Constitution - adopted October 2011
Aims
The group is established for the purpose of providing the village with a focal point for information and knowledge of past and present village history.
Objectives
The objectives of the Sampford Brett Local Village History group are fourfold:-
Newsletter No. 8
On Thursday 2oth October a very pleasant and productive meeting was enjoyed by seventeen members when they met for the AGM . After welcoming everyone, Mike Ogilvie listed the achievements of the year. These included the display and presentation at the ‘new’ villagers’ afternoon, the cataloguing and transfer of the 2010 Census data to the Village Hall laptop, the photographing of village events for the archive, and a viewing of Roman-British archaeological evidence gathered within a 15 mile radius of SB.
Officers for the year were elected. These are Chair: Mike Ogilvie, Vice- Chair: David Drabble, Secretary: Christine Mills, Treasurer: Phil Swan, Archivists: Martin Blazey and Clive Brooks, Display Boards: Liz Blazey, Jenny Elston & Margaret Reed, Hall Rep.: Liz Blazey, Press Cuttings: Beryl Willes, Photographers: Jenny Elston & Phil Swan. Because the group is now being charged for hall hire, it is necessary to ask a membership fee of £5 for the year or £1 per meeting to cover the cost.
Guest speaker for the evening was Martin Southwood, who provided a fascinating insight into an online project to photograph all the headstones and memorial stones in several countries including the UK The evening was concluded with delicious refreshments and lots of chat!
This year’s programme looks very exciting and includes a visit to the new Taunton Heritage Centre, guest speakers on local history, visits to sites of historical interest, a display of local history on a particular theme , an historical quiz and the possibility of a new book on Sampford Brett being researched.
The next meeting is on FRIDAY 25th November 7pm. in the Village Hall When we will be starting to organize personal mementos and memories of the Queen’s Coronation for a display in June as part of the Village’s Jubilee celebrations. So please bring along any photos you have (which we will scan and return) and details of mementos (not the actual objects yet) and help us start planning. There will be at least one surprise speaker for the evening! The first meeting is free for visitors. So come and bring your friends!
Newsletter No. 7
February 2011
There have been two meetings so far this year and we were pleased to welcome new members.
The new filing cabinets are now installed and the contents transferred. The Group has now started cataloguing each folder so that material can be retrieved more easily. We are planning to photograph the maps we hold so that they can be loaded onto the computer.
More information has been provided on Torweston Farm and the Group has received research material from Brenda Knight’s estate. These have been set up as folders, RH 14 and RP 17.
Using a large scale map of the village from the 1841 Tithe Map we have begun plotting family occupation through all the available Census data up to the Local Village Census of 2010. This is a challenging piece of work. We have accessed Baptismal, Marriage and Burial records to support our findings. We are also grateful to Vera Yandle for supplying local knowledge to fill some gaps. This is an on-going piece of work. Sally and Alan lent the Group copies of their house deeds which help identify previous owners.
We are still working on possible visits during the year. The first date is a group visit to the new Somerset Heritage Centre. We have booked to go on Thursday 31st March at 2.00pm. Places are limited to a maximum of 15 and there is a charge of £25 to the group. If you would like to go on this visit please let Martin (01984 632683) have your name by our next meeting which is on Thursday 17th March.
Gill bought along a collection of Romano-British archaeological evidence in the form of pottery shards collected within a 15 mile radius of Sampford Brett retrieved by her archaeologist son.
Ross produced documentary evidence related to the Williton Workhouse. This has been copied and will be filed in our archive.
Mike is aware of some local people using metal detectors in the area. Mike will see if we can borrow some of the artefacts that have been found.
There was some talk that an early aerial map of the village and two pictures of Kate Price, opera singer and former village resident were going to be disposed of by the Village Hall Committee. The group is to see if they could be acquired by the History Group.
It was noted that the new printer no longer functions as it has been left in the ‘committee’ room, which is damp, rather than in the hall.
The Group was informed that the Village Hall Committee wish to start charging us for renting the Hall. We are awaiting a formal notification of this and as a result may have to amend our constitution at our AGM as up to now we have been considered to be a sub group of the Village Hall Committee according to the minutes of a meeting of that committee in 2003.
Providence Mill - A short History
A former grist mill, Providence is situated alongside the fast flowing Doniford Stream and adjacent to the village of Woolston. Rumour has it that the building occupies a site of former dwellings, chosen as a location in the past for the access to the river with its strong current and stretches of deep water, yet remaining easily fordable in places.
Although the present building was completed in 1820, the process of build will have taken a few years prior to this and coincided with the enclosure movement, which was part of the wider agricultural revolution. During the period of 1790-1850 the small farmer declined, larger farms were established and approved tenants were given long leases. In short, the estates became large scale and capitalistic and gave birth to the modern system of farming. This part of Somerset was no exception, as the landed gentry consolidated and extended their holdings because land was seen as the foundation of social and political influence.
In the case of Providence, it was part of the large and influential St. Audries estate. It is to the estates credit that the building was completed as a mill, for the end of the Napoleonic wars saw the first great slump of capitalistic agriculture and in particular the considerable drop in corn prices following the bumper harvest of 1813.
Providence was originally designed as two dwellings. The eastern part was occupied by the foreman miller and his family and the smaller western dwelling was for a labourer and family. In addition, the western wall which now borders the parking area, formed part of the pig sty (demolished in the 1960s), so providing evidence of smallholding activity as well as the grinding of corn.
The building is interesting in appearance. Approaching from the lane, the view is of an archetypal Western Somerset cottage, being built in two stories and with a southerly aspect reflecting the sun in the red stone of the walls. As the building was constructed into the side of a hill, the northern face of the house has three stories - the lower originally housing the working machinery of the mill. This latter aspect being entirely functional and therefore resembling a typical commercial mill. Although none of the original machinery exists, the sill in the river can still be seen creating sufficient fall to power the undershot mill throughout the year.
A footbridge existed until the 1960s, connecting Providence to the northern field opposite, so creating easy access to Woolston and a more direct pedestrian route to the main road.
On the eastern side of the building situated near the apex of the roof, there is a stone plaque showing the completion date of the build as 1820. Similarly, a plaque exists on the western wall denoting the additions were made in the 1960s.
It was during this latter period that the two dwellings were converted into one house, with an additional staircase, lobby and garage added. Although the new buildings were sympathetically designed to blend with existing architecture, the internal modifications suffered somewhat from a 1960s design excess.
The present owners have changed much of the internal design to more adequately reflect the C19 origins.
Providence remained as part of the St. Audries estate until the 24th April 1925, when two cottages and a garden at Providence in the Parish of Sampford Brett were conveyed from the Right Hon. Alexander Peregrine Baron St. Audries to Mr. William George Penny of Watchet.
On The 11th September 1939 the Penny family sold the property to Mr. Benjamin and Mrs Minnie Burge who retained ownership until 29th May 1965.
The property was then acquired by Dr. Alistair and Mrs Margaret Robb-Smith.
Some thirty years later, on 10th November 1995, the property was purchased by the present owners, Dr. Michael and Mrs Barbara Thrower.
It is significant that the last three owners, including the present owners, have acquired further holdings of land so that the building is now surrounded by its own land to the south of the Doniford Stream, so ensuring the character and tranquillity of the location.
In the eastern lower field called 'Old Moor', exists a fresh water spring which currently feeds the Doniford Stream, via an holding tank, but originally supplied the village with water, certainly until the 1930s.
Editors note.
The mill was known to have been a pumping station after it ceased as a mill, pumping water up to the reservoir opposite Kiln Ridge.