottage (postal addresi!, · West Pennard, tMead Hubert, cowkeeper, Bea.rd Hill Litten Thomas, Hyde house Bridgwater) Miell Brothers & Co. dairj farmers, Pyke Joseph, Westholme tButt Andrew, farmer, East Compton West Compton RusselJ Edward A. Pilton house. Connock Brothers, carpenters tMiell Frank, farmer, Manor farm, Toms William, Beardholme Connock Alberf;, carpenter East Compt()n