Author explores whose side Wellington was on when England was split by civil war

THE loyalties of those living in West Somerset during the Civil Wars of the 1640s has long been thought to have been predominantly Royalist.

Wellington, however, was an exception, thanks to the influence of the Popham family and men such as the charismatic Richard Bovett, who showed their support for Parliament during the disastrous siege of the town.

But where is the evidence to show what loyalties the rest of West Somerset held during this important period in British history?

Now, 380 years later, a book has been published exploring the loyalties of men on the eve of the Civil War, Somerset's relationship with Ireland and Parliament, and a great deal more.

The book is the result of several years of research by Taunton author Dr Adrian Webb and colleague Sue Berry.

It fills a gap in literature on the issue and includes many documents and maps brought into print for the first time.

There are also many stories of the fate of the clergy, the loyalties of almost every parish in the ancient county, investors from the county in Ireland, the dislike of the Bishop of Bath and Wells, plus the county's politicians, the Blake family of Bridgwater and the Strodes of Barrington.

A famous petition from London, named the ‘Root and Branch’ petition, supporting Parliament, was mirrored by one from Somerset which demanded the reform of the Church and its bishops.

To counter this, the Royalist movement in Somerset was able to acquire almost 15,000 names from across the county in the form of a petition abhorring the ‘Root and Branch’ movement.

This important document, which has remained in coded form since 1642 in the Parliamentary Archives, has now been de-coded and analysed by Sue Berry and Adrian Webb for their book.

The book is a substantial volume with 434 pages, tables, maps, illustrations, bibliography, and indexes that are fully referenced.

It has been described as the most important book on this period of Somerset's history to be published for half-a-century and is available from Brendon Books, in Taunton, eBay, or Amazon.