Kewstoke

"KEWSTOKE, a parish in the hundred of Winterstoke, county Somerset, 8 miles N.W. of Axbridge, 20 S.W. of Bristol, and 2 from Weston-super-Mare, its post town and railway station. It is situated on the Bristol Channel, and is indented on the W. by Sand Bay. Here are the ruins of Wordspring Priory, founded in 1210 by William de Courtny, part of which has been converted into a farmhouse. Through the wood from Kewstoke to Weston the view of the surrounding country is very extensive. Stone is quarried for building purposes, and lead and iron ore are found in abundance. The soil is loamy, and subsoil clay. The Bristol and Exeter railway passes through the parish. The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £330, in the patronage of the lord chancellor. The church, dedicated to St. Paul, is a stone structure with a square embattled tower containing five bells. It has a highly enriched Norman arch, and a sculptured stone pulpit. The church has been recently restored. The register dates from 1568. The parochial charities produce about £4 per annum. There is a National school for children of both sexes, in which a Sunday-school is also held John Hellier, Esq., is lord of the manor." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003