Kingsbury Episcopi Orchards : some insights from old maps.

To date, the earliest map extract we have encountered is from 1777, drawn up for Thomas Grosvenor Esq who was the owner of Thorney Farm & Mill. Source : Somerset Heritage Centre



By 1890 The Mill House has been built – marked as Residence on the above. The barns and outbuildings marked in yellow adjoining the Mills become workshops / storage related to the withy business & trade.
Thorney Mill is today called Thorney Silent Mill – the mill wheel has wooden cogs therebt making less noise that if made of metal.
KINGSBURY EPISCOPI
In Three Sketches No.3
Drawn Circa 1820 -1830 by Benjamin Love
Orchards in the village of Kingsbury Episcopi

St. Martins Church is shown as a dark irregular shape, towards the top of the map, right hand side.
Orchards in Stembridge

What is to become the Stuckey family home and orchards is yet to be built in field 708.


Orchards on Bladon Hill

Source : Somerset Heritage Centre.

Tithe Maps

The term Tithe map is usually applied to a map of a parish or township, prepared following the Tithe Commutation Act 1836. This act allowed tithes to be paid in cash rather than goods. The map and its accompanying schedule (Apportionment) gave the names of all owners and occupiers of land in the parish.
The Apportionment

• who owns the Land and/or Dwelling
• who were the Occupiers at the time
• a Plan number
• name & description of Lands & Premises
• the State of Cultivation

Burrow Hill in 1841 – Tithe Map

The Orchards, Stembridge 1841 – Tithe Map

Plot 734 – A Nursery Plot 735 – A Garden
Plot 736 – House, Offices & Yard
Plot 737 – Battshay Orchard
Southay – Tithe Map

Use : Plot Orchard : Nursery Orchard & Outbuilding.
Source of map extracts : Somerset Heritage Centre : Our Thanks
25 ins to a mile 1903 Maps based on the original Survey of 1885 with Revisions in 1901

The map above shows the orchards and withy fields at Palmers End and Lower Burrow.
Many local families grew and managed both crops.
Orchards at Stembridge & Stembridge Ash.


Ordnance Survey 1 : 10,000 extracts circa 1960

The tree symbols are all apple orchards




Source – The Ordnance Survey
