Tellisford Explained

Static Image:Tellisford All Saints.JPG
Static Image Width:180px
Static Image Caption:All Saints church
Country:England
Official Name:Tellisford
Coordinates:51.3°N -2.283°W
Population:182
Population Ref:(2011)[1]
Lieutenancy England:Somerset
Unitary England:Somerset Council
Region:South West England
Constituency Westminster:Frome and East Somerset
Post Town:BATH
Postcode District:BA2
Postcode Area:BA
Dial Code:01373
Os Grid Reference:ST804557

Tellisford is a village and civil parish 6miles north-east of Frome in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the village of Woolverton.

History

The village was known as Tefleford in 1001 and Tablesford in 1086 meaning Theabul's ford or ford at a flat place.[2] The parish of Woolverton was part of the hundred of Frome, while Tellisford was part of the Wellow Hundred.[3]

The manor was acquired by the Hungerfords of Farleigh Hungerford in the early 15th century who used the fulling mill to endow their chantry chapel. The cloth making industry continuing until 1912.[2]

The village was partially destroyed by a serious fire in 1785.[2]

Tellisford is one of the Thankful Villages which lost no men in World War I.[4] It also lost no men in World War II.

Governance

Tellisford has a Parish Meeting, where all village electors are automatically members. It is required to meet at least twice a year and does not levy a precept.

The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Frome Rural District,[5] which is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is also part of the Frome and East Somerset county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.

River Frome

The packhorse bridge over the Frome was extensively overhauled in 1692 by John Ducey of Tellisford and is a Grade II listed building. The cobbled roadway is 6feet wide and the bridge has a total span of in three segmental arches.[6]

There is a weir, and an Environment Agency monitoring station on the river north of the village. Tellisford Mill is a water mill recently converted to hydroelectric generation.

Religious sites

Tellisford's Church of All Saints dates from the 12th century and is Grade II listed. Its tower was added in 1490 and restoration was carried out in 1854. William Parry, an antiquarian, was the rector from 1712 until his resignation in 1715.[7] Today the church is part of the Hardington Vale benefice, centred on Norton St Philip.[8]

The former Church of St. Lawrence at Woolverton dates from the 14th century and is also Grade II listed. The church was declared redundant in 1995 and is now in private ownership.[9] [10]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Tellisford Parish. Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 1 January 2014.
  2. Book: Bush, Robin. Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. 1994. 206. 1-874336-26-1.
  3. Web site: Somerset Hundreds. GENUKI. 22 October 2011.
  4. Web site: The Thankful Villages - Where no men from the village died in the First World War. 2021-12-08. Historic UK. en-GB.
  5. Web site: Frome RD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014.
  6. Book: Hinchliffe. Ernest. Guide to the Packhorse Bridges of England. 1994. Cicerone. 978-1852841430. 152.
  7. Web site: Parry, William (bap. 1687, d. 1756). Cooper. Thompson. 2004. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online edition, subscription access). Oxford University Press.
  8. Web site: Parish of Hardington Vale - Our History. 15 March 2016.
  9. Web site: Parish of Hardington Vale - Woolverton. 15 March 2016.
  10. Web site: Closed churches - Diocese of Bath and Wells. Church of England. 15 March 2016. 6. 1 October 2012.