There has been a habitation in the village of Isle Brewers since at least Saxon times. It merits two entries in the Domesday Book identifying it as an area of farming and woodland across the River Isle. It remains so to this day with a population remarkably similar to that of those times, some 150 inhabitants. Much however has changed in the following millennium, although farming remains the predominant function of the village, with light industry and commerce making its presence felt.
The village
At the time of Domesday the village consisted of 30 dwellings, mostly small farms built of rough stone with thatched roofs, the rest were mud-walled cottages. The land was divided by William the Conqueror into two parcels – one part to his half brother Robert, Earl of Mortain, the other portion was ceded to Alured de Ispania. Change of ownership or lordship of the village has been constant over time. By the turn of the 12th century the over lordship had passed to the Briwere family, a baronial family with large landholding in the counties of Devon and Somerset and hence the modern name of the village, Isle Brewers. In the 17th century the land was owned by Henry Waldron Esq. who was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1670. He was famed as ‘Wicked Waldron’ after his suppression of Quakers and Nonconformists following the Conventicle Acts resulting from the Restoration of Charles II. The family occupied a mansion set in a park surrounded by trees. The land is now the site of the Waldron’s Park Industrial Estate. In the latter part of the 19th century a large portion farming land of the parish was purchased by The Duchy of Cornwall, in whose hands it remains to this day.
The parish now consists of a mixed use of land predominated by farming and light industrial production, distribution and housing. The village now has just over 50 domestic dwellings, one large dairy farm, and a major glass house complex producing soft fruit. There are no shops, public houses or even a post office; all of these were gone by the turn of the 20th century. There is however a thriving local garage with taxi and minibus service to nearby shopping centres. There are five businesses offering bed and breakfast facilities. The demographic of the village is varied. There are a number of married couples with young children of school and pre school age, most of the children attending local schools. Many of the households are retired people, mostly incomers from outside Somerset, and the remaining families are working locally in a variety of occupations and professions.
Image gallery (click on an image to enlarge)
The church
The church has been a constant feature within the community. The first place of worship was originally situated in the lower part of the village on slightly raised ground near the crossing point of the Isle near to one of the two mills within the village. This building served the community well, despite its location on low-lying ground making it vulnerable to flooding. A new building was instigated and financed by Dr Joseph Wolff, the vicar of Isle Brewers. You can read more about this well-travelled man on the Joseph Wolff page.
The present building, having been designed by Charles Edmund Giles, was erected in the 1850s on higher ground at a cost of £1,500, and consecrated in August 1861. The land for the church was donated by General Michel, the patron and principal landowner within the parish. All Saints’ church served the village for over a century and a half but by the turn of the 20th century time had taken its toll on the fabric of the building. In 2018, the decision was taken to renovate the building in order that it could be used as a modern community facility, in addition to a place of worship. After significant grants from The Heritage Lottery Fund and many other bodies this community asset is nearing completion and set to serve the village into the next century and beyond. Find out more about the restoration project here.
Image gallery (click on an image to enlarge)
The locality
Isle Brewers is on the River Isle, which runs into the River Parrett at Langport. Other villages in the immediate area are Isle Abbotts, Westport, Fivehead, Barrington and Ilton, with several other various sized villages in the vicinity.