Simonsbath

Simonsbath is a restful village in the valley of the River Barle. In medieval days the village lay within the Royal Forest; not that the moor was covered in trees centuries ago, but "Forest" means an area kept for the monarch to hunt in. Overseen by a warden, the strict laws of the forest were enforced at forest courts latterly held in Simonsbath.

Looking down the Two Moors Way at Simonsbath - © 2009 Mike Watson www.mike-watson.co.uk

The impressive Simonsbath House was built in the 17th century. In Victorian times the Knight family who lived in Simonsbath were important to the region. In 1818 they bought most of the royal lands around and invested considerable wealth to upgrade the derelict moorland. This quiet village at the heart of Exmoor was formerly associated with the Knight family and the Royal Forest. Set in the splendour of the Barle Valley, Simonsbath is set in the heart of what the locals refer to as “Exmoor Proper”. Simonsbath House is a 350 year old house which retains many of the wonderful features of yesteryear and stood alone for over 150 years before the small hamlet developed in the 19th Century, with the local Church, St Lukes, built in 1856, presiding over the largest parish in Somerset 56 square miles but with only 75 houses. This r yet still provides a comfortable and cozy place to stay.

St Luke's Church Simonsbath

The roads of 19th-century construction were mainly laid out by improving landowners who sought to tame the moor, extend the farming potential and increase the farming population. But some of the routes across the more inaccessible parts are of great antiquity. There is an road called the "harepath" today that runs through Simonsbath, along the spine of the Brendons and away across the marshy flatlands of Somerset to the Bristol and Gloucester areas. This is supposed to have been the Saxon warpath, along which, in the ninth century, Anglo-Saxon farmers of Devon and Somerset tramped when called out to help their overlords repel the Danish invaders. And it was probably a prehistoric way long before that.

By 1891 Simonsbath had a school, blacksmith, carpenter, masons, dressmakers, and a hotel, which was also a farm. The Knights were at Simonsbath House that year with servants in the house or at West Cottages. By 1901 the parish had a post office.

A survey of 1910 describes the village cottages as poor. Buildings were of stone, sometimes stuccoed, and slate, often tarred over to keep the rain out. A few were dilapidated, damp, and even ruinous. Single storey dwellings were common. Simonsbath Post Office was said to be barely habitable.

Simonsbath House showing damage inflicted by protesting local folk in the time of Bouveycompalining about his attempts to evict themby raing the rents on his land

Simonsbath church St Luke's Church

Simonsbath church St Luke's Church

Simonsbath House

The road from Lynton, Combe Martin, and Barnstaple across Exmoor into Somerset crosses the River Barle at Simonsbath Bridge. The bridge, named by the traveller and antiquary John Leland in 1540, is the earliest use of the name Simonsbath and was evidently an ancient and important crossing place. The road north of the river originally passed through the curtilage of the house but in the 19th century was diverted down to the river and later taken in a curve between house and river leaving the house in an elevated position.

The bridge, medieval in origin, was severely damaged in the great flood of 1952. It was extensively rebuilt. Built of random rubble with flat-bedded slate, it has a triple arch span. The arches are round-headed on the west side but on the east the central arch is pointed. The cutwaters rise to the spring of the arch with flat pilasters above.

Simonsbath House - the damaged door

St Luke's is a large, but simple building, with a high roof, clear windows which let in plenty of light, and it is great to sing in! The stained glass windows are dedicated to St Mary, St Luke and "To the Glory of God and a memorial of the Great War 1914- 18".

Simonsbath church St Luke's Church

Simonsbath Lodge, now a hotel, was originally built by James Boevey, the most remarkable and notorious of the Exmoor wardens who virtually ruled over the Forest in the King's name - he eventually bought the Forest freehold. Of Dutch descent, he brought his new wife Isabel de Visscher to the Lodge in the seventeenth century, and was himself author of several odd books, including The Art of Governing the Tongue, The Art of Gaining Wealth and The Act of Building a Man. Much of what was still wild and unenclosed land in 1800 looked by 1900 like tamed farmland, and throughout the twentieth century moorland was regularly lost to agriculture. High windbreak hedges and grass fields replaced heather and bracken.

