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St Margaret, Thorne St Margaret, Somerset

Location
(50°58′55″N, 3°17′10″W)
Thorne St Margaret
ST 098 211
pre-1974 traditional (England and Wales) Somerset
now Somerset
  • Robin Downes
27 July 2004

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Description

The village of Thorne St Margaret stands on rising ground on the S bank of the River Tone, 7miles W of Taunton and less than 2 miles from the Devon border. The church is in the centre of the village, and consists of a 2-bay chancel with a S vestry and organ room, a nave with S aisle and S porch, and a W tower, all of red sandstone random rubble. The tower is 15thc and the remainder 19thc, but there are 12thc carved stones reused on the interior of the S doorway, and a 12thc font.

History

In 1086 Thorne St Margaret (Torne) was held by Alric from Roger of Courseulles, and before the Conquest it was held by 3 thegns, Almer and his 2 brothers. I paid geld for 1 hide and 3 virgates. The vill also included 4 acres of meadow, 30 acres of pasture, 8 acres of woodland and a mill.

Features

Exterior Features

Doorways

Furnishings

Fonts

Comments/Opinions

The EH list description describes the chevron inside the S doorway as ‘Norman zig-zag moulding on reredos of entrance, probably reset', and the font as Saxon. Neither was noted by Pevsner.

The author remarks that the bowl itself is rounded so as to curve in from a point about ¼ from the top, which seems very satisfying. Such a good shape needed no decoration, which perhaps would have been more difficult to execute in this sandstone than in the more usual limestone

Bibliography

EH, English Heritage Listed Building 271133.

N. Pevsner, The Buildings of England: South and West Somerset, Harmondsworth 1958, 322.

Somerset County Council, Somerset County Council, Historic Environment Record 41081.