Goathurst, Somerset

Description
Goathurst, a parish in Somerset, 3 1/2 miles SW by W of Bridgwater town, with stations on the G.W.R. and S. &D.R. It has a post office under Bridgwater; money order and telegraph officeyNorth Petherton. Acreage, 1673; population of the civil parish, 253; of the ecclesiastical, 238. The manor belonged to the Gatherests, the Powletts, and the Halswella, and passed to the Tyntes. Halswell House is a handsome structure of 1689, built by Sir Halswell Tynte on the site of a previous mansion, and stands amid splendid grounds, with grottoes, temples, cascades, and distant prospects over land and sea. The parish is famous for the size and beauty of its trees. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Bath and Wells; value, £300 with residence. The church is ancient but good, consists of nave, chancel, and transepts, with a tower, and contains monuments of the Tyntes.