Dulverton

Dulverton, on the River Barle, is the southern gateway to Exmoor, a small hospitable town and the home of the Exmoor National Park Authority. It offers an ideal place to rest and relax after a drive or walk across the moor, and is well known as the centre of the best hunting, fishing and shooting area of Exmoor. The River Barle is particularly noted for its trout and salmon.

Lion Hotel Dulverton Exmoor

The Sydenham family have, over the centuries, added much to the history and colour of West Somerset, and the Church of All Saints in Dulverton contains five memorials to the family in the north aisle. The church underwent major restoration work in Victorian times, but the church's tower survives from the 12th century. Within five miles of Dulverton are two of Exmoor's great mysteries — the Caratacus Stone and Tarr Steps.Taking the Exford road from the town, you climb quickly through a wooded valley onto Winsford Hill, where the four foot high Caratacus Stone stands. This ancient relic is wrapped in local legends of buried treasure and ghostly coaches. Its Latin inscription "Carataci nepus" links it with the chief of the Silures tribe, suggesting it was erected in the 5th Century A.D. But while the inscription can be dated, the stone itself may well have stood from much earlier times. The seven hundredweight stone remained unmoved until earlier this century when one night it was uprooted and left lying on its side. How it happened nobody is sure was it people looking for the treasure said to lie beneath it, or just an act of vandalism? A side road from here leads to the second mystery Tarr Steps, a huge clapper bridge constructed of bare stone slabs which experts have been unable to date conclusively. Some say it i's prehistoric, linking ancient tracks across the moor, others say it is mediaeval. But whoever built it had to do so without the benefit of the modern cranes which are brought in today to replace the massive stones when, as on occasions in recent years, they have been swept away by flood waters. Nearby, Brushford's small church is worth visiting, with its medieval screen, 13th century font and possibly the oldest parish chest in the country, hollowed from a tree trunk. The modern side chapel contains an effigy of Colonel Aubrey Herbert, said to be the model for Greenmantle in John Buchan's novel of that name.

The Domesday Survey of 1086 AD carries a brief entry regarding Dulverton, stating simply that it formerly belonged to Earl Harold (King Harold defeated at the Battle of Hastings) and "is now King's Land". There are very few inhabitants and there is no mention of any church. The name is thought to be derived from Celtic in which dol means a bend in a stream or river, whilst the Saxon ver means ford, so it is a ford (in the River Barle) near a bend in the river.

Dulverton Church

Dulverton, is a true Exmoor gem, it was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and can trace its history back to Saxon times. It is a lively town of winding, medieval streets crammed with attractive buildings and interesting shops, galleries and inviting little cafe's and inns, all of which you may have noted in the recent film 'Land Girls' for which Dulverton was the setting. Amongst the towns' many attractions it has an excellent Heritage and Arts Centre. Dulverton, with its long tradition of welcoming visitors throughout the ages, makes an ideal and interesting base from which to explore the magic and mystery of Exmoor.

All Saints Church Dulverton

The first mention of a Priest in Dulverton is mentioned in 1332, one Thomas Fleure of S. Pederton (South Petherton). Suffice to say, it was probably under the aegis of the Augustinian Canons who had a Priory at Barlynch, between Dulverton and Minehead, until its dissolution in 1536.

Still unspoiled English country town with medieval bridge Dulverton, by the lovely River Barle, is a charming country town with many attractions for the angler, the artist and those who enjoy walking in the countryside. The Parish Church is a notable perpendicular building which was restored in 1855. It contains some windows given by the founder of the Y.M.C.A., Sir George Williams who lived in the town. Tarr Steps which spans the River Barle near Dulverton was probably built in prehistoric times. The ancient bridge is 180 feet long and consists of vast stone slabs, some weighing as much as five tons. These great blocks of stone were probably raised from the river bed and laid two or three feet above water level on stone pillars.

Exmoor's southern gateway lies in the beautiful valley of the River Barle. There is a good choice of shops, inns and eating places in the narrow streets. The church has stained glass windows provided by Sir George Williams, founder of the YMCA who was born in nearby Ashway.

