I’m a historian of the town of Bridgwater in Somerset. Most of my work goes on bridgwaterheritage.com and wembdonroadcemetery.com. However I’ve two further articles:
- 2013 ‘The End of Bridgwater Castle’, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society 156, pp. 127-134.
- 2012 ‘The Jews’ Churchyard, Bridgwater’, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society 155, pp. 202-204.
The first traces the long decline of the castle through the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries, and argues firmly that the castle was not destroyed as a result of the Civil Wars and Oliver Cromwell. It was heavily redeveloped by the Harvey family in the 1630s, and then gradually melted away, bits being demolished in the 1720s and 1810s, until now only fragments remain.
The latter explores the unusual field name in the parish of Wembdon, and the deserted medieval village of Kidsbury. The best interpretation I had at the time is that ‘Jews’ s a corruption of ‘yews’ or perhaps even ‘ewes’. I’d like to think it was the site of an abandoned chapel, but sadly the site has been built over a few times so we’ll probably never know for sure.
I’ve produced two general interest books on the area.
- 2019Â Bridgwater and the First World War, published by the Friends of the Wembdon Road Cemetery.
This book tells the story of the town before and during the Great War, through the stories of the 53 servicemen commemorated in the Wembdon Road Cemetery. Almost all theatres of the war are covered, from the Western Front, Dardanelles, East Africa, Palestine, Salonika and so on, on the land, in the sea and in the air.
- 2017 Wembdon: Church, Village and Parish, published by St George’s Parish Church & the Bridgwater Heritage Group.
This little book is a history of Wembdon, from Romano-British burial ground, through medieval church, Victorian quarries and modern cricket pavilions.
I’ve also contributed to a number of local history publications
- 2023 with Brian Smedley, Bridgwater Visitor Guide and Map (A Cycling Guide), published by Bridgwater Town Council.
- 2022 with Tony Woolrich and Brian Smedley, Bridgwater History Guide, published by Bridgwater Town Council.
- 2020 with Roy Cheek and Brian Smedley, Bridgwater Tree Guide, published by Bridgwater Town Council.
- 2016Â A Walk in the Wembdon Road Cemetery, Friends of the Wembdon Road Cemetery, Bridgwater Town Council, and Sedgemoor District Council.
- 2015 Contributor to Stuckey, J., Bridgwater Blue Plaques Guide, Bridgwater & District Civic Society.
- 2010 with Cattermole, P. and others, Bridgwater Town Trails, Bridgwater Town Council.