In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Mells like this:
MELLS, a village and a parish in Frome district, Somerset. The village stands in a valley 3½ miles WNW of Frome r. station; is a large place; and has a postoffice under Frome, and fairs on the second Monday after Whit-Monday and on 29 Sept. The parish contains also the hamlet of Vobster. ...
Acres, 3,611. Real property, £7,184; of which "960 are in mines, and £120 in iron-works. Pop. in 1851,1,186; in 1861,972. Houses, 222. The decrease of pop. was caused by a regulation which does not allow more than one family to occupy a cottage. The property is divided among a few. The manor, Mells Park, and much of the land belong to the Rev. J. S. H. Horner. The rocks include coal, pipe-clay, fuller's-earth, lead ore, and manganese. Coal is worked; brick-making and lime-burning are carried on; and the manufacture of agricultural edge tools, long famous for their superior quality, is conducted in two factories. There are remains of several ancient camps. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Value, £630.* Patron, the Rev. J. S. H. Horner. The church is later English; consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with pinnacled tower; and has very fine painted w indows. The vicarage of Vobster, with Leigh-upon-Mendip, is a separate benefice. There are a Wesleyan chapel, a Church school, and parish lands £75.
Mells through time
Mells is now part of Mendip district. Click here for graphs and data of how Mendip has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Mells itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Mells, in Mendip and Somerset | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/13099
Date accessed: 05th November 2024
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