Exmoor House is the office of the National Park Authority. The Guildhall Heritage Centre is well worth a visit and stages exhibitions by local artists. The National Park Visitor Centre and Library are based in the former ironmonger's shop in the main square opposite the town hall. Live theatre, craft markets and many special events make Dulverton a popular centre with visitors. This has a medieval bridge, old-fashioned country shops, and population of only 1,300 people, it still has a quiet rural charm.

Notable people connetced with Dulverton include:

• John Nelder, statistician
• Auberon Waugh, writer and journalist, was born in 1939 at Pixton Park, Dulverton. 
• George Williams founder of the YMCA was born in Dulverton in 1821.
• The Wills family hold the title of Lord Dulverton

Pixton Park

 

Pixton House

The Sydenhams had a house at Combe in Dulverton parish where they had lived since the late 15th century. It was a small medieval house but as the family grew in importance so did the house. It was largely rebuilt in the late 16th century when two Armada medals and several coins were placed under the floor of the porch, demolished c. 1810. A lease of 1712 recorded the White room and the best stable. In the late 18th century the house still had an oriel chamber and a gatehouse. Part of the medieval house survives in the fabric the rest was pulled down in the late 19th century when some quatrefoil tracery was found.

John Sydenham of Combe bought Dulverton manor in 1567 giving it a local owner for the first time. His son Humphrey Sydenham was taxed at £40 in 1581 subsidy, higher than anyone else in Somerset Exmoor and twice as much as Robert Courtenay of Molland. Both John and Humphrey were trustees of the market trust at Dulverton and possibly preventing the growing settlement at Dulverton from acquiring any independence as a town. A successor John Sydenham was able to raise £2,000 for his son and daughters in 1638 on estates including the manors of Brushford and East Anstey and his estate at Combe.

The Sydenham’s hold over Dulverton appears to have extended to the short-lived naming, or re-naming, of streets and houses as Queens, Kings, Princes, The Strand, and Throgmorton, and White Hall, Tangiers, Dantzig, Rotterdam, Carolina, and Virginia. At ‘New Battleton’, a planned early 18th-century settlement on the west bank of the Barle south of Dulverton bridge, were built houses called South Sea, Caspian Sea, East India, Lisbon, Morocco, Japan and Mount Atlas. The learned Humphrey Sydenham took an interest in global affairs. He apparently lost £20,000 in the notorious South Sea Bubble of 1720, one of the worst stock market crashes in British history caused by speculation in the South Sea Company, which had a monopoly of the West African slave trade. Humphrey recouped his losses through inheritance. A house opposite the present Town Hall was described as Guild Hall on a deed of 1776 but not in a deed of 1649. There is no evidence that Dulverton had a guild and this may be another of Humphrey Sydenham’s re-namings. The name survives and the building houses a heritage centre. 

Dulverton tucked between a curve of the road and the River Barle, close to Marsh Bridge, are this little packhorse bridge and ford across a side stream, preserved as part of a riverside area where the public can pause and picnic. Four-wheeled vehicles are prevented from driving through by a boulder on each ramp, but there's nothing to stop bikers.

The war memorial near Exmoor House in Dulverton commemorates the dead of two world wars. It also records those who were lost on HMS Dulverton in 1943

Dulverton population (in 1901) 1369 is a market town on the River Barle, 21 miles west of Taunton . The railway station on the G.W.R. branch line to Barnstaple was 2 miles away at Brushford. It is, however, deservedly beloved of the angler and the huntsman. It possesses one of the best trout streams in the west of England, and its proximity to Exmoor, the haunt of the red deer, makes it an excellent centre for the chase. But the rod and the hounds are merely adventitious attractions to Dulverton.

