North and South Cadbury and Compton Pauncefoot are tiny, picturesque villages side by side in Somerset, west of Stonehenge. We visited this area to explore our family history connection - see below.
South Cadbury is near the enormous Bronze and Iron Age hill fort of Cadbury Castle, thought by some to be King Arthur's court of Camelot. Archeological digs have found artefacts in the area dating back to the Neolithic period, around 3500 BC.
It's easy to see why people would want to keep living here over such a long period - the area looks like it came straight out of a fairytale, with rolling green hills and big old deciduous trees along hedge lined roads. Being late September we were lucky to see the beginnings of the autumn colours coming through amongst the vivid green.
Behind the old stone fences we spotted lovely historic cottages and farmhouses, and a 14th century church. There was also a small tree-lined stream running through the middle of Compton Pauncefoot with a waterwheel which is now on private property.
Where did they get their unusual names?
Cadbury
Not related to chocolate! Bury means Fort or Town, and Cad may be from the nearby River Cam, or from Cada - meaning Cada's fort.
Compton Pauncefoot
Compton means narrow valley, and Pauncefote was the Norman knight who once owned the village.
Makes sense!
Family history connection
Our connection to the area is through the Smart family, on my Dad's Bartlett side. Our first documented ancestor here was Richard Smart who was born in nearby Bruton in 1665, the year of the Great Plague. The Smart family lived in the district for many years.
Fast forward to my great great great grandparents, Richard and Charlotte Smart (nee Foot), who were married in Compton Pauncefoot in April 1840, possibly in the church shown in the photos. Shortly afterwards they, and some other family members, set sail for Australia on the Lalla Rookh from Gravesend in London. They docked in Port Adelaide on 11 August 1840, only four years after Adelaide was established, and eventually settled in Ararat, Victoria, having moved there for the 1850s gold rush.
Interestingly I lived in Adelaide for two years in my early 20s, unaware at the time of the family connection.
View North Cadbury, South Cadbury and Compton Pauncefoot on Google maps