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St Catherine, Drayton, Somerset

Location
(51°1′10″N, 2°50′58″W)
Drayton
ST 405 248
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Somerset
now Somerset
  • Robin Downes
31 March 2005

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Feature Sets
Description

Drayton is in the South Somerset district, 11 miles E of Taunton and 1.6 miles SW of Langport. It is a good-sized village clustered around a staggered crossroads of which the eastward road runs to Muchelney abbey, 1.4 miles away. St Catherine’s stands in the village centre.

The church is a 15thc structure of nave with N aisle and S porch, chancel and W tower. The nave arcade is of four bays. Construction is of coursed & squared lias rubble with hamstone dressings. It was restored in 1855. The only Romanesque feature is the plain font.

History

In 1086 and before the Conquest, Drayton was among the holdings of the Benedictine Abbey of Muchelney. It was assessed at 20 hides of which 11 hides and 2½ virgates were in demesne. The estate also contained 50 acres of meadow, pasture 2 leagues by 1, and woodland 2 leagues by 1½. Two of the 20 hides were held from the abbey by Ceolric and Wulfweard, along with 3 acres of the meadow, 35 acres of pasture and 7 acres of woodland. A small part of this estate was called Moortown, and was held in 1086 by Ogis from Roger de Courseulles. It consisted of 1 hide and half a virgate, 10 acres of meadow and 7 acres of woodland.

Features

Furnishings

Fonts

Comments/Opinions

The list description describes the font as a Norman tub. It is not mentioned in Pevsner. Local comparisons are with Shepton Beauchamp, 5 miles to the S and Chaffcombe, 10 miles S.

Bibliography

Victoria County History: Somerset, II (1911), 103-07 (on Muchelney).

English Heritage Listed Building 264336

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset. Harmondsworth 1958, 152.

Somerset County Council, Historic Environment Record 22358.