Yarcombe (St. John the Baptist)

YARCOMBE (St. John the Baptist), a parish, in the union of Chard, hundred of Axminster, Honiton and S. divisions of Devon. 5½ miles (W.) from Chard: containing 826 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the river Yarte, from which its name, in ancient documents written Yartecomb, is clearly derived. It comprises about 5000 acres, and is the property of Sir H. F. T. S. Drake, to whose ancestor, Sir Francis, one moiety of the manor was granted by Queen Elizabeth. There are some quarries of blue lias, which are easily wrought. The village lies in the well-wooded vale of the Axe, and the surrounding scenery is beautifully picturesque. The road from London to Exeter passes through the parish, and considerable facilities of conveyance are afforded by a canal from Taunton to Chard. A pleasure-fair is held on the second Tuesday after Trinity-Sunday. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £28, and in the patronage of the Crown; net income, £607; impropriator, Sir H. Drake. The glebe comprises 36 acres, with a house. The church is a handsome cruciform structure in the decorated English style, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a low spire. Here is a place of worship for Baptists.