62-837: The Somerton Viaduct is a historic railway viaduct in the town of Somerton in Somerset , England. It is situated on the Langport and Castle Cary Railway , known as the Castle Cary Cut-off, on the Reading to Taunton Line. It carries the railway over the River Cary . The viaduct was opened in 1906. The construction was overseen by Great Western Railway engineer P.A. Anthony. 51°03′33″N 2°43′35″W / 51.0591°N 2.7263°W / 51.0591; -2.7263 This England rail transport related article
124-587: A Celtic settlement which pre-dates any written records of the area. The grave goods found suggest the local population were of a high status and adopted a Roman lifestyle, with the older and newer graves showing marked differences in burial customs. The earliest written reference to the town is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , which records that in 733 the King of Wessex, Æthelheard lost control of Somerton to Æthelbald , King of Mercia . Somerton
186-488: A 'democratic parliament' that never was." While many modern historians avoid the terms witan and witenagemot , few would go as far as Geoffrey Hindley, who described witenagemot as an "essentially Victorian" coinage. The Blackwell Encyclopaedia of Anglo-Saxon England prefers "king's council" but adds that it was known in Old English as the witan. Maddicott regarded the word witan with suspicion, even though it
248-461: A certain regard to the wishes of the aristocracy. Liebermann's more subtle position seems to be vindicated by testimony from abbot Ælfric of Eynsham , the leading homilist of the late tenth century, who wrote: No man can make himself king, but the people has the choice to choose as king whom they please; but after he is consecrated as king, he then has dominion over the people, and they cannot shake his yoke off their necks. In addition to having
310-583: A dispute over an estate in Middlesex in the 950s refers to a decision of the Myrcna witan ( ' Mercian witan ' ). The most common Old English term for a meeting of the witan is gemot , sometimes expanded as micel gemot ( ' great assembly ' ). Writers of Latin texts used conventus or magnum sapientium conventus ( lit. ' great assembly of wise men ' ). Modern scholars use witenagemot ( ' assembly of counsellors ' ) as
372-428: A lower-case ad hoc gathering of the wise men who were the king's councillors? Henrietta Leyser commented in 2017 that for decades historians avoided using the word witan for assemblies in case they were interpreted as proto-parliaments, and she went on: "Recent historiography, however, has reintroduced the term since it is clear that it was generally accepted that certain kinds of business could only be transacted with
434-495: A model coaching inn. It closed in 1995; after a period of neglect it has been redeveloped as town houses. From the early 1980s onwards projects aiming to improve Somerton for film industry purposes have been undertaken. The market square was heavily revamped, creating a central parking area with easy access to the local amenities. The BBC drama The Monocled Mutineer was filmed in Somerton from 1985 to 1986. Somerton Court
496-483: A population of 5,500 as of 2021. In the 1801 census the population of the town was 1,145 and the first half of the 19th century saw strong growth (reflecting that seen elsewhere in England during this period), with the population rising to 2,140 in 1851. It however then began to drop, starting with a significant drop to 1,917 by the 1861 census. The population steadily fell until 1921, before steadily rising thereafter. It
558-533: A receiving station 30 miles (48 km) away at Somerton. Somerton was hit by four Luftwaffe bombs on the morning of 29 September 1942 during the Second World War. The bombs were aimed at the Cow and Gate milk factory and it was largely destroyed. Ten nearby houses were badly damaged. Nine people were killed and thirty seven injured. A memorial at the dairy site commemorates those killed. Somerton also
620-471: A role in the election of kings, it is often held that the witenagemots had the power to depose an unpopular king. However, there are only two occasions when this probably happened, in 757 and 774 with the depositions of kings Sigeberht of Wessex and Alhred of Northumbria respectively. The witan's powers are illustrated by the following event. In the year 1013 King Æthelred II (Æthelred the Unready) fled
682-423: A significant role in legislation. The king and his advisers would draft laws and then seek the witan's consultation and consent. As Lyon points out, this process was a testament to the king's belief in gathering opinions from all parts of the kingdom, which "produced a wider sampling of opinion and gave the law more solid support". The witan took part in both secular and ecclesiastical legislation. Church law, however,
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#1732776000330744-404: A technical term, but historian John Maddicott noted its rarity in the 11th century with only nine pre- Conquest examples, mainly in the crisis of 1051–1052 . Patrick Wormald was also cautious, describing it as "a word always rare and unattested before 1035". The origins of the witan lie in the practice of Germanic kings seeking the advice of their great men. This practice survived within
806-477: A tithe barn, to house the tithes of crops and produce paid by the parish to the town's Rector. The Abbey was dissolved in 1539 during the English Reformation , and the tithes and the tithe barn passed into the ownership of Bristol Cathedral . In the 20th century the barn was converted into private housing. Glove making was a major industry in the town in the early nineteenth century, along with
868-680: Is a Scheduled Ancient Monument . Next to the Butter Cross stands the Old Town Hall . Bordering the square are the church, and the Lady Smith Memorial Hall, also known as the "Parish Rooms", which was built in 1902, and named after Frances (nee Pinney), the late wife of Sir John Smith , who had died in 1895. The 17th century Market House is now a restaurant. The Red Lion was opened by the Earl of Ilchester in 1768 as
