Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset
Historical Description
Farleigh Hungerford, a village and a parish in Somerset. The village stands on the river Frome, adjacent to Wiltshire, 2½ miles S by E of Freshford station on the G.W.R., and 8 SSE of Bath; occupies a pleasant spot, commanding picturesque views; claims a very remote antiquity, and has an inn. Post town, Bath. The parish comprises 906 acres; population, 147. The manor was given by William the Conqueror to Eoger de Courcelle, and passed to the Montforts, the Burghershes, the Hungerfords, and the Bayntons. A castle was built on it in the times of Richard II. and Henry IV. by the Hungerfords, and was held, in the civil war of Charles I., for the king. This appears to have comprised an oval double court, with towers upon the walls, but it is now an utter ruin, consisting of a strong arched entrance, two ivy-mantled towers,-and some fragments of thick walls. The chapel still stands-within the enclosure, has Later English windows, with traces elsewhere of Early English, and contains armour, altar-tombs, " and other monuments of the Hungerfords. Farleigh House belongs to Lord Donington. A Roman pavement was found in 1685. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and-Wells; net value, £118 with residence. Patron, Lord Donington. The church is small, but possesses some features of interest. There is a Nonconformist chapel.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Somersetshire | |
Ecclesiastical parish | Farleigh-Hungerford St. Leonard | |
Hundred | Wellow | |
Poor Law union | Frome |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
Ancestry.co.uk, in association with Somerset Archives & Local Studies, have images of the Parish Registers for Somerset online.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Farleigh Hungerford from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Farleigh-Hungerford (St. Leonard))
Maps
Online maps of Farleigh Hungerford are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Somerset papers online:
- Bath Chronicle and Weekly Gazette
- Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser
- Western Gazette
- Wells Journal
- Somerset County Gazette
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Somersetshire, 1623 is available on the Heraldry page.