HISTORY

Martock

HISTORY
Introduction
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GENEALOGY
Archives
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Census
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Immigrations
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Surnames @ the PRO
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MISCELLANEOUS
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The Village.

  For the benefit of the visitors of our village, Martock lies midway between Ilchester and Ilminster, 1 mile north of the A303 and 7 miles from Yeovil.
  We have no special claim to fame, we boast no outstanding war heroes, no Film or TV personalities, no brilliant literary geniuses, in fact we don't even have a pop group, but we have something far more important, hardworking and very friendly people and we grow exceptionally good beans.

  History records that on the 26th July, 1645, the Parliamentary forces of Cromwell held a thanksgiving in Martock for the success of taking Bridgewater on the 23rd. They left shortly afterwards but not before desecrating the church and leaving much distress.

  In 1605 Lord Monteagle was reported to have been rewarded with the Manor of Martock for his part in exposing the Gunpowder Plot, this is disputed however, by Preb. Saunders in his book on Martock, as he claims Lord Monteagle was already in possession of the Manor. The Manor in question has long since gone and only the moat houses now remains. The moat itself has recently been leveled.

  The village has altered little architecturally until the coming of the developers in the late 1950'. Jack Boone, a cheerful controversial Welshman, started to change the local map with the construction of houses at Blind Lane and Marvin Close, unfortunately Jack did not endear himself to all the locals, a newspaper heading "I want to be a millionaire" (or similar) by Jack Boone sadly reduced his popularity.
  Those who knew him well, stood by him solidly but alas his company failed an he left the country a  very disillusioned man. Jack to me anyway, was most generous and kind, he did much for the elderly and gave the village a seat, for which he paid me (as Parish Clerk in those days) cash and refused a receipt.

  Following Jack, came a number of developers and despite a lot of local opposition Ashfield's, Moorland and numerous smaller developments followed.
The closing of the railway station in 1964 provided the opportunity for a trading estate, but this too was dogged by problems regarding the title of the land, this happily has now been resolved and once again Martock appears to be on the threshold of another mini industrial revolution.
  With the advent of the common market, farming, the basic wealth of the village, has taken a hard knock, small holders and dairy farmers in particular, but many with typical resilience, have re-organised and survived.

  In 1963 Martock won the Best Kept Village competition, this was quite an achievement considering the villager was in the midst of development upheaval. Despite its straggly character, the high standard of our gardens is a tribute to the inhabitants at any time.

  Trees enhance the natural beauty of any village and not least Martock. It is not until we look closely at some of the photographs that it becomes apparent that trees have been quietly disappearing from the village scene for a good any years.
  The local damp soil has enriched the Elms' prolific growth and has provided Martock with a sizeable timber industry. In recent years, Dutch Elm disease has virtually wiped out these beautiful trees and those that have yet to be felled stand stark and bare in amongst the green fields.

Author. Roy Maber (Martock Historian)

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