The Vale of Taunton Deane was for centuries a legend far beyond its own borders. John Norden, in 1610, called it the 'Paradise of England'. Others praised the great beauty of its setting and the fertility of its soil, while the Victorians called it the 'golden vale'. This book tells the story of the Vale, in words and pictures, from prehistory to modern times' a story best understood by looking at the Vale as a whole, including the large groups of communities surrounding the ancient town of Taunton at its heart.
Taunton was a borough, with a market and a mint, before Domesday Book; and from A.D. 904, when Bishop Denewulf of Winchester acquired the minster and its lands, the Manor of Taunton Deane remained for over nine centuries a prized possession of the bishops of Winchester. In spite of that the people of Taunton became strongly non-conformist ... they defiantly declared for Parliament in the Civil War and suffered destructive sieges as a result ... more tragic still, they rallied to the Duke of Monmouth in 1685 and paid dearly for supporting his rebellion. Both events left permanent marks on the place and its people.
The author perceptively illuminates these and many other aspects of the Vale's richly varied history including the transformations brought about in more recent times. His book is the first modern account of the Taunton area as a whole. Given great visual impact by a wealth of carefully selected illustrations, it will be warmly welcomed well beyond the borders of Somerset.
Contents:
List of Illustrations
Introduction
Chapter 1: Origins
Chapter 2: Distant Lands
Chapter 3: The Age of Faith
Chapter 4: Tudors and Stuarts
Chapter 5: Rebellion
Chapter 6: The Age of Improvement
Chapter 7: The Golden Vale
Chapter 8: Towards the Millennium
Bibliography
Index