930-464: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article about a Somerset building or structure is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Somerton, Somerset Somerton ( / ˈ s ʌ m ər t ən / SUM -ər-tən ) is a town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset . It gave its name to the county and was briefly, around the start of the 14th century,
992-464: Is around 17 miles (27 km) away at junction 23 ( Bridgwater ). Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC West and ITV West Country . Television signals are received from the Mendip TV transmitter. Local radio stations are BBC Radio Somerset on 95.5 FM, Heart West on 102.6 FM and Greatest Hits Radio South West (formerly The Breeze ) on 105.6 FM. The town is served by
1054-424: Is home to large properties, like The Lynch Country House, a Grade II listed building, built in 1812 and St Michael's and All Angels Church . Somerton is an electoral division electing two councillors to Somerset Council . The electoral division is larger than the town, including several neighbouring parishes. The town also has a town council with responsibility for some local issues. In October 2009, eleven of
1116-410: Is notable for a carved roof, with lions and a small cider barrel purportedly carved by the monks of Muchelney Abbey . Sir John Betjeman was also inspired by an inscription on the candelabra . The church is quite plain on the outside but inside is one of the finest wooden carved roofs in the county. It is shallow pitched with massive, richly decorated tie beams and short king posts. The whole area of
1178-595: Is now at Castle Cary . On the outskirts of the town stands the impressive Somerton Viaduct . The closest main road from Somerton is the A303 road that runs near the town and stretches all the way into northern Hampshire and finally joins the M3 motorway near Basingstoke . The minor B3165 road runs through the town although the road is less commonly used and does not join to the A303 for another 4 miles (6 km). Two B roads,
1240-767: Is part of Glastonbury and Somerton constituency for elections to the House of Commons. Somerton is situated on a plateau, above and to the south of the deep valley of the River Cary . The river flows west and then north through the Somerton Moor and then into King's Sedgemoor Drain on the Somerset Levels eventually joining the River Parrett near Bridgwater . The town is 116 miles (187 km) from London, 28 miles (45 km) south from Bristol and 9 miles (14 km) north-west from Yeovil , just off
1302-425: Is used in sources such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle . In his study of the origins of the English parliament, he generally preferred the more neutral word "assembly": But the word carries with it, however unjustifiably, a fustian air of decayed scholarship, and, in addition, its use may seem to prejudge the answer to an important question: do we have here an institution, a capitalized 'Witan', as it were, or merely
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#17327760003301364-581: The B3153 and B3165 , run through Somerton; the B3165, mentioned earlier, starts in the town and runs southwards to the A372 Langport road . The A372 itself runs south-east to the junction of the A303 and A37 roads at Podimore services. The B3151 is also nearby, connecting Somerton with Street and Glastonbury to the north, and Ilchester to the south, and thus the A303 and A37 as well. The M5 motorway
1426-465: The Norman Conquest in 1066, William I replaced the witan with the curia regis (Latin for ' king's court ' ). In a sign of the witan's enduring legacy, the curia regis continued to be dubbed a witan by chroniclers until as late as the 12th century. Maddicott writes that the witan (what he terms "royal assemblies") were "the direct forebears of the councils of post-Conquest England and
1488-561: The Welsh kings might also be in attendance. Anglo-Saxon England lacked a fixed capital, and the royal court was itinerant . The witan convened at various locations, including royal palaces, towns, and hunting lodges. Between 900 and 1066, over 50 locations were recorded. London and Winchester were popular meeting places, and other locations included: Abingdon, Amesbury, Andover, Aylesford, Cookham, Dorchester, Faversham, King's Enham, Southampton, Wantage, Oxford, Kirtlington, and Woodstock. In
1550-530: The West Country , meetings were held at Gloucester , Axminster, Bath, Calne, Cheddar, Chippenham, Cirencester, Edington, Malmesbury, Winchcombe, and Exeter. While meetings in the North were rare, the witan did convene at Nottingham in 934 and at Lincoln in 1045. The witan could meet at any time, but it often gathered during Christmas, Lent, and Easter when many nobles were present at court. The witan played
1612-458: The business park on Bancombe Road. The main square, Market Place, with its market cross is today an attractive location for visitors. Market crosses have stood in the square since before 1390; the present Butter Cross, a roofed market cross, was rebuilt in 1673, and is Somerton's most noted feature. The structure was the property of the Earls of Ilchester who sold it to the town in 1916. It
1674-634: The 19th century were concerned with explaining the evolution of the English constitution , and they found in the witan a proto-parliament or in the words of Felix Liebermann , "one of the lineal ancestors of the British Parliament". After World War I, historians such as Frank Stenton and Dorothy Whitelock shifted their focus to understanding the Anglo-Saxon period on its own terms. In his 1943 Anglo-Saxon England , Stenton chose to use
1736-556: The Dorset border. Somerton's hamlets include Etsome, Hurcot, Lower Somerton, Littleton and Midney. Great Breach Wood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is situated just 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north-east from Somerton, near the hamlet of Littleton. Somerton's climate is typical of the climate of south-west England which is usually cool winters with warmer summers and precipitation all year round, with more rain experienced in winter. The Somerton parish had
