Donyatt is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated at the source of the River Isle 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Chard in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 347.[1] The parish includes the hamlet of Peasmarsh.
History
The village was recorded as Dunnyete meaning Dunna's gate in 725.[2]
In 1328 it was the birthplace of William Montacute, 2nd Earl of Salisbury, whose family held the manor and built a castle or fortified manor house. It had a manorial chapel and it is from this that a Sheela na Gig was recovered and is now incorporated into a private house.[6]
The almshouses in Church Street date from 1624,[7] and were founded under the will of John Dunster of London (died 1625).[2] Next to them is the old school house, which was built in the early 19th century,[8] and the old school which dates from 1871.[9]
The Old clay puddling house, a circular thatched building, is a former pottery dating from the 18th century,[10] when there were also woollen-mills in the village. Thirty-three examples of pottery from Donyatt have been identified from five sites in Virginia and Maryland.[11] They were part of a wider pottery industry during the 17th and 18th centuries. Sites from which were excavated in the 1960s and 1970.[12][13]
The "Sea Bridge" carries the road over a stream. It was built in the 18th century with three semi-circular arches.[14]
The site of Donyatt Halt, between Chard and Ilminster on the B&ER branch line
Donyatt had a small halt along the Chard Branch Line just before Ilminster, which served the local community, it was constructed from sleepers laid horizontally and pegged together to form a basic platform structure, a small over canopy "shed" served as a shelter during the winter months, access to the platform was gained by crossing over the bridge and accessing an inclined path. The Halt is next to some World War II defences used on the Taunton Stop Line, with anti-tank traps around the station. During the threat of invasion, an inspection post could be quickly set up between Donyatt and Ilminster to stop and check the trains before proceeding on the down line "to" and "from" Chard. This was achieved by placing a barrier on some cut out stones entering the Donyatt Halt, you can see these if you wonder why there are two opposite stones on the cycle path, one will have a hole cut into it to act as a pivot for the barrier.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The Anglican parish Church of St Mary is a 15th rebuild of earlier church, where the first recorded rector was in 1255. It has been designated as a grade II* listed building.[17]
^Coleman-Smith, Richard; Kiser, R.Taft; Hughes, Michael J. (September 2005). "Donyatt-type pottery in 17th- and 18th-century Virginia and Maryland". Post-Medieval Archaeology. 39 (2): 294–310. doi:10.1179/007943205X62679. S2CID161766594.
