The previous contribution began: "Richard Huyshe's will proves his affinity to the Huyshes of Doniford and Sand...". But where did the Huishs come from? The following notes are based partly on material that more serious researchers have been kind enough to send me, and are offered, for what they are worth, to those interested in their Huish origins but unable by reason of distance to see the places for themselves.REFERENCESWe are, obviously, thinking of the family's pre-Sand history, so we are trying to go back as far as we can from the date, 1560-61, recorded by Col. Huyshe as the date that Henry Huyshe of Lud Huish (Rodhuish) and Doniford purchased the estate. Doniford is the name that occurs most frequently in the Huish genealogy published in the Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society, vol. XLIII. Other names from the earlier sections include Lud-Hywis, Lynch in the parish of Luxborough, Aller, St. Decuman's (Watchet), Holnicault (Holnicote, Selworthy) and Luckham (Luccombe). These all lie in the coastal area between, roughly, St. Audries and Porlock, with Minehead and Watchet as the most prominent towns on the coast itself and Williton and Carhampton a little inland. Additionally, the lengthy footnotes to this genealogy mention several other places in this general area. These include Nettlecombe which is close to both Rodhuish - to give it its modern spelling - and Huish Barton, Stoke Courcy (Stogursey), Combe (since it is associated in the text with the Sydenhams I assume this is Combe Sydenham), and so on. Some of the places mentioned in these notes involve families to which Huishs became related by marriage but nevertheless, the general picture of a dynasty occupying over a good many years estates in a fairly limited area is quite obvious. Whether we can draw any worthwhile conclusions from these facts alone may be another matter! In passing, however, there are two further references which readers may find interesting. The first is a record in Sir H.C. Maxwell Lyte, 1931, in which he states 'Three suits against Richard Huish in respect of property at Shurton suggest that he was lord of a manor there'. This Richard died in 1297 and Shurton lies to the east of our general area and north of Stogursey. (Maxwell Lyte makes other references to Huishs and Shurton, pp 338-341). Secondly, Michael Costen, The Origins of Somerset, (1992) notes that where estates existed in the far west they had their centres on the coastal belt, as was the case for both Williton and Carhampton (discussion of royal estates and settlement around the tenth century, p.98). From this, it seems a reasonable guess that the coastal area would still be considered more favourably than the wild, steep areas of the northern Quantock, Brendon and Exmoor hills in the Huishs' time.
The SA&NHS genealogy includes in a footnote the following observations on the derivation of the name 'Huish':
'NOTE.-The very antient (sic) name of Hiwis or Hywis, subsequently softened by many variants to Huish or Huyshe as a family appellative, is found in the three counties of Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. These may well have descended from a common ancestor, or what is equally probable derived the name from the locality they resided in'.In a subsequent reference to an article on Huish Episcopi by the Reverend J. Stubbs, 1894, his remarks to the effect that the name Huish is sometimes attributed to the word 'Wych' while others consider that the name comes from the Anglo-Saxon 'Hi-Wisc', meaning 'the homestead' or 'home farm' suggest the possibility, to put it no more strongly, that the family name may have derived from a place name 'Hiwisc'. Of course, if this is the case it does not by any means follow that every placename 'Hiwisc' gave its name to a Huish, but some of them might have! Costen, 1992, and in a contribution to Michael Aston (ed.) 'Aspects of the Medieval Landscape of Somerset', 1988, refers to the survival of a number of 'hiwisces' still recognisable on the ground. The word is related to 'hide' and refers virtually synonymously to an area of land capable of supporting a family. Thus the area would vary according to the land's fertility.The SA&NHS genealogy has a small section on the Huishs of Aller (Roger, m. Grace Walrond and had issue William, Grace and Elizabeth, etc.) Anyone searching for evidence of his roots at a distance and having, perhaps, a reasonably detailed map of Somerset might be tempted towards Aller, between Othery and Langport on the Somerset levels. Langport, on the River Parrett, has an adjoining village called Huish Episcopi, which might lead one to the conclusion that it is that Aller. However, this is not in the coastal area where most if not all the early Huish residences are found and, taking Costen's point about hiwisces being areas of land we might reasonably conclude that 'Huish Episcopi' has its origins in the Bishop's Hiwisc and therefore has nothing to do with our Huish name. This conclusion had already been reached by Stubbs, whose article in an earlier 'Proceedings' refers to Collinson's still earlier 'History':
Stubbs (SANHS, 1894) sub-titles his article on Huish Episcopi 'Huyshe, Huishe, Hewish', but nowhere suggests any connection with the Huish family name. He does however say (quoting Collinson) that the Manor of Huish was ('and still is') 'parcel of the revenues of the bishopric of this diocese' and then he (Stubbs) adds, 'We thus learn why this place was called Huish Episcopi, "Bishop's Huish," to distinguish it from others of a similar name'.But if it is not that Aller, then where is it?
In fact, there are two Allers in our probable area. The more westerly one, near the edge of the Dunster Castle deerpark is today a farm but in a parish survey of Carhampton compiled by members of the SA&NHS it is described as a former manor. In 1447 it was held by the Everard family. Domesday, 1086, records that 'Ogis holds ALLER from Roger. Brictmer and Edmer held it before 1066'. The second site is also a farm, and lies on the boundary of the Wyndham estate near the Doniford stream. This was also a manor (VCH Som., (Vol.5) p173). In a lengthy description there is no mention of a Huish connection.
In respect of Doniford an additional complication presents itself. All the references point to Doniford on the coast east of Watchet but the Victoria County History refers to a second Doniford (alt. Dorniford). This lies in the parish of Monksilver and so is also within our general search area. It is however on high ground 'on the side of a steep combe [it] lies on the 335 m. contour' (VCH). I can find no trace of it now in the largest scale map I have. However, the VCH here comes to the rescue (p.153) where it is stated that the Huishs had held land at Doniford by 1254 and that the estate of John Fraunceys was said to have passed to Oliver Huish in 1369. Huishs continue to feature in the history of Doniford until 1669 when Edward Huish died but 'it seems likely that much of their land had already been sold by John Huish (d. 1649), Edward's brother, to the Wyndhams'. The description continues: 'Known as Doniford Farm, it is a complex building...'. In a footnote to the SA&NHS genealogy it is stated that 'The old house at Doniford - the cradle of the Huyshe family - [...] still exists; [...] now modernised to the extinction of almost all of its antient features. The massive oak front door, opening under a somewhat acutely pointed arch, still hangs on its hinges, as solid and firm as when first placed there'. (p.14)
Correspondence on anything related to Huish history is most welcome. Please use this address: oldhuish@richuish.ac.uk.