Jenkins

The Jenkins family were wealth landowners an churchmen who owned land in Somerset and Hampshire. They were the owners on Chewton Priory before it was purchased by the Waldegraves. Richard Jenkins or Jenkyns was a friend of Robert Kingsmill but he was living in Wells at the time. He later became the vicar of Dinder in 1824. The 1794 map shows that the majority of the Town tithing was owned by the Kingsmills and Jenkins families.

Richard Jenkins, prebend of Wells died in 1764 aged 51. His wife, Elizabeth died in 1757 aged 37 and is commemorated in Croscombe church along with three of her infant children. She is listed on a memorial to Thomas George who died in 1741 aged 71. The implication is that Elizabeth was his daughter or related in some other way. A George Bryant is also mentioned which is another clue to Elizabeth’s maiden name. What ever the link to Thomas George was, it could explain why there was an estate called George in Chewton Mendip in the 18th century.  This Richard and Elizabeth were probably the parents of the Richard Jenkins who was living in Chewton priory in the late 18th century.

The ‘Mr Jenkins’ who sold the Priory to the Waldegraves had been the Dean of Wells Cathedral and it is assumed to have been the same person as Richard Jenkins, the friend of Robert Kingsmill. This may explain what happened to the former monastery lands that were linked to Wells cathedral. The land was held by personally by individuals linked to the cathedral, not by the office of bishop or the dean.

There was another family of Jenkins living in Chewton Mendip who were in receipt of poor relief in the 18th century.