If over Christmas you tuck into a nice cheeseboard, a tasty cheese sandwich, order a ploughman’s lunch or make a cheese sauce, spare a thought for Joseph Harding and give a little prayer of thanks.
Arguably cheddar cheese should have been named MARKSBURY cheese, as Joseph Harding set down the standardisation for the making of the world famous hard cheese from his farm here.
He was born in Wanstrow, near Frome, in 1805 and married Rachel Wilboult in Bristol in 1824. They lived in Compton Dando & Marksbury.
Cheddar cheese is the most popular cheese in the United Kingdom and counts for over half of all the cheese market here. The husband and wife team introduced the cheese to Scotland and North America.
Joseph lies at rest in the churchyard at Marksbury. There is also a plaque inside
St Peter’s church in memory of him and his wife Rachel, this was moved from the Methodist church.
St. Peter’s Church in Marksbury dates from the 12th Century.
