Wellington (St. John the Baptist)
The living is a vicarage, with the living of West Buckland annexed, valued in the king's books at £15. 10. 2½.; net income, £894; patron, the Rev. W. P. Thomas. The church is a handsome edifice, with an embattled tower crowned by pinnacles; and has two sepulchral chapels, in one of which is a splendid monument to the memory of Sir John Popham, Knt., lord chief justice of England in the reigns of Elizabeth and James I., ornamented with a profusion of effigies and carved work. The Rev. Mr. Thomas has erected an elegant chapel, at his own expense, near the west end of the town; it is dedicated to the Holy Trinity. There are places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents, and Wesleyans; also almshouses, for six men and six women, founded in 1604, and endowed with land by Sir John Popham; the master and matron being directed to instruct children. The poor-law union comprises 24 parishes or places, 19 of which are in Somerset, and 5 in Devon; and contains a population of 21,777. Wellington confers the titles of Viscount, Earl, Marquess, and Duke, on that distinguished military commander, Arthur Wellesley, Prince of Waterloo; the first title created Sept. 4th, 1809; the second, Feb. 28th, 1812; the third, August 18th, of the same year; and the fourth, May 3rd, 1814. At a short distance from the town is a magnificent pillar, erected by public subscription, in commemoration of the signal victory obtained by his Grace on the plain of Waterloo, in 1815.
Transcribed from A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858.