History of Trudoxhill

The inhabitants of Trudoxhill in pre-Roman times were probably Belgic Britains who lived in a fortified settlement on Postlebury Hill.

When Claudius invaded Britain in 42AD he knew that there were lead mines in the Mendip Hills, and the Romans probably used the road or track at Ridgeway as they spread through the Southwest.

After the Romans left Britain, the Saxons gradually spread and defeated the Britains and it is known that the Saxon King, Cenwalh, gave local land to his Chieftains.  Witham was given to Wita, Waendal had Wanstrow, Nunna was given Nunney and he in turn gave his kinsman Truttoc, a hilly part of Nunney – Trudoxhill.

Trudoxhill is not mentioned in the Doomsday Book of 1089, but Nunney, was held by Calo, the Saxon until the Norman, Tugis gained it during the Norman Conquest.  He appeared to have 50 or 60 residents whereas, Marston Bigot was said to be bigger and was owned by Roger Arundel at this time.

Nunney in 1260 was held by Henry de Montfort and was known as Nunney Glaston , because it was owned by Glastonbury Abbey.  The whole area was part of the Royal Forest of Selwood, which covered land between the Somerset Levels and the Wiltshire Downs.  In 1298, Trudoxhill was declared out of the Royal Forest.

In 1348, the Black Death arrived in Frome.  Trudoxhill was affected, along with the rest of the area.  In that year, three parish priests died at Cloford, two at Elm, one at Whatley and one at Marston.  The villagers of Marston, Nunney and Trudoxhill fled to the Forest and did not return until the outbreak had passed.

Edward III granted Sir John Delamare a licence in 1373, to build a castle at Nunney.  The Bigots at Marston who had already built theirs without permission were not so lucky, the castle was destroyed and they forfeited their land.

After the Bigots lost Marston, the Stourtons held the manor for 200 years, the last one to do so, was executed in 1557, for murdering a man called Hartgill over a land dispute.

Marston passed to the crown and then through a series of owners to Richard Boyle, First Earl of Cork, who bought it in 1641.

Trudoxhill was involved in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.  Both armies passed through Frome before Monmouth’s defeat at Sedgemore.

The Earls of Cork and Orrey owned Marston House and the estate until 1905, when it was sold to London businessman, Major Robert Bonham-Christie.  It is now in the ownership of the Yeoman family.

In the 19th Century, Trudoxhill was a thriving community, being self-supporting and bustling with shops and small industry.  The Lords of the Manor were the Theobalds with the local priest being the Reverend T J Theobald.
Trudoxhill had the majority of industrial workers, whilst Nunney was the residential area.  150 years ago, agriculture was the main stay of local industry, but by the end of the 20th Century, very few people made their living from farming.

Congregational Chapel

The Rev. Richard Jones bought the Congregational Chapel building from a Robert Newport who had built it in 1699.  Nobody was buried in the chapel until the end of the 18th Century. 

Family vaults for the Miles and Ball families are still shown in the chapel.  It has also been used as a Schoolhouse.  In the middle of the 19th Century, it had 50 pupils. 

The chapel had a flourishing Sunday school into the 1970’s.  The Hoddinott family has been associated with the chapel since 1820.

Moving into the 21st Century, the chapel has had the good fortune of being completely renovated – allowing services to take place once again. 

Trudoxhill Village Hall

Over a period of many years, attempts had been made to raise sufficient funds to build a village hall.  An attempt dating back to 1935 was interrupted by the war and funds diverted into supporting the war effort.

In 1952/53 a new committee was formed with the objective of building a Village Hall and an application was made to Frome United Breweries for a piece of land adjoining the White Hart on which to build.  Although approval was given and planning permission obtained, a dispute over the choice of stone or wood for the construction resulted in the planning permission lapsing and the project was temporarily discontinued.

In 1971 Mr Macfarlane, who then lived at Millards Hill, reported that huts from the military base at Blandford were being sold by auction and a suitable hut for use as a village hall might be available.  So, lot 72 – a former dentistry, was purchased by Mrs Cherry Ionides and Mrs Brenda Brooks for £45.

The hut had to be moved from the site within four weeks and approximately 14 volunteers spent their weekends at Blandford dismantling the hut ready for removal to Truoxhill.  Each section was marked up to identify its position in the hut and was then stacked in the area which now forms the Village Hall car park.

The task of rebuilding the hut began in June 1972.  This work fell to the band of volunteers who worked tirelessly for several months until the hut was erected.  Added to the hut was a small extension to house the entrance hall and the toilets.

Throughout the period of erecting the hall the labour used was all volunteered from local residents so that the only payments required to be made were for the digging of the footings and the building of the extension.

Even before the work was totally complete, the hall was used for an Easter Bonnet Parade on 15th April 1974.  The hall was officially opened at the Harvest Supper in September 1974 for 150 people.

Since its erection the Village Hall has provided a base for many local organisations and village functions and is available for hire.

The facilities available at the Village Hall and its excellent state of repair and decoration are due entirely to the volunteers who have served on the Village Hall Committee since its inception.  Although the committee members change over the years, their dedication to the maintenance of the Village Hall as a social centre for the village remains unchanged.