Its real merit lies in its scenery. It not only enjoys undisputed possession of the lovely valley of the River Barle in which it lies, but a short connecting road enables it to appropriate the beauties of the neighbouring vale of the River Exe. Both torrents descend from the highlands of Exmoor, and it is difficult to say which is the more beautiful. The valleys are similar, but have characteristic differences. The River Barle has all the piquant charm of the mountain torrent, whilst the beauties of the River Exe are of a sedate though not less pleasing character. Everywhere about Dulverton delightful landscapes may be caught, but the "show sight" is Mount Sydenham, just above the church.

Bilbower House on the south side of High Street, Dulverton was at some date divided into two. Formerly it was a substantial 18th-century house called Bilboa. Built of stone with brick window surrounds and pilaster doorcases under a slate roof, the house still has traces of its former status in the remaining 16-pane sashes and the moulded cornices on shaped brackets. The panelled door is approached by steps with a wrought iron hand rail. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries it was the home of the Collyns family, several generations of whom were doctors and surgeons in Dulverton.

The Bridge Dulverton

The Market House, later Town Hall was built in 1866 to replace a derelict and much smaller market house. The lower hall had arches closed by gates on non-market days. The upper hall was used by the magistrates and for entertainments. Competition from the cattle market at Brushford after 1873 was partly responsible for the Dulverton market's decline and the building became of greater value as a Town Hall. In 1927 A E Richardson converted the building for that purpose adding the freestanding double external stair with wrought iron rails and lamps and canopied entrance porch. The arches were glazed and the former market hall became shops. The upper hall was fitted with a stage for plays and lectures and the room was later used as a cinema. The Town hall and its steps became the venue of all the town's occasions and probably its most photographed building.

Dulverton will find less favour with the antiquarian than with the artist. Such antiquities as it does possess are more picturesque than important. The church has been entirely rebuilt (1855) with the exception of the tower, which is of the plain Exmoor type. The other antiquities in the neighbourhood are:

• Mouncey Castle (a corruption of Monceaux), a rough encampment on the summit of a wooded hill almost encircled by the River Barle, a couple of miles above Dulverton
• the ivy-covered ruins of Barlynch Priory, a branch "cell" from Cleve Abbey, standing in a charming situation on the banks of the River Exe, a mile above Hele Bridge
• Tarr Steps, a rude but highly picturesque footbridge over the River Barle, 5 miles above Dulverton. It crosses the river at a ford, and is constructed of large flag-stones, uncemented, and resting on similar stones placed edgewise. It is generally regarded as Celtic in origin, and is certainly a great artistic addition to a charming bit of river. A most delightful walk is to take the Winsford road through Higher Combe, cross the Barle at Tarr Steps, and return by the opposite bank through Hawkridge. It is a round trip of about 12 miles but well repays the effort involved. Another pleasant excursion is to explore the valley of the Haddeo, a stream which flows into the River Exe from the opposite direction to the River Barle, and which fully maintains the reputation of the neighbourhood for river scenery. Near Dulverton station is an interesting trout nursery. Pixton Park (in which there was a heronry) was the seat of the Countess of Carnarvon.

All Saints Church Dulverton

All Saints Church, Dulverton was a 15th-century parish church demolished, apart from the tower, and rebuilt on a larger plan in the 1850s by Shewbrooks of Taunton to designs by Edward Ashworth, the Exeter diocesan architect. The town is a thriving community, offering the visitor a wide range of shops and accommodation and one of the most beautiful caravan parks in all England, set on the banks of the River Barle. Venture a little from the two short main
streets, and you will find tranquil corners,a meandering leat, the oldest mediaeval bridge of Exmoor or a carpet of bluebells in Spring in Burridge Woods The town is home to the offices of the Exmoor National Park Authority and the National Park Centre in Fore Street offers an excellent information service. Sporting activities include fishing, hunting, tennis and excellent squash courts which visitors are now invited to use.

Dulverton is a busy little town (population 1,347) acting as a service centre for southern Exmoor. It lies in an attractive setting where the deep and wooded Barle valley broadens into meadows before joining the Exe. A medieval bridge spans the river near the former workhouse, now the National Park Authority's offices. There is a National Park Centre adjoining the Heritage Centre, which has an art gallery and displays about Dulverton and the surrounding woodlands. There are many shops and services, including bank, chemist, library and health centre.

