Stoke St Gregory History Pages
Ordnance Survey Maps - Updated 04/02/2024
The roots of Ordnance Survey go back to 1747, when King George II commissioned a military survey of the Scottish highlands following the Jacobite revolt of 1745. However, it was not until 1790 that the Board of Ordnance began a national military survey starting with the south coast of England in anticipation of a French invasion.
In 1801 the first one-inch-to-the-mile map was published, detailing the county of Kent, with Essex following shortly after. During the next twenty years roughly a third of England and Wales was mapped at the same scale. It was gruelling work: Major Thomas Colby, the then Director General of Ordnance Survey, walked 586 miles in 22 days on a reconnaissance in 1819. The twenty-five inch to the mile survey was completed by 1895, rural Somerset being one of the last areas - about 1888.
The Centre of Stoke in 1930 - This was a revision of the Second Edition of the Ordnance Survey
After the first World War, Taunton Rural District Council had built the 16 houses in Willey Road, but no Pokes Field, no Church Close, no Huntham Close, and no Broomfield Park. Dunfield House was the only dwelling (the smithy is behind the house) between the school and the field that became the Playing Field after World War 2. The garden of the Royal Oak stretched SW to Willey Road, and the orchard NE into what is now Church Close. The fields to the NE & SE of Stoke House were part of the property, the buildings on the map being used to process withies. Below is the view today (Copyright Google Earth)
The maps from which these images are taken were kindly donated by Joanna Davis of Woodhill, Stoke St Gregory. They were the property of Tom Patten, withy grower and dealer, of Iris House and the old coal yard.
Up to the Old Rose & Crown from the junction of Pound Drove and Pincombe Drove. Pincombe was previously spelt Pynkham, and was probably the third Saxon settlement, of Mr Pink, along with Sharpham, Mr Scearp and Huntham, Mr Hunta
At one time Griggs Hill was simply called the Lane, and Lane End would be literally that, before a road was made down through Meare Green Common and the hill was dug out to make a reasonable gradient down to Curload for hauling hay up from the moor.
At the bottom of Slough Lane, Collickshire Lane would have been the main route to the River Tone from Stoke before the Curload Hill road was dug out.
Showing the old bridge at Athelney, with a house just on the other side of the river and more cottages along the bank towards the pumping station.
