Stoke sub Hamdon
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The village
Stoke sub Hamdon
is located near Yeovil, Somerset, England (see map),
and has been the home of many Dalwood families for more than four centuries. In 2001
Dalwoods still lived there or nearby.
Along with its neighbouring villages, Norton sub Hamdon and Montacute, Stoke sub Hamdon nestles at the base of Ham Hill (see photograph taken from the hill). It 'lies at the junction of the undulating Dorset uplands with the former marshes of the Somerset Levels - a tactically important site recognised by countless generations', as described in the book Stoke sub Hamdon - A Somerset Village, compiled by Alan Richards.
The parish church
The Church of St Mary the Virgin - the original Norman building, comprising chancel and nave, was built from Ham stone about 1100 AD. Additions and alterations have been made over the centuries, but much of the original Norman church remains, including the late 12th/early 13th century font, shown here.
Dalwood family events in this church as early as 1561, and as recently as 1978, appear
in surviving records. Several memorials in the graveyard carry the names of Dalwood family
members.
Ham Hill
Ham Hill is a very significant feature of the countryside, rising some 79 metres (260 feet) above Stoke. It is large in area as well as height, and has been quarried for its golden stone for building throughout Somerset and Dorset since at least Roman times, around 2000 years ago. Quarrying was still taking place in 2001. So much stone has been removed from the hill that it is said that it will never be known how high the hill originally towered over the surrounding countryside.
The Romans fortified Ham Hill to make a large camp, and evidence of their parade ground remains. The hill has yielded archaeological evidence of activity during the Iron Age (from 1000 BC) and the Bronze Age (from around 2000 BC).
Image produced from the www.old-maps.co.uk service with permission of
Landmark Information Group Ltd. and Ordnance Survey.
Copyright © Landmark Information Group Ltd and Crown Copyright 2001. All rights reserved.
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www.dalwood.org © Copyright Ian J Dalwood 2002