View over the Allotments to Dulverton Church

Dulverton, on the River Barle, is the southern gateway to Exmoor, a small hospitable town and the home of the Exmoor National Park Authority.
It offers an ideal place to rest and relax after a drive or walk across the moor, and is well known as the centre of the best fishing and shooting area of Exmoor. The River Barle is particularly noted for its trout and salmon.

The Sydenham family have, over the centuries, added much to the history and colour of West Somerset, and the Church of All Saints in Dulverton contains five memorials to the family in the north aisle. The church underwent major restoration work in Victorian times, but the church's tower survives from the 12th century. In the spring take a trip to Burridge Woods to see the carpet of bluebells

Dulverton Church

The architect who was commissioned to 'restore' the church in the mid-1800s - a church which, according to him was falling into grave disrepair- estimated that the old building was dated about 1500AD "with the Tower perhaps later". He also stated that the galleries then in the church "took the light and made bad air". Apparently at that time there was a screen which he considered "a singular and good example of 15th century art". The galleries over this screen were entered from the outside. He suggested that the screen could be reinstated for £120, expensive in those days. Sadly it was not - one wonders in whose house or barn it finally came to rest It may well have been of similar workmanship to the screen in Dunster Church.

He also reported mat the pews, mostly of box type, "oblige many persons to sit with their faces in unpleasant if not improper proximity to those occupying the opposite seats" Eventually the "restoration" became a rebuild.

Some of the money for the 'restoration' project was collected locally, some by means of a loan from the Public Works Board (who as late as 1871 wrote to insist that the remaining debt "be fully paid forthwith"). A grant was also obtained from the Incorporated Society for Promoting the enlargement, building and repairing of churches and chapels. The new church was finally consecrated in 1855 and had cost over £3,200. Some of the alterations which have since been made are referred to at various points in this leaflet but major works were the restating of one third of the roof and timber repairs in 1994, with the remaining two sections of the roof completed in 2002. Permanent floodlighting was installed in 2002, a great asset to the church.

Dulverton: Attractive, busy, tiny town on the beautiful River Barle. Good shops, pubs, restaurant, galleries, mostly round a square, church at its head. HQ of Exmoor National Park. Beautiful drive up through ancient oak woods to heather moorland, 3 miles; riverside walks;Tarr Steps (famous ancient/restored Clapper Bridge), about 5 miles; sea/sandy beach at Minehead, about 15 miles.

Dulverton shopping

The first ship to bear the name HMS Dulverton was launched in 1941. She was protecting the islands of Leros and Kos when, in November 1943, she was struck by German aircraft with "glider bombs". One of these struck HMS Dulverton on the bridge inflicting fatal damage. 3 officers and 75 ratings were lost but 120 men were taken safely aboard her consorts. The insignia of old HMS Dulverton are in the Memorial Chapel of All Saints Church Dulverton. A new HMS Dulverton was commissioned in 1983 and took part in the Gulf War in 1992. She is a Hunt Class mine counter-measures vessel and was finally in service as a Northern Ireland patrol ship. Regrettably, she was decommission-ed in 2005.

HMS Dulverton

Dulverton Shopping

Dulverton - picture taken in 1966 - photo supplied by Sheila Bishop">Dulverton - picture taken in 1966 - photo supplied by Sheila Bishop

Dulverton has been described as, the southern gate to Exmoor. It stands between the River Barle and River Exe. It is a small attractive town based on a typically medieval plan, with a triangular market place featuring an unusual Town Hall converted from an 18th century Market House.

The Dulverton Workhouse, built in 1855, now houses the administrative authority of the Exmoor National Park. Dulverton was once on the main road from Exeter to London, but this has long since gone. All Saints Church was rebuilt in 1854 around a much smaller earlier church, and as a result the tower, which is original, looks small by comparison.

