The earliest Christians in Somerset can be traced back to the late Roman period. The existing house of secular priests was transformed into a Priory of Augustinian Canons by Bishop Giffard of Winchester in about 1115. Although there is relatively little known for certain about the early period of the foundation, there are some slightly later records giving the names of some of the Priors.

Priors of Taunton

Stephen, occurs 1159 . . . 1189

Robert, occurs 1197

John, occurs 1204

John, occurs 1313

Stephen de Pycoteston, died 1325

Ralph de Culmstok, elected 1326, resigned 1339

Robert de Messingham, elected 1339, died 1346

Thomas Cok or le Coke, elected 1346, occurs 1353

Thomas de Pederton, died 1362

Walter de Grateley, elected 1362, resigned 1377

John de Kyngesbury, elected 1378, died 1391

Walter Coke, elected 1391, died 1408

Robert Newton, elected 1408, died 1413

Thomas de Ufculme, elected 1413, occurs 1429

Thomas Benet, occurs 1438

Richard Glene or Gleve, occurs 1449, died 1476

John Asshe or Ayshent, elected 1476

John Prous or Prowse, elected 1492, resigned 1514, died 1519

Nicholas Peper, elected 1514, died 1523

William Yorke, nominated 1523

William Wyllyams or Andrewes, 1533–9

The priory was dissolved on 12 February 1539 and the Catholic faith in Somerset was then practiced in secret, with those sheltering priests risking martyrdom. 

There are records of a couple of people being fined for recusancy in the 1590s, with the fine in each case being £240.

The first priest to take up residence in Taunton after the reformation was Fr George Baldwin or Baudwin who lived in East Street. He is thought to have come from this area originally and returned here after first ministering in Plymouth. Fr Baldwin initially celebrated Mass in his house in East Street as Catholic chapels were only permitted after 1791.

Missionary Rectors & Parish Priests of St George’s Church Taunton

Rev George Baldwin                                            1782 – 1818

Rev Samuel Bonaventure Fisher OSF               1818 – 1822

       St George’s Chapel, The Crescent was opened on 3^rd July 1822

Dom Richard Adrian Towers OSB                    1822 – 1830

L’Abbé Pierre Chanteloup                                 1830 – 1833

Rev Andrew Byrne                                               1833 – 1834

Dom Richard Adrian Towers OSB                    1834 – 1841

Rev John Fanning                                               1841 – 1848

Rev Henry O’Shea OSF                                       1848 – 1849

Rev John Fogarty                                                1849 – 1850

Rev John Fanning                                               1850 – 1853

      St George’s Church, Billet Street was opened on 24^th April 1860

Rev Canon John Mitchell                                    1853 – 1899

Rev Canon Daniel Iles                                          1899 – 1902

Rev George William Bailey                                  1902 – 1911

     St George’s Church was consecrated on 23^rd April 1912

Rev Canon James O’Shaughnessy                  1911 – 1927

Rev Mgr Provost Richard Iles                              1927 – 1967

Rev Mgr Provost Patrick Lynch                           1967 – 2000

Rev Canon John Cunningham                          2000 – 2012

Rev David Mills                                                      2012 – 2015

Rev Canon Alan Finley                                        2015 – 2017

Rev Mgr Bernard Massey                                   2017 – 2021

Rev Thomas Dubois                                             2021 –

War memorials at St George’s

There are two memorials at St George’s, commemorating the parishioners who died in the First and Second World War respectively. Ray Stokes has produced a moving booklet giving details of these men, which is available for download here.

St. John Fisher, Wellington

From the early to mid-seventeenth century a recusant family, the Porters, lived at Old Court, Mantle Street. Through the English Mission in Rome, they secured the services of Fr. James Jenison S.J. officially known as the gardener and handyman, if soldiers came looking for priests, he would escape via a tunnel under what is now the town’s playing field, to re-emerge in Home Farm (now the Court Nursing Home) in his gardener’s clothes. No further Catholic priests served in Wellington until 1941. Before the present church opened Mass was celebrated in the former town hall by a priest from Taunton. Taunton’s Catholic community collected money for a Wellington mission from about the mid-1930s.  

In 1936 the Popham Almshouses were vacated, the residents being moved to a new site in Victoria Street. It was bought by the Catholic community and converted to form the present church. The architect responsible for the conversion, John Willman, reportedly did the work free of charge. The church was opened by Bishop Lee in March 1937 and certified as a place of meeting for religious worship 26 November 1940.