Ashill is a small village, pleasantly situated on a rising ground three miles west from Ilminster, six north from Chard, and nine east from Taunton. It probably derived its name from the quantity of ash trees that heretofore grew upon the spot, which constituted part of the great forest of Neroche. At this day it is tolerably wooded.
The parish of Ashill is of large extent, and contains fifty-five houses, twenty-four of which compose the village, wherin stands the church; and the remainder are in the hamlets of Southton, Wimblehill, Wood, Rowlands, and Jordans: the number of inhabitants is about three hundred and twenty.
The last-mentioned hamlet had its appelation from the little river of Jordan, which divides this parish on the eastern side from that of Ilminster, and has a stone bridge over it on the road to Horton. Another stream rising in the forest separates this parish on the north from Isle-Abbots. The cross roads are rough and narrow, full of loose brown flints, and other stones, which render travelling disagreeable.
In a field in this parish belonging to the Earl of Egremont, there is a medicinal spring, bearing the name of Skipperham Well, the water of which is of a singular property, and has been thus analyzed:
1. The soil of the field seems to be a sand mixed with clay, and the stones which the water flows over are covered with a yellow ochrey substance.
2. The water, fresh taken from the well, is of a light grey colour, which is very cospicuous in the bath, approaching blue; but it is collected there in a large quantity, and generally foul. It is very cold, but never freezes; has no smell, but is of a subacid and gently styptick taste, which goes off upon keeping.
3. The sides of the well are covered with air-bubbles, where the water ebbs and flows every day. This effect, however, is not retained afterwards upon being taken out of the well; that is, the water does not sparkle in a glass; but in passing from one vessel to another, even after it has been bottled, something of the same kind may be observed. After standing about two months, it deposited a tenacious green sediment upon the sides of the bottle, which had a putrid smell and taste, and felt like grease.
4. The specific gravity of this water to that which is commonly used was as 740 to 700.
5. Twelve grains of green tea infused by an ounce of this water induced a bright amber colour.
6. A similar infusion with galls became first of a light brown, and after standing two days assumed a green hue upon the top, with a greasy scum.
7. An infusion of ash bark in this water was turned almost instantaneously to a beautiful light green, with a bluish circle at the top.
8. This water made a slight ebullition upon spirit of vitriol being poured into it; it also became much brighter, and bubbles continued to rise from the bottom for some time.
9. The same appearances occurred with spirit of salt, and vinegar. The former seemed to change its colour to purple.
10. With salt of tartar this water assumed a pearl colour, and deposited a white sediment.
11. With lime-water it became milky, and precipitated a white sediment.
12. With spirit of sal ammoniac it formed a light bluish cloud, and upon standing emitted bubbles.
13. Being boiled with milk it did not coagulate, but lathered very easily with soap.
14. A piece of silver having been immersed in it, was, after standing some four hours, covered with air-bubbles, and the water became more pellucid than natural.
15. With a solution of silver in the nitrous acid, it first threw up white clouds, and afterwards became of a deep dirty purple colour, and deposited a sediment of the same.
16.With saccharum saturni it put on the appearance of milk, and deposited a light-coloured sediment.
