Wellington in 1841
Wellington is in the hundred of West Kingsbury, 151 miles west by south of London by Andover, Amesbury, Somerton, and Taunton, and 7 miles south-west of Taunton. The manor of Wellington was bestowed by Alfred the Great on his friend and biographer Asser, bishop of Sherborne, and on his death was transferred to the bishop of the newly-erected diocese of Wells, by whose successor it was held at the time of the Domesday Survey, in which it is written Walintone.
The town is situated on high ground about a mile and a half south of the river Tone, and consists chiefly of two streets intersecting in the middle of the town ; one of them is along the road from Taunton to Exeter. Considerable improvements have been made of late years by paving the streets and removing old houses. The church is at the north-east end of the town, and is a fine Gothic building, consisting of nave, chancel, side aisles, two small chapels, vestry-room, and porch, with a handsome embattled western tower, crowned with twelve pinnacles : it contains a fine monument of Chief Justice Sir John Popham. There is an Episcopal chapel at the west end of the town : and there are meeting-houses for Baptists, Independents, Methodists, and Quakers.
The area of the parish is 4,830 acres ; the population in 1831 was 4,762. The woollen manufacture is carried on to some extent : it gave employment in 1831 to 258 men. The market, which has declined of late years, is on Thursday ; and there are two yearly fairs.
The living is a vicarage, united with the chapelry of West Buckland, in the peculiar jurisdiction of the bishop of Bath and Wells : their joint clear yearly value is £894, with a glebe-house.
There were in the parish of Wellington in 1833, two infant schools, with 82 boy's and 90 girls ; and three dame-schools, with 24 boys and 28 girls ; nine other day-schools, with 124 boys and 90 girls ; and five Sunday-schools, with 262 boys and 335 girls.
The Duke of Wellington derives his title from this town, and he is lord of the manor of Wellington. A pillar in commemoration of the Battle of Waterloo has been erected by subscription in the neighbourhood of the town. |