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The church has been rebuilt, with the exception of the tower. Hard by is Fitzhead Court, an ancient manor house said to contain a good plaster ceiling. Fivehead, a parish 5 m. S.W. of Langport. The church has two Dec. windows in the chancel, the rest are Perp. There is a 16th-cent. tomb of John Walshe, and an ancient Norm. font with double mouldings.
The top storey of the S. turret, marked externally by a Perp. window, was evidently furnished as an oratory; an altar slab and piscina can still be seen projecting from the wall. The position, not naturally strong, was rendered more defensible by a moat, beyond which flows a stream. The castle was built by Sir J. de la Mere in 1373 out of the spoils of the French wars.
It has three arches, those on the N. and S. being apparently purposeless. Angersleigh, a small parish 5 m. It has a very small church, perhaps originally Dec., but altered into Perp. It contains a good carved oak reading-desk and lectern. Ansford, or Almsford, a village 1/2 m. N. from Castle Cary. Restoration has robbed the church of most of its interest; its tower has some good gargoyles.
S. of Taunton, which represents in its name an alliance between a Portman and the heiress of the Orchards. The most noteworthy features of its small Perp. church is a Norm. Othery, a parish on the Sedgemoor plain, 3 m. N.E. of Athelney Station. Its church has quite a number of interesting features.
It consists of a Perp. nave and S. aisle, with a truncated shingled spire at the W. end. Internally it is comely and of interest. The recumbent effigies are finished in much detail, but a certain mystery hangs about their identity. On the N. side of the sanctuary is an altar tomb panelled with devices of the Five Wounds. It is supposed to have served as an Easter sepulchre.
Like most cathedrals, Wells has been the composition of many hands, and is carried out in many different styles. Roughly, the work may be classified as follows: Norm. perhaps even Pre-Norm. font; Trans. Norm. N. porch, nave and transepts: E.E. W. front; Dec. lady chapel and chapter-house, central tower and choir; Perp.
It is cruciform in plan, with a central tower, and is said to be an E. E. building, which has been altered in the Dec. and Perp. periods. The tower is noticeable for its "batter," for its belfry window of four lights, and for its niches and figures. The cross on the E. gable is said to be Norm., but if so, is probably not in its original position, since it is little weathered.
Some small remains of a priory are still to be found at the rectory near the church. Bathealton, a parish 3 m. S.E. of Wiveliscombe. The church has been rebuilt, and is of no antiquarian interest. Batheaston, a large parish on the Avon, 2-1/2 m. The church has been restored, but it retains its well-proportioned Perp. tower.
Some Dec. windows remain in the chancel, but the majority are Perp.: the glass at the E. end of the S. aisle is by Sir E. Burne-Jones. Huntspill, a parish 1-1/2 m. S.S.W. from Highbridge, supposed to derive its name from Hun, a Somerset ealdorman in the reign of Egbert. It has a very handsome church which has been rebuilt since it was destroyed by fire in 1878.
It possesses an interesting church with a fine tower, having double windows in the belfry and numerous niches, which for the most part retain their statuary. The S. porch has fair groining with a central pendant, and there are some beautiful pierced parapets. The windows are of various dates E.E., Dec., and Perp. The font, rudely carved, is Norm.
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