Dulverton Laundry

Dulverton Congregational Church

Pixton House Dulverton

View toward Dulverton from Brushford

View of the River Exe between Brushford and Dulverton

At the end of the South and North Aisles in Dulverton's All Saints Church there are windows given by George Williams, who once lived locally and was the founder of the Y.M.C.A. Apparently the glass and iron from the old windows was sold to the then curate for the princely sum of £1.5s. The windows were screened in 1916 - the gift of Gilbert Wills, one of the W.H.Wills tobacco family, who took the title Lord Dulverton.

The Memorial Chapel Windows in All Saints Dulverton have a link with Tutankhamen. One of the windows in the memorial chapel is in memory of the 3rd Earl of Carnarvon, an ancestor of the Earl of Carnarvon discoverer of the Tomb of Tutankhamen. Another window is in memory of George Hall Peppin, member of a long established Dulverton family, one of whose ancestors may well have been George Pepen who was a churchwarden in 1709. George Hall Peppin who died in Australia is credited with having introduced the Merino sheep to Australia though this is disputed by some authorities.

In 1859 Dulverton was a reasonably self-sufficient little town providing for the needs of people in the surrounding area. Farmers and other horse owners would have made use of the two vets and the two smithies. They may also have needed the services of the two surgeons, the auctioneer and the two solicitors. Carpenters, wheelwrights, painters and nurserymen would have found plenty of custom among the increasing number of genteel families building houses in the area.  There were five inns, three beershops and a brewery. There were also three bakers, two butchers, four boot and shoemakers, two saddlers, four tailors, several dressmakers and a watch and clockmaker.

For those with money to spend the centre of Dulverton had several shops, most of which would have employed errand boys and deliverymen to deliver purchases to the customer’s home. They included four general shopkeepers, two grocers and drapers, and a chemist. Two shops were to be important fixtures in the life of Dulverton for the rest o the 19th century.

Isaac Clarke, linen and woollen draper, opened his shop in Fore Street while still in his 20s and supported his parents. In 1851 his brother was apprenticed to him and he employed a male shop assistant and a young errand boy. All these lived over the shop with a maidservant. By 1861 the business was known as Clarke brothers and was run by Isaac’s brothers Frederic and Edwin with the help of their father and sister and two resident assistants, one female. They had done well enough to acquire Sydenham Hall by 1871 while the married brother remained at the shop with an assistant, two apprentices and two maids. By 1881 Frederic was a landowner.

In 1851 Henry German kept a shop, claimed later to have opened in 1847. In addition to his two sons, Henry’s family included two nephew one of whom worked as a shop boy. The family specialised in ironmongery. In 1881 Henry described himself as a plumber and ironmonger, his daughter was a shop assistant, one son was a nurseryman and another was a painter. William German had taken over the business by 1901. His three eldest sons were painter, paperhanger and plumber, respectively, his cousin John lived with him as a tinplate worker, and a male shop assistant lived with them. The family’s double-fronted shop in Fore Street was described as Furnishing and General ironmongers, plumbers, painters, glaziers, sanitary and hot warehouse. They sold such essential items as oil lamps kettles and mangles.

Dulverton 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com

 Every town and village had a blacksmith before the coming of motor vehicles. Some large smithies became garages as the car replaced the horse. The skills of working iron, not only into horseshoes, but also into tools for farm and craft, kitchen equipment, and fireirons, were often readily adapted to repairing early motor cars.

Forge Cottage in Bridge Street, Dulverton, was originally a small 17th-century cottage extended eastwards in the late 18th or early 19th century, presumably to accomodate the smithing business. Later a new stone smithy  was built end-on to the street near the house. It was operated by the Chanter family until the Second World War. They made items for the electricity company and repaired tools for Somerset County Council.

The other important smithy was located in the north of Dulverton at Town Marsh. This smithy had the benefit of a waterwheel driven by the Hollam Brook. It was kept by the Govier family who specialised in making edge tools such as scythes for local farmers and also shod horses for the Pixton estate.

