Orchardleigh

"ORCHARDLEIGH, a parish in the hundred of Frome, county Somerset, 2 miles N. of Frome, its railway station and post town. The parish, which is of small extent, is situated 2 miles W. of the road from Bath to Weymouth, and is partly bounded by the river Frome. The soil consists of loam and marl on a subsoil of limestone. There is no village, only a few farmhouses. The land is entirely pasture and woodland. The greater portion of the parish is included in the park. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £167. The church is a small Norman edifice of great antiquity, and has a tower containing one bell. The interior of the church contains some monuments of the Champneys family. The register dates from 1670. A Sunday-school is held at the church. Orchardleigh Park, the principal residence, is situated in well-wooded grounds, which comprise nearly 800 acres, and are adorned by an artificial lake of 28 acres. William Duckworth, Esq., J.P., is lord of the manor and sole landowner." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003