Place:Kilmersdon, Somerset, England

NameKilmersdon
Alt namesCharltonsource: hamlet in parish
Green Parloursource: hamlet in parish
Haydonsource: hamlet in parish
South Viewsource: hamlet in parish
TypeAncient parish, Civil parish
Coordinates51.271°N 2.436°W
Located inSomerset, England
See alsoKilmersdon Hundred, Somerset, Englandhundred in which it was located
Frome Rural, Somerset, Englandrural district 1894-1974
Mendip, Somerset, Englandnon-metropolitan district in existence since 1974 which includes Kilmersdon
NOTE: There are several other places with Charlton in their name in Somerset: Charlton Horethorne is a civil parish near Wincanton in South Somerset, Charlton Mackrell (with Charlton Adam) is near Langport, and Charlton Musgrove is another civil parish near Wincanton. Queen Charlton is a hamlet (but was a parish) in the civil parish of Compton Dando.


the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia.

Kilmersdon (#12 on map) is a civil parish with a small village of the same name in Somerset, England between the towns of Radstock and Frome. The settlement is recorded in William I's Domesday book of 1086 and dates back at least 1000 years; though the core of the village dates from the mid-nineteenth century. The name Kilmersdon means 'Cynemaer's Hill'.

Kilmersdon Parish Council covers the village of Kilmersdon, Charlton, South View and Green Parlour.

Kilmersdon was originally in Kilmersdon Hundred and between 1894 and 1974 was part of the Frome Rural District.

In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, all urban and rural districts across England were abolished and counties were reorganized into metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts. Kilmersdon became part of the non-metropolitan Mendip District in 1974.

Located directly above the Somerset coalfield, like much of the area there is evidence to suggest coal extraction in the area from Roman times, with documentary evidence of coal extraction at Kilmersdon starting in 1437. Kilmersdon Colliery was established from February 1875 as part of the Writhlington (#32) group of collieries. Access to coal mining beneath Kilmersdon was through a network of tunnels from an entrance at Haydon, a nearby hamlet, resulting in the colliery also being known as Haydon Pit. During its life, the maximum depth of the shaft reached close to 500 metres (1,600 ft).

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Kilmersdon.

Image:Frome Rural 1900 small A.png

Historic Descriptions

1822 - Somersetshire Delineated by Christopher and John Greenwood

KILMERSDON — a parish in the centre of the Kilmersdon hundred, 7 miles N.W. from Frome, and 10 miles S. S.W. from Bath; Containing 369 inhabited houses, and 388 families, 71 of whom are employed in agriculture, 64 in trade, manufacture, or handicraft, and 253 not included in either class. A considerable proportion of the latter number of families is employed in the coal mines, which has occasioned a great increase in the population of this parish. About a mile eastward from the village is Ammerdown, the seat of T. S. Jolliffe, Esq. The church is a handsome edifice, dedicated to St. Peter and St. Paul, and consists of a nave, chancel, and north aisle, with a tower at the west end. The living is a vicarage, in the deanery of Frome, and in the gift of the Crown; Rev Charles Neve, incumbent; instituted 1806. Population, 1801, 1721 — 1811, 1780 — 1821, 1991.

1929 - Somerset by George Woosung Wade & Joseph Henry Wade

Kilmersdon, a village 2 m. S. from Radstock. It lies prettily in a hollow at the foot of Ammerdown Park. The church is a 15th cent. Perp. building with a lofty W. tower which forms a graceful object in the vale. The nave within and without bears traces of Norm. work. Note corbels and scale work on S. external wall, and in the interior the small Norm. window. In Perp. times the walls were raised, the old corbel-table being left in its original position. The triple panelling to the tower arch and the reduplication of the chancel arch is a little peculiar. A triangular lychgate of unusual design has lately been added to the churchyard. There is an Elizabethan communion cup dated 1566. Ammerdown House (Ld. Hylton) stands amongst the trees on the hill-side behind the village. It is an Italian mansion, designed by Wyatt. The summit of the hill above is crowned by a graceful memorial column with a glittering lantern. As the hill is 800 feet high, it is a conspicuous landmark.

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source: Family History Library Catalog
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Kilmersdon. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.