Dulverton 1940 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com

The Lion, formerly the Red Lion, on the corner of Bank Square and Union Street, is a lone survivor among Dulverton's hotels. Dulverton had ten licensed premises in 1790 including the Red Lion, the White Lion, the Ram, and the Lamb. Inns also functioned as auction houses especially for the sale or letting of farms. In 1795 the White Hart at Dulverton was the venue for the sale of four farms and c. 540 a. of land in Exton. In Dulverton between 1810 and 1816 there many homeless paupers who were housed in inns, including the Ram and the White Horse, at parish expense. Many public houses were beerhouses only and did not provide for travellers. There were many of these but only the Rock, a former smithy, and the Bridge survive. The Lion, formerly the Red Lion, and the Lamb, formerly the Ram, were as much hotels as public houses. During the early 20th century there were several private hotels serving the growing tourist trade including people who came to hunt and fish. They included the Green, which offered free fishing. The trend towards self-catering or bed and breakfast accommodation in farmhouses or small guesthouses has seen the closure of several small hotels, most recently the, now closed, Carnarvon Arms.

The Red Lion in the market place, later Fore Street, was in existence by 1668. In the mid 18th century the Butler family kept it. They were succeeded by the Greenslades and John Anstey. For much of the early 19th century it was kept by Francis Edgecombe and the Friendly Society met there.

In 1851 the public house was kept by the Gillard family who had moved to Dulverton from Exeter. Mrs Gillard was from Winchilsea, Sussex as was the cook, possibly a relative. Beside the cook, two maids, a postboy, a boots, and an errand boy lived on the premises. An ostler lodged nearby. On Census day 1851 a German dealer in watches, a shepherd, and a young woman from Rye in Sussex were staying at the inn.

In the 1860s the Slade family ran the inn and renamed it the Lion, probably after rebuilding it. Formerly there had been a White Lion in Dulverton. They kept fewer servants but their visitors in 1871 including a stockbroker from Surrey. By 1881 the King family were running the hotel with the help of their cousin Lucy Redwood who was the housekeeper. The four resident servants included a barmaid and a waitress. Their guests included engineer John Miles. William King was sometimes known as his majesty! King maintained a visitors’ book where guests were free to comment. Lord Justice Cotton brought his family to stay in 1878 and said he was well satisfied with the place. The Aylmers of Cheltenham noted that they were always provided with good mounts.  A couple from Liverpool who came in the autumn of 1880 were clearly relieved that their horses were very clever and safe! The quality of horses for hire was clearly important to visitors especially those who came to hunt. When William King sold up in 1888 there were 16 bedrooms and stabling for 35 horses. 

His successor added a third floor with timbered gable and tall dormer windows to provide additional rooms. A portico topped by lions was built around the front entrance. He also maintained a good stable. In 1898 Mr and Mrs Collyer-Bristowe observed that they were very well mounted every time they hunted. Several visitors recorded their success at stag or otter hunting although in 1908 one horrified visitor asked if anyone remarked the cruelty to animals in this part, which goes on unchecked.

The 20th century brought changes with fewer riders and more walkers and motorists. In 1906 an advert for the hotel, then known as the Red Lion, refers in large letters to horses and carriages and in small type beneath to accommodation for motorists in the form of a garage pit! Eventually the Lion Hotel stables became the Lion Hotel Garage before being cleared to provide parking for the town. In 1906 terms were described as moderate. In 1935 dinner, bed and breakfast in room number 1 cost the princely sum of £1 2s!

The Church Clock is nearly three hundred years old: a plaque on the clock frame is dated 28 June 1708. Sadly, church accounts before 1739 are lost, so we do not know whether it was donated and, if so, by whom. We do know that the same clock maker, Lewis Pridham (who lived and worked at Sandford. a few miles north of Crediton), also made the clock for St Michael's Church in Minehead in 1725 for £38 and for our neighbouring town of Bampton in -1728 for £22.6s, both since replaced. The All Saints clock is a four post (birdcage) with wrought iron frames which exhibit excellent blacksmith's work, and the corner posts terminate in attractively wrought finials. It has a thirty-hour rather than an eight-day movement which means that that it has to be wound daily. Our team of clock winders have to be healthy to climb and descend the 34 steps to the clock daily!

