Milverton, Somerset

Milverton, Somerset

Coordinates: 51°01′20″N 3°14′56″W / 51.0221°N 3.2489°W / 51.0221; -3.2489

Milverton
Reddish stone building with square tower. In the foreground are a cross and lamppost.
Church of St Michael, Milverton
Milverton is located in Somerset
Milverton

 Milverton shown within Somerset
Population 1,385 [1]
OS grid reference ST125255
District Taunton Deane
Shire county Somerset
Region South West
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town TAUNTON
Postcode district TA4
Dialling code 01823
Police Avon and Somerset
Fire Devon and Somerset
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament Taunton Deane
List of places: UK • England • Somerset

Milverton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the valley of the River Tone 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 1,385.[1] The parish includes the hamlet of Preston Bowyer.

It has one public house, The Globe (The White Hart public house closed in March 2008), a convenience store, a piano dealership and workshop, a post office and a hairdresser.

Contents

History

The name of the village is believed to come from the Old English and mean settlement at the mill ford. There is evidence of a mill within the parish from the Domesday Book of 1086.[2] These referred to the site of the Town Mills on Hillfarrence Brook.[3]

Neolithic flint arrowheads have been found to the west of the village and Bronze age axe heads were discovered when the bypass, which opened in 1975, was being built.[3]

Just before the Norman Conquest Milverton was granted by Edith of Wessex to Bishop Gisa of Wells Cathedral, but this was reversed by William the Conquerer. The manor was then united with Torrington in Devon passing in 1212 to William Briwere.[3] The parish was part of the Milverton Hundred,[4]

In 1708 there was a fire which destroyed 13 properties.[2] Trade was largely based on cloth manufacture and in 1819 Lamech Swift established a silk throwing factory which employed up to 300 women and children.[3]

The village used to have a station on the Devon and Somerset Railway, which closed in 1966.

Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.

The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Taunton Deane, which was formed on April 1, 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Wellington Rural District.[5] The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.

Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is also part of the Taunton Deane county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Religious sites

The Church of St Michael dates from the 13th century, on the site of an even earlier chapel, and has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[6]

Notable residents

It was the birthplace, in 1773, of Thomas Young, an English polymath who contributed to the scientific understanding of vision, light, solid mechanics, energy, physiology, and Egyptology.

John Francis Ebdon (1876 — 1952) was an English cricketer was also born in the village. Another cricketer, Australian-born Herbert Oxley Hopkins (1895–1972) died in the village.

References

  1. ^ a b "Taunton Deane 2002 parish population estimates". Somerset County Council. http://www.webcitation.org/5lRyCZwqu. Retrieved 27 December 2009. 
  2. ^ a b Gathercole, Clare. "Milverton". The Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey. Somerset County Council. http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/hes/downloads/EUS_MilvertonText.pdf. Retrieved 2010-02-02. 
  3. ^ a b c d Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. p. 145. ISBN 1874336261. 
  4. ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/. Retrieved 17 October 2011. 
  5. ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Wellington Rural District
  6. ^ "Church of St Michael". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=270451. Retrieved 2008-10-17. 

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Milverton — is the name of several places, each deriving its name from the county of Somerset: People Arthur Richards, 1st Baron Milverton Charles Augustus Milverton, fictional character in The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton by Arthur Conan Doyle… …   Wikipedia

  • Milverton (hundred) — Milverton Hundred Geography Status Hundred area 12,250 acres (4,960 ha) HQ Milverton History …   Wikipedia

  • Milverton railway station — served the village of Milverton in Somerset. It was on the Devon and Somerset Railway that ran between Taunton and Barnstaple. The Devon and Somerset was operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway and was taken over with the B E by the Great… …   Wikipedia

  • Milverton — This interesting surname is of Anglo Saxon origin, and is a locational name either from Milverton near Taunton in Somerset, or from Milverton near Warwick in Warwickshire. The former place, recorded variously as Milferton in Saxon Documents,… …   Surnames reference

  • Church of St Michael, Milverton — Church of St Michael …   Wikipedia

  • Devon and Somerset Railway — Barnstaple Victoria Road station Dates of operation 1871–1966 …   Wikipedia

  • List of civil parishes in Somerset — This is a list of civil parishes in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England.The unitary authorities of Bath and North East Somerset and North Somerset are administered independently of the shire county of Somerset.Bath and North East Somerset* …   Wikipedia

  • List of Grade I listed buildings in Somerset — There are over 6000 Grade I listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the county of Somerset.Bath North East Somerset* Abbey Church, Bath (Grade A) * Abbey Church Yard, Bath: No 14 * Grand Pump Room, Bath * Grand Pump …   Wikipedia

  • List of places in Somerset — This is a list of cities, towns, villages and hamlets in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. See the list of places in England for places in other counties.compactTOC NOTOC A Abbas and Templecombe, Abbas Combe, Abbey Hill, Abbots Leigh,… …   Wikipedia

  • Thomas Young (scientist) — Infobox Scientist name = Thomas Young box width = image width = 240px caption = birth date = birth date|df=yes|1773|06|13 birth place = Milverton, Somerset, England death date = death date and age|df=yes|1829|05|10|1773|06|13 death place = London …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”