194 The Environs of Bath. 



this business for nearly half a century. A cloth manufactory 

 is known to have existed here ever since the seventeenth 

 century, and most probably one was established long prior 

 to that period, as this business was commenced at Bath as 

 early as the fourteenth century, under the auspices of the 

 Monks, and the situation of this suburb is so favourable for 

 utilising wat€Sr power. The name of this village has been 

 variously spelt Twyverton, Twyforton, Twiverton, Tiverton, 

 Twirton and Twertone. In Domesday book it is known as 

 " Twertone," and is in the hundred of Wellow. The deriva- 

 tion of the name seems rather uncertain. Professor Earle 

 suggests " that it may possibly be a condensation of set-waer- 

 tune, i.e., at the town of the weir or weirs, and it is not at all 

 unlikely that the earliest weirs were projected from that bank 

 of the stream, or it may be an abridgment of cet-ofer-iune, i.e., 

 at the town on the bank (ofer) of the Avon, implying the 

 further idea of opposite bank, yonder bank, because of its 

 suburbanity to Bath. This latter derivation is favoured by 

 those varieties of spelling Twiverton and Tiverton." The- 

 Manor of Twerton formerly the property of the Bishop of 

 Coutance, was at the conquest held of the Bishop by Nigel, 

 physician to the Conqueror, and by Goisfrid or Goiffrid 

 Malreward of Norton Malreward, in this county. It sub 

 sequently passed to the family of Sir Richard Rodneye, who 

 held it till Queen Elizabeth's time, after which it was divided 

 and held by different persons, and ultimately the whole 

 became the property of the late Mr. W. Gore-Langton. 

 In 13 18 Sir WilHam Malreward gave the Church of Twi- 

 verton to the Prioress and Convent of Kington St. Michael, 

 near Chippenham, free of all services saving Episcopal 

 rights, and this grant was shortly afterwards confirmed 

 by the Bishop of Bath and Wells, and subsequently by 



