Yeovil's Virtual Museum

In Higher Perrythorne

A former part of the great West Field of Kingston Manor

 

Perrythorne had originally been a much larger single field within the great manorial West Field of Kingston Manor but by the 1840s had been subdivided several times - In Higher Perrythorne (Parcel 1446) was one of these subdivisions and a field of Larkhill Farm. It was a large field on the eastern side of Larkhill Lane and included Larkhill Farm in its northeast corner (see 1946 aerial photograph below) to the immediate south of what would become today's Stiby Road.

The 1846 Tithe Apportionment noted In Higher Perrythorne as 4a 2r 35p and used as pasture for grazing livestock. The Apportionment noted that the owner was William Jones Prowse and the tenant was James Pope.

In Higher Perrythorne was bounded on the north by Higher Perrythorne (Parcel 1417) and Great Larkhill (Parcel 1418), to the west by Cribhouse Perrythorne (Parcel 1446), to the south by Lower Perrythorne (Parcel 1449) and Parcel 1450 (un-named in the Tithe Apportionment) and to the east by Lower Little Larkhill (Parcel 1444).

By the 1940s In Higher Perrythorne had been split again, as seen in the aerial photographs below, with the northern part appearing to be planted with an orchard. Today the site of this northern part of former In Higher Perrythorne is occupied by the houses and gardens of Stiby Road and the new development currently replacing St Anne's Gardens. The southern part of In Higher Perrythorne is, perhaps surprisingly for this part of Yeovil, still grassed - being the playing field of Westfield Academy.

For details on historic land measurement (ie acres, roods and perches) click here.

 

This map, based on the descriptions in the 1589 Terrier and the 1846 Tithe Map of Yeovil shows the approximate boundaries of the Manors of Kingston and Hendford as well as the manorial three-field system used in Kingston.

 

The Larkhill area reproduced from the 1842 Tithe Map. In Higher Perrythorne is at top left.

 

By the time of the 1931 sale of Larkhill Farm the size of the farm had been much reduced to just over 22 acres, including In Higher Perrythorne.

 

The 1946 aerial photograph - In Higher Perrythorne at top left to the immediate right of Larkhill Farm, but by this time the field had been split with the northern portion appearing to have become an orchard.

 

The same area today 'borrowed' from Google maps.

 

The 1842 Tithe Map superimposed (only very slightly out at the bottom) over a modern map.

 

An aerial photograph of 1941 showing Larkhill Lane running from its junction with Preston Road at top right, down past Larkhill Farm at centre left. At centre, the circular object is Yeovil's Barrage Balloon Site No 19, "Larkhill Lane". In Higher Perrythorne is at the extreme left edge of the photograph next to Larkhill Farm where it has become an orchard with the remainder of the field grassed before it meets the houses of Cedar Grove.

 

This 1946 aerial photograph clearly shows the development of the Larkhill Road 'prefabs' left of centre. Much of this section of Larkhill Road would be built in 1946 by Italian prisoners of war. Running across the bottom of the photograph is Preston Road and from the junction with Larkhill Road and running to the bottom right corner is Preston Grove. In Higher Perrythorne in the top right quadrant, clearly divided at this time.