Evercreech: Difference between revisions

|static_image= Evercreech Church.jpg

|static_image_width= 240px

|static_image_caption= [[Church of St Peter, Evercreech]]

|coordinates = {{coord|51.1445|-2.5068|display=inline,title}}

| shire_county lieutenancy_england= [[Somerset]]

|region= South West England

|post_town= SHEPTON MALLET

|postcode_district= BA4

|dial_code= 01749

'''Evercreech''' is a village and [[Civilcivil parishesparish]] in England|civil parish[[Somerset]], England. The village is {{convert|3|mi|km|10}} south eastsoutheast of [[Shepton Mallet]], and {{convert|5|mi|km|10}} north eastnortheast of [[Castle Cary]], in the [[Mendip District|Mendip]] district of [[Somerset]], England. The parish includes the hamlet of '''Stoney Stratton''' and the village of '''Chesterblade'''.

[[WWII|War]] was declared on September 4, 1939, and later that month, the local village school received 215 children [[The Evacuees|evacuees]], 18 teachers and 6 helpers, from two schools in West Ham, East London.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Our History - Evercreech Parish Council |url=http://www.evercreech-pc.gov.uk/Our_History_25627.aspx |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=www.evercreech-pc.gov.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The children were welcomed into the homes of the villagers. However, rationing was a prominent issue eventeven though many of the children had come with their own [[Rationing|ration book]].<ref name=":0" />

American soldiers had been arriving in Evercreech ever since 1942; however, in 1944, a group of African-American [[G.I.|G.I.s]] were sent to the area. Most people in rural Somerset had never seen a Black person before, so seeing African-American soldiers was a novelty for the Evercreech population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Responses |url=https://mixedmuseum.org.uk/brown-babies/responses/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Mixed Museum |language=en}}</ref> However, the people of Evercreech welcomed the Black G.I.s in the same way they welcomed evacuees throughout the war, and the American presence was a boost to the morale of the British public.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=The National |date=2022-10-20 |title=The National Archives - Black GIs arrive in Britain (Part two) |url=https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/black-gis-arrive-in-britain-part-two/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The National Archives blog |language=en-GB}}</ref>

The troops helped out in schools and gave the brought the children chocolates, fruits and chewing gum, which was a rarity in rationed Britain. Moreover, to raise money for the [[Spitfire]] funds, the village and the American soldiers held dances where they enjoyed American [[jazz]] music.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Archives |first=The National |date=2022-10-20 |title=The National Archives - Black GIs arrive in Britain (Part two) |url=https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/black-gis-arrive-in-britain-part-two/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The National Archives blog |language=en-GB}}</ref> Here, the African-American men could socialise and dance with white women, which was a novelty, and something forbidden in [[Racial segregation|segregated]] America<ref>{{Cite web |title=Responses |url=https://mixedmuseum.org.uk/brown-babies/responses/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Mixed Museum |language=en}}</ref> and often inter-racial relationships would be formed at these dances.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How the parents met |url=https://mixedmuseum.org.uk/brown-babies/how-the-parents-met/ |access-date=2023-03-25 |website=The Mixed Museum |language=en}}</ref>

TheFrom village1894 fallsto within1974, the [[Non-metropolitan district]] of [[Mendip District|Mendip]], whichvillage was formed on 1 April 1974 under the [[Local Government Act 1972]], having previously been part of [[Shepton Mallet Rural District]].,<ref name=sheptonrd>{{cite web |title=Shepton Mallet RD |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10001559 |work=A visionVision of Britain Through Time |publisher=[[University of Portsmouth]] |access-date=4 January 2014}}</ref> Theand from 1974 to 2023, it fell within the [[non-metropolitan district]] councilof is[[Mendip District|Mendip]]. Mendip District Council was responsible for [[planning permission|local planning]] and [[Building regulations in the United Kingdom|building control]], local roads, [[council housing]], [[environmental health]], [[Market (place)|market]]s and fairs, [[refuse collection]] and [[recycling]], [[cemeteries]] and [[crematoria]], leisure services, parks, and [[tourism]].

It is also part of the [[SomertonFrome and FromeEast Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|SomertonFrome &and FromeEast Somerset]] [[county constituency]] represented in the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]] of the [[Parliament of the United Kingdom]]. It elects one [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) by the [[first past the post]] system of election, and was part of the [[South West England (European Parliament constituency)|South West England constituency]] of the [[European Parliament]] prior to [[Brexit|Britain leaving the European Union]] in January 2020. This constituency elected seven [[Members of the European Parliament|MEPs]] using the [[d'Hondt method]] of [[party-list proportional representation]].

Historic industries in Evercreech include quarrying of [[blue lias]] and clay; brick making; milk processing; and agriculture, which remains the leading industry today. From the late 18th century until just after World War I, [[silk]] processing was an important industry for Evercreech, a spillover from mills at nearby [[Bruton]] and [[Sherborne]]. The workforce for the village's three silk factories was made up almost entirely of young women and girls, some of whom started working as young as seven or eight years of age. Fulfilling orders from London, two of the factories were throwing mills which produced high quality spun silk thread. The third mill wove silk thread into cloth. Bales of raw silk were imported to the mills from France, Italy, and India by London merchants.

Employment in the mills was erratic, driven by highly volatile demand for English woven silk. This volatility was caused by embargoes on imported woven silk, duty taxes, and then the lifting of import restrictions in 1860.<ref name="Evercreech Silk">{{cite book|last=Doble|first=Jim|title=The Silk Industry in Evercreech|year=2001|publisher=Evercreech & District Local History Society|pages=1–2|display-authors=etal}}</ref>

The sounds of the bells at Evercreech church were used in the opening credits of BBC's ''Songs of Praise'' for many years. There were many complaints.

*[httphttps://www.angelfire.com/or/evercreech/ Evercreech village website]