Place:Writhlington, Somerset, England

the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia Writhlington (#32 on map) is a village partly within the boundaries of the parish of Radstock and 6 miles (10 km) northwest of Frome. The area is now covered by the Bath and North East Somerset district of Somerset, England. It was a coal mining centre. Coal pits within the village were part of the Somerset coalfield. In 1896 they were owned by Writhlington, Huish and Foxcote Colliery Co., and by 1908 this had been changed to Writhlington Collieries Co. Ltd. The Upper and Lower Writhlington, Huish & Foxcote pits were all merged into one colliery. Most of the output went to Portishead power station. The village was on a branch of the proposed route of the Somerset Coal Canal, however this was converted into a tramway in 1815. The parish church (now sold into private ownership) was dedicated to St Mary Magdalene. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building. The old rectory which accompanies it dates from the 18th century. There is also a Methodist church dating from the early 20th century. [edit] Governance Writhlington was originally part of the Kilmersdon Hundred, one of the hundreds or early subdivisions of the county of Somerset. Between 1894 and 1933 it was a parish in the Frome Rural District. In 1933 the parish was abolished and divided between the parishes of Kilmersdon and Radstock, both of which are now part of the Bath and North East Somerset district.

Historic Descriptions

1822 - Somersetshire Delineated by Christopher and John Greenwood

Writhlington - a parish in the hundred of Kilmersdon; 8½ miles N.W. from Frome; containing 38 inhabited houses and 41 families, 13 of whom are employed in agriculture. The church is dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen, and consists of a nave, chancel, and one small aisle and porch with a low tower at the west end containing two bells. The living is a rectory belonging to the prebend thereof in Salisbury cathedral, and is united with Fordington. Population 1801, 108 - 1811, 1109 - 1821, 1349

1875 - Somersetshire edited by Edward Robert Kelly

WRITHLINGTON is a small parish and village, 117 miles from London, one mile west from Radstock railway station, 7 north-west from Frome railway station, 8 southwest from Bath, in the Eastern division of the county, Kilmersdon hundred, Frome union and county court district, Froine rural deanery, Wells archdeaconry, and diocese of Bath and Wells. The church of St. Mary Magdalene is a small stone building, in the Decorated style, rebuilt and enlarged in 1874, and consists of chancel, with vestry on the north side, nave, north aisle, and an open belfry containing 2 bells, and south porch. The register dates from the year 1690. The living is a rectory, yearly value £106, with residence, 28 acres of glebe, and a share of coal worked under the glebe, in the gift of the prebendary of Writhlington, in Salisbury Cathedral, and held by the Rev. Henry Butterworth Whiting, B.A., of Christ's College, Cambridge. Here is a National school for boys and girls. Coal abounds, and is extensively worked by a company. This parish belongs to the prebend of Writhlington, in the cathedral church of Salisbury, and Lord Hylton is the present lessee. The soil is various, the greater portion of the parish being light, lying on the inferior oolite, under which is bastard freestone. The crops are a succession of grain. The area is 772 acres; rateable value, £6,346; and the population in 1871 was 401.

1929 - Somerset by George Woosung Wade & Joseph Henry Wade

Writhlington, a small colliery village on a hill 1 m. E. of Radstock. The church, rebuilt in 1874, lies in a valley at the bottom of a steep lane, half a mile from the village. Near the church is an old manor house, at which Cromwell is said to have stopped on his march into Somerset.

Research Tips

Online Transcriptions

• Writhlington Baptisms 1673-1731
• Writhlington Baptisms 1729-1812
• Writhlington Baptisms 1813-1882
• Writhlington Baptisms 1883-1971

• Writhlington Marriages 1673-1731
• Writhlington Marriages 1729-1812
• Writhlington Marriages 1754-1810
• Writhlington Marriages 1813-1836
• Writhlington Marriages 1837-1970
• Writhlington Marriages 1970-1975

• Writhlington Burials 1673-1731
• Writhlington Burials 1729-1812
• Writhlington Burials 1813-1903
• Writhlington Burials 1903-1978

Old Maps

• Ordnance Survey 1:10560 County Series 1st edition (c.1884-87) Sheet 30 Subsheet 08
• Ordnance Survey 1:10560 County Series 2nd edition (c.1900) Sheet 30 Subsheet 08

Family History Catalog

• Parish registers, 1675-1902
• Bishop's transcripts, 1598-1833, 1838
• Land tax assessments for Writhlington, 1766-1831
• Churchwardens' accounts, 1692-1893
• Poor rates, 1836-1837
• Census returns for Writhlington, 1841-1891

Other Resources

• Somerset Record Office
• Somerset Archives holdings for Parish of 'Writhlington'
• Frome Registration District Research Guide
• Writhlington at Wikipedia
• Writhlington at GENUKI