Stoke-Pero

STOKE-PERO, a parish, in the union of Williton, hundred of Carhampton, W. division of Somerset, 3 miles (S. by W.) from Porlock; containing 84 inhabitants. The parish comprises about 4000 acres of land, most of which is common. The soil rests on a bed of red gravel, and the rusty appearance of the water among the hills indicates the probability of iron-ore lying beneath. Dundry Beacon, a large mountain, is partly in the parish: its base is about twelve miles in circuit, and its height above the sea at high water is 1770 feet, being the loftiest eminence in the western part of England; it serves as a distant landmark, but the summit is often obscured by clouds. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £4. 10. 10., and in the gift of John Quick, Esq.: the tithes have been commuted for £68, and the glebe contains 8 acres. The church is a small edifice, with a low tower.