Kilve, Somerset
Historical Description
Kilve, a village and a parish in Somerset. The village stands near the coast, between the Bristol Channel and the Quantock Hills, about 1 mile from each, and 5 miles NE by E of Williton station on the G.W.R., and 6 E by N of Watchet; is a pleasant place-Wordsworth's " Kilve by the green sea." It has a post office under Bridgwater; money order and telegraph office, Nether Stowey. Acreage, 1773; population of the civil parish, 186; of the ecclesiastical, including Stringston, 307. The living is a rectory, united with the vicarage of Stringston, in the diocese of Bath and Wells; net value, £300 with residence. The church is ancient, was restored in 1861, and consists of centre aisle and chancel, with porch and tower. A chantry or priory was founded near the church by Simon de Foumeaux, and has left some remains. A reading-room was opened in 1885.
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 | Kilve St. Mary | |
Hundred | Williton and Freemanners | |
Poor Law union | Williton |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Kilve 1638-1812, Somerset is available to browse online.
Ancestry.co.uk, in association with Somerset Archives & Local Studies, have images of the Parish Registers for Somerset online.
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Kilve from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Kilve (St. Mary))
Maps
Online maps of Kilve 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.