Wiveliscombe - the jewel of Somerset
         Wiveliscombe - the jewel of Somerset
This site is dedicated to my ancestors, who were born, and lived, in Wiveliscombe. A short history of
the town is followed by information from the Parish Records giving details of some births, deaths and
marriages of the past 300 years.

If you want me to look-up one of your ancestors who were born/married/buried in the town please feel free to contact me.

The largest settlement in the western area of Taunton Deane is Wiveliscombe ( pronounced Wivvel-is-cum, but usually shortened to Wivey locally ) It is a market town serving an extensive agricultural community. 

Its position has been of some importance for many generations, as remains of pre-Roman, Roman and Saxon times have been traced, including fortifications. Castle Hill to the east of the town was the site of an Iron Age encampment, and still gives commanding views of the neighbourhood.

The bottom, or old end of town, gains enormously in significance when the existence of one or two water mills is taken into consideration as this hints at the community being in the business of agricultural processing, grinding corn and manufacturing cloth. In the Court Rolls of the Manor, preserved in the Lambeth Palace Library, is mention in A.D. 1465 of Corn mills, of which one is called Cottescombe mylle and the other is called Crofordysmylle. Earlier, in the 1434-45 roll, is mention of a payment of 12 1/2 d being to a carpenter for two and a half days repair work to the coggewhele on the mill at Crofford. 

The town was created a borough in 1301. 

Modern day Wiveliscombe has an agreeably diverse character as evidenced by narrow streets and some interesting old buildings. The architecture is varied, with the Georgian houses of Church Street giving way to the small vernacular buildings along Russells and Rotten Row, which in many ways are similar to the buildings in Silver Street and Golden Hill. 

However it is Church Street that contains the best buildings with the Church of St Andrews, East & West Braynes and the Bournes. There is an unusual red tile-hung building in the Square, known as the Court House, which is now the home of the public library. This building was constructed in 1881 and is notable for the carved grotesque corbels and carved wooden panels depicting styalised fruit, human figures and mythical animals in the style of the Norwegian slave church carvings.

Abbotsfield, a country house half a mile to the west of Wiveliscombe, was designed for Lacey Collard, the piano manufacturer, by Owen Jones around 1872. To the east of Wiveliscombe is a small settlement called Croford. Croford House was built for the owner of Slape's Brick Works which once stood behind it. The farm buildings nearby are made of mis-shaped reject bricks from the brickworks. The good bricks were once used in most of the Victorian development in Wiveliscombe and nearby Milverton.

If you have any comments please e-mail me.

Wiveliscombe marriages

About Wiveliscombe Parish Registers