Stanton Drew

"STANTON-DREW, a parish in the hundred of Keynsham, county Somerset, 7 miles S. of Bristol, and 1½ mile S.W. of Pensford. The parish, which is extensive, is situated under Dundry beacon, on the river Chew, near Wansdyke. It contains the hamlet of Belton or Belluton, which signifies, according to some antiquaries, "Baal town," or "the Town of the Sun." Near the centre of the parish are extensive Druidical remains, consisting of circles of large stones, most of them of magnesian limestone, and a few of red sandstone. Copper mines were formerly worked here, but are now disused. A portion of the land is in pasture. The living is a vicarage, with the curacy of Pensford annexed, in the diocese of Bath and Wells, value £236, in the patronage of the archdeacon of Bath. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is an ancient stone edifice. The interior contains a font of great antiquity, and in the N. aisle are monuments of the Coates, Foster, and Lyde families. The register dates from 1651. The parochial charities produce about £156 per annum, of which £148 belong to Jones's schools. The Wesleyans have a place of worship. Stanton Court and Belluton House are the principal residences. P. E. Coates, Esq., is lord of the manor." From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) Transcribed by Colin Hinson © 2003