Low Ham
Encyclopedia
Low Ham is a village
in the civil parish
of High Ham
in the English
county of Somerset
.
At the time of the Domesday Book
Low Ham was part of the estate of Serlo de Burcy, and was later known as Ham Burcy and Nether Ham.
which was excavated in 1946. The bath block contained a 4th-century mosaic
showing the story of Aeneas
and Dido. It is the earliest piece of narrative art in the country and is a unique find from Roman Britain.
list a church, without dedication to any saint
, on the site of an earlier church, which was started in the early 17th century, and damaged in the Civil War
, and completed in 1690. It is a Grade I listed building.
In the 17th century the local Lord of the Manor, Baron Stawell
, intended to build a palatial mansion next to the church but it was never completed. The original gateway was moved to Hazelgrove House (now Hazlegrove Preparatory School) in the early 19th century.
, just above the Low Ham Rhyme. It is a 12.4 acres (5 ha) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
, notified in 1988. It is a Geological Conservation Review
site.
This site contains a Pleistocene
sedimentary sequence of sands, silts and peats, laid down in the Early Devensian. The site forms a rare example of deposits of 'interstadial' facies associated with a high sea level; these are of critical importance
for British Pleistocene geology
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in the civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
of High Ham
High Ham
High Ham is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. Within the parish of High Ham are the villages of High Ham and Low Ham and the hamlets of Bowdens, Henley, Paradise and Picts Hill.-History:...
in the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
county of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
.
At the time of the Domesday Book
Domesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
Low Ham was part of the estate of Serlo de Burcy, and was later known as Ham Burcy and Nether Ham.
Roman Villa
There is evidence of occupation from Roman times with a large Roman VillaRoman villa
A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...
which was excavated in 1946. The bath block contained a 4th-century mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
showing the story of Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
and Dido. It is the earliest piece of narrative art in the country and is a unique find from Roman Britain.
Church
English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
list a church, without dedication to any saint
Church without dedication, High Ham
The Church without dedication at Low Ham in the parish of High Ham, Somerset, England was formerly a private chapel to the manor. It stands on the site of an earlier church, and was started in the early 17th century, damaged in the English Civil War, and completed in 1690...
, on the site of an earlier church, which was started in the early 17th century, and damaged in the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and completed in 1690. It is a Grade I listed building.
In the 17th century the local Lord of the Manor, Baron Stawell
Baron Stawell
Baron Stawell was a title that was created twice in British history. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1683 when Colonel Ralph Stawell was made Baron Stawell, of Somerton in the County of Somerset. The title became extinct on the death of the fourth Baron in 1755...
, intended to build a palatial mansion next to the church but it was never completed. The original gateway was moved to Hazelgrove House (now Hazlegrove Preparatory School) in the early 19th century.
Site of Special Scientific Interest
The Low Ham SSSI at , lies on lowest slopes of Woodbirds Hill in the adjoining civil parish of PitneyPitney
Pitney is a village and parish in Somerset, England, located east of Langport and west of Somerton in the South Somerset district. In 2002, the village had a population of 416....
, just above the Low Ham Rhyme. It is a 12.4 acres (5 ha) geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, notified in 1988. It is a Geological Conservation Review
Geological Conservation Review
The Geological Conservation Review is produced by the UK's Joint Nature Conservation Committee and is designed to identify those sites of national and international importance needed to show all the key scientific elements of the geological and geomorphological features of Britain...
site.
This site contains a Pleistocene
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene is the epoch from 2,588,000 to 11,700 years BP that spans the world's recent period of repeated glaciations. The name pleistocene is derived from the Greek and ....
sedimentary sequence of sands, silts and peats, laid down in the Early Devensian. The site forms a rare example of deposits of 'interstadial' facies associated with a high sea level; these are of critical importance
for British Pleistocene geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
.
External links
- English Nature website (SSSI information)