The River Barle above Simonsbath

Simonsbath is a nineteenth-century village created by the Knight family, who bought the area from the Crown as part of the former Royal Forest of Exmoor. There is a car park, toilets and picnic area at Ashcombe. It is a popular starting point for walks along the River Barle and the meadow by the river is also popular for picnics. There is a pub, shop and tea rooms. William Henry Thornton was the first incumbent of the new church of St Luke, Simonsbath. The living was a perpetual curacy valued at £150 with a house and 10 a. William was only 26 and had studied at Selworthy when recovering from a boyhood illness and was later curate at Linton so he knew something of Exmoor. He is said to have rowed from Minehead to South Wales and back.

He was ordained in 1853 and was appointed curate of Linton with a salary of £20 a year. He continued his studies, taught in the school and rode out to visit his more scattered parishioners. The move to Simonsbath meant a higher income but also a lot of expense as the house was badly built and had no garden. Fortunately William’s father not only continued to pay him an allowance of £200 a year but also gave him £500 to improve and furnish the vicarage. There was an unpaid curate, Mr Torr, who later married William’s niece and housekeeper. William also found a friend in Frederic Knight and the two men enjoyed prospecting for minerals together. Services were held twice on Sunday at St Luke’s and once in a cottage at Sandiway. With a parish of 20,000 a. of scattered farms William spent much of his time on horseback. He survived several accidents.

He was instrumental in bringing the murderer William Burgess to justice. Burgess had dumped his daughter’s body in the old shaft at the Wheal Eliza mine. William’s rides with Frederic Knight had made him familiar with the mines. Frederic Knight had started a school, which by 1853 had 30 children but was not satisfactory. With William Thornton he founded a new school in Simonsbath in 1856—7 with money raised by public subscription. It consisted of one room with a playground and earth closets. There was a teacher’s house. The school was maintained by private donations. Despite church involvement the school was later declared to be a voluntary but not a church school. Although as many as 40 children were registered only half attended regularly. The school was given to the county in 1925 and remained open until 1970.

His brother lived at Ottery St Mary and it was on a visit there that William met Grace Furnival. She made such an impression on him that he soon persuaded her to marry him. Grace, however, was unhappy on Exmoor. Both the weather and the isolation were unbearable. Tragically she lost her first child and the nearest doctor was 11 miles away in south Molton. When she became pregnant again she was desperate to find a more civilised home. William looked for another living and had several offers of Devon parishes. The bishop even offered him Glastonbury but Grace found all the offers too remote for her. She went to Talaton in Devon for her daughter Mary’s birth and in 1860 stayed at Exmouth for the birth of Florence.

Eventually William’s father found him a living at Dunsford a few miles from Exeter and the couple moved there in 1861 taking in an abandoned child from Lynton, 8-year old Elizabeth Groves. A few years later William was offered the rectory of North Bovey in Devon where he remained for the rest of his career. By 1871 he and Grace had 7 daughters and his student nephew Charles, born at Simla, India, living with them. The household included 7 servants and a gardener lived in the rectory cottage. William had come a long way from his first years in the Spartan vicarage at Simonsbath.

From around  1910 the tenants of farms and cottages of Simonsbath took in hunters and other visitors to make ends meet. Although sporting rights had little value there was good fishing at Cornham. A farmhouse and the vicarage were let as hunting boxes in the autumn which added considerably to annual income. Simonsbath was used mainly by the owners in the hunting season and had a large stable. The Exmoor Forest Hotel offered had 12 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, electric light, ample stabling, and a cycle house. It was well frequented for fishing and hunting. Simonsbath cottage provided teas for summer visitors.  After the First World War the Exmoor Forest Hotel kept a car to fetch visitors from Dulverton station and opened a licensed bar. The hotel was open all year as people came for hunting bringing their own horses. Accommodation was provided for grooms and chauffeurs. After a large breakfast most guests would take a packed lunch and leave the hotel free for coach parties and others wanting lunches and cream teas. Coaches came from Minehead and Lynmouth and there were chauffeur driven cars.  Some regular visitors would come for a month or more. The hotel provided employment for local girls. The work was poorly paid and staff relied on tips. By the 1920s it was said that in summer visitors occupied all the available accommodation.

OS Grid Reference: SS7739

Contributed by: Lucy Pinknall, Rob Noone, Gordon Telford, Elsie