Till-Adam

A Nathanial Till-Adam had the misfortune to be dismissed from his role of curate of  Ston Easton  and Emborough in 1644. This was after the restoration of the monarchy after the civil war so the implications are that he was dismissed for his puritan ideology. He was supported by a number of people known to have had low church sympathies including members of the Hippisleys.  Another of his supporters was Henry Adams who may have been related.

It is a bit surprising that a member of his family, perhaps his son also called Nathanial Till-Adam, was appointed as vicar of Chewton Mendip on 30th April 1697. His patrons were Elizabeth Tazwell and Daniel Kingsmill. The Kingsmills had been staunch protestants but were royalists during the civil war. The religious orientation of the Taswells is not clear but they had some connection to Wells cathedral so they were probably fairly high church

According to Collinsons History Of Somerset a Nathaniel Till-Adams  was commemorated in nearby Compton Dando church who was described as the vicar when he died on 4th January 1692 aged 62. This may have the curate  expelled in 1644 and the father of the vicar of Chewton Mendip.

It is relatively common for sons to hold very different views from the father so Nathaniel Till-Adam could have been the kind of high church, Anglo-Catholic priest favoured by the Bishop of Bath & Wells at the time

The location of his memorial in the Lady Chapel supports this. There are two memorials that are now illegible but the latin inscriptions were recorded in Collinsons History Of Somerset. A Translation of the Latin inscription by Dr Atis Antonovic is as follows.

“Here lies Nathaniel Till Adam, whose sincere mind, learned tongue, and (?) hand was; this one, grave in manners, and distinguished in piety, had ministry of God in this parish for eight years. He died on 23 October 1703, aged 33.”

There is some discrepancies. The survey of Edmund Rack states that the Till-Adam memorial was in the chancel rather than the lady chapel but that is an even more high status position. Edmund Rack lists a number of inscriptions and memorials in the nave which are now either eroded or obscured. It is possible that the Till-Adam was in that location. The Clergy database confuses the two Nathaniel Till-Adams and has only one record for the two of them.

Another possibility is that the memorial had transferred to the lady chapel but by whom and when?

The other people commemorated in the lady chapel who were probably high church. The other people listed are members of Brice,  Plaister, Quarles and Webb families.