Wellington wasn’t always the thriving town we know today. Back in the 1720s, author Daniel Defoe visited Wellington, and afterwards wrote about what he encountered. Upon riding into the town, Defoe was immediately surrounded by desperate beggars. Poverty was clearly a problem in this parish.

Defoe gave the beggars a few coins. Upon seeing this, even more beggars hurried to him. In Defoe’s words, “It was as if the whole town had come out into the street. They ran after us through the whole street and a great way out of the town.”

Thankfully, the town’s situation improved with the establishment of an integrated woollen mill in the 18th century. The proprietors, the Fox family, remain one of the most well-known families of Wellington. Other mills also opened at nearby Tonedale, further improving the economy of the area. By 1791, Collinson was able to describe Wellington as a thriving town.

Entering the 19th Century

Wellington School was established in 1841.

In 1848, Samuel Lewis’ A Topographical Dictionary of England stated that Wellington’s population was then 5,595. Many of the town’s streets were now paved, and some of the old houses had been demolished. The cloth-manufacturing industry was still prevalent, but not to the same extent as it had previously been. Wellington was situated on the main road from Bath to Exeter.

Lewis’ Topographical Dictionary also states that there were places of worship for Baptists, the Society of Friends, Independents and Wesleyans.

Twenty years later, The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) stated that the town was lighted with gas and had a good water supply. There was a town hall, a market-house, a police station and a union workhouse. The inhabitants were mostly employed at factories in the woollen, brick, tile and agricultural implement industries. Some were employed at the coal mines and lime quarries in the area. (The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868); transcribed by Colin Hinson, 2003)

The Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-1872) stated that Wellington was a seat of petty sessions and county courts; published two weekly newspapers; and had a head post office, a bank, two main inns, a station with telegraph, a police station, a library and reading room, national and British schools and a weekly market. (Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales, John Marius Wilson, 1870-1872)

In 1903, the Fox family gave the town a park of late Victorian design, known as Wellington Park.

Genealogical Records Available for Wellington

Forebears.io provides links to valuable resources for this parish. These include parish registers, census records, historical newspapers, wills, military records, court and legal records, taxation records and local history books.

The Somerset & Dorset Family History Society (SDFHS) holds the churchwardens’ accounts for Wellington for 1611-1637 and 1656-1683. This is a valuable resource for tracing early family history, as parish registers didn’t commence in Wellington until 1683. A copy of this publication can be purchased from the SDFHS’ website.

The National Archives, which hold valuable records for Wellington too, are searchable via Discovery. If this is your first time, go to the homepage, click the search button in the top right-hand corner, and then select “Search our records”.

Digitised books are available on HathiTrust. Try searching for your ancestor’s name in quotation marks. For example, “Roger Parsons” Wellington, or “Eliz Hutchins” Wellington.

Were your ancestors members of the nobility? Check the Heralds’ Visitations for Somerset County here.

Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate!

Of course, there are many other resources out there, and not all are available online. One excellent way to find more about your family is to collaborate with others who are researching the same line. They might benefit from your experience and resourcefulness too. Do either of you have access to records not available online, perhaps at a local record office? One way to find others’ research is to search Google with quotation marks. For example, “Abraham Fouracre” Wellington, or “Rob Broom” Wellington.