 

 Pixton Park Dulverton Exmoor

Pixton Park was the home of John Dyke Acland and his wife Harriet Acland and later the family of Evelyn Waugh and Auberon Waugh. Until 1935 the electricity for Dulverton was produced by two turbine generators in the River Barle.

Marsh Bridge - a bridge may have been built here in the 18th century and work was carried out on it in 1818-19. However it was converted into an elegant iron road bridge in 1866-7 by Hennet and Spink of Bridgwater. The central pier was removed. The bridge was largely destroyed in 1952 but was reconstructed in steel in 1979-80 with latticework parapet and piers flanking the centre span. In the later 19th century there was a small chapel of ease beside the bridge but it was burnt down in 1909.  Dulverton Bridge also known as Barle Bridge, was an important medieval bridge was widened in 1819 by John Stone and restored in 1866 and 1952-3 after flood damage. It has a five arch span with pointed cutwater buttresses between 4-centred arch openings. There were tablets on the parapets marking the works carried out in 1624 and 1819. The bridge remains the most important entrance to the town.

The eponymous heroine of R D Blackmore's novel means more to many visitors to Exmoor than any real historical figure. In acknowledgement of this fact a statue to her was created by George Stephenson and given to the town in 1990 by an American, Dr Whitman Pearson. It stands outside Exmoor House, the former Dulverton workhouse and now headquarters of the Exmoor National Park.

The workhouse of the Dulverton poor-law union was built in 1855 in an attractive setting beside the river Barle. It opened on 25 March 1856. The building is now the headquarters of the Exmoor National Park Authority. The casual and temporary nature of employment and severe weather resulted in poverty for many families. The bad winter of 1848 caused great unemployment, although Exford labourers were employed building roads on newly-inclosed commons. In 1851 12 Winsford labourers and a handloom weaver were described as paupers. There were a few small charities and some Friendly Societies but it was necessary to subscribe to the latter. Parishes usually paid for a doctor to attend sick paupers and for funerals. Poverty, overcrowding and illegitimacy often went together. Labourers’ daughters and widows were vulnerable. Girls went into service leaving their babies with their parents. Many cottages were overcrowded leading to diseases like diphtheria, which killed 11 children in Winsford in 1859. In 1867 a cottage in Dulverton cost up to £4 a year and many were bad with only one bedroom. Lord Carnarvon and Sir Thomas Acland, began building new houses on their estates.

Dulverton is found in West Somerset near Devon. The town originated for some Iron Age hill forts that were used to help defend the nearby castles of Mounsey Castle and Oldberry Castle. Supposedly the name comes from a royal manor house that was around before the Normans invaded. In the later part of the 12th century the manor was given to the Tuberville family.

Several small industries developed during and after the Middle Ages such as the wool industry and upland farming. Some related industries were laundries that washed the sheep fleeces. The original market house was eventually converted to a town hall in the mid 1800s. Dulverton is known for Exmoor and is the headquarters for the park authority is found here. There are several different types of houses available in the area from the Victorian and Georgian times. You can find bungalows and more post war modern houses in other sections of town.

The Barle River and the river valley is a site of special scientific interest. There is a clapper bridge called the Tarr Steps that is supposedly from 1000 BC. Supposedly the stone slabs that make up the bridge were put into place by the devil as he was trying to win a bet. This in itself is a heritage building. Exmoor is a famous national park just off of the Bristol Channel. This area of land was originally a hunting ground and Royal forest until it was sold off. This was one of the first national parks ever designated. It is named after the main river that flows through the valley. There are many sites of special scientific interest that are many because of the fauna and flora in the area.

Knightshayes Court designed by William Burges, an eccentric architect. The inside of the house has design elements of Gothic and Romantic. There is a lily pond, walled kitchen garden, floral border and topiary to explore in the grounds.
 

OS Grid Reference: SS9127

 

See also:

• www.dulvertonbystarlight.co.uk
• www.dulverton.com

 

Contributed by: Emma Bishop, Jon Noone, Tim Halman