1798-541: The Parliament of England; it had substantially different powers and some major limitations, such as a lack of a fixed procedure, schedule, or meeting place. In his 1995 biography of Alfred the Great , historian David Sturdy argues that the witan did not embody modern notions of a "national institution" or a "democratic" body. He writes, " Victorian notions of a national 'witan' are crazy dreams without foundation, myths of
1860-471: The centre of Somerton the wide market square, with its octagonal roofed market cross, is surrounded by old houses, while close by is the 13th century Church of St Michael and All Angels . Somerton also had links with Muchelney Abbey in the Middle Ages . The BBC drama The Monocled Mutineer was filmed in Somerton from 1985 to 1986. Archaeological evidence uncovered in 2019 indicates the existence of
1922-484: The counsellors of Anglo-Saxon kings. At the same time, the word could also refer to other kinds of counsellors, such as the witan of a shire court . Wulfstan II, Archbishop of York (1002–1023), wrote in his Institutes of Polity that "it is incumbent on bishops, that venerable 'witan' always travel with them, and dwell with them, at least of the priesthood; that they may consult with them ... and who may be their counsellors at every time." A contemporary account of
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1984-563: The country from Sweyn Forkbeard , who then had the witan proclaim him king. Within a few weeks, however, Sweyn died and Æthelred was called back to England by the witan. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the witan would only receive him back under the condition that he promise to rule better than he had. Æthelred did so, and was reinstated as King of England . His nickname of the 'Unræd' or 'Unready' means ill-advised, indicating that contemporaries regarded those who sat in
2046-516: The county town, and around 900 was possibly the capital of Wessex . It has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages, and the main square with its market cross is today popular with visitors. Situated on the River Cary , approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north-west of Yeovil , Somerton has its own town council serving a population of 4,697 as of 2011. Residents are often referred to locally as Somertonians . The civil parish includes
2108-569: The earliest document which survives in sustained Old English prose. Before the 9th century, only church councils , such as the Council of Hertford in 672, transcended the boundaries of individual kingdoms. With the unification of England in the 10th century, the witan acquired a national scope for the first time. According to historian Bryce Lyon , the witan "was an amoebic sort of organization with no definite composition or function". It does appear, however, that an indispensable requirement
2170-512: The hamlets of Etsome , Hurcot , Catsgore , and Catcombe . Archaeological remains at Somerton are evidence of a Celtic settlement. The discovery of a high status cemetery in 2019, suggests that these local people adopted a more Roman lifestyle. During the Anglo-Saxon era, Somerton was an important political and commercial centre. After the Norman conquest of England the importance of
2232-411: The local newspaper, Somerset County Gazette . The Church of England parish church, St Michael and All Angels , has origins which date from the 13th century, with a major reshaping in the mid 15th century, and further restoration in 1889. It is built of local lias stone cut and squared, with Hamstone dressing. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building . The church
2294-460: The many Anglo-Saxon kingdoms established after the end of Roman rule in Britain . Maddicott writes that these early "royal assemblies lacked the institutional qualities of regularity, formality of structure, and a distinctive agenda" seen in later assemblies. They were also distinctly local. The first recorded act of a witenagemot was the law code of King Æthelberht of Kent c. 600 ,
2356-506: The most important settlement and never grew into a large town. The parish was the largest in the Hundred of Somerton . It was, briefly, the county town of Somerset from the late thirteenth century into the early fourteenth century. A building referred to as "Somerset castle" is believed to have been built around 1280 as a county gaol, with a visitor in 1579 describing the remaining portion as "an old tower embattled about castle-like". It
2418-424: The other hand he (the king) was elected by the witan ... He could not depose the prelates or ealdormen, who held their office for life, nor indeed the hereditary thanes ... At any rate, the king had to get on with the highest statesmen appointed by his predecessor, though possibly disliked by him, until death made a post vacant that he could fill with a relation or a favourite, not, however, without having
2480-787: The parliaments which were the councils' descendants". The "Saxon myth" claimed that the old Saxon witan was the representative assembly of English landholders until disbanded by the Norman invaders and that it reemerged as the Parliament of England . This idea was held across the Thirteen Colonies in North America in the years prior to the American Revolution (1776–1783). Among the believers were Thomas Jefferson and Jonathan Mayhew . The Whig historians of
2542-675: The production of rope and twine. The Somerton Brewery, owned by a local landowner named Thomas Templeman, was first recorded under the Tithe Apportionment Act of 1841. The brewery became a large producer in Somerset until its final closure around 1935. Before the National Insurance and the Health Service was introduced, Somerton Men's Club acted as a local provident society within the area. Gypsum
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2604-582: The roof is divided into square carved panels set in the framework of the structural timbers which are decorated with carved bosses where they intersect. There are 640 panels each carved with the same quatrefoil design. In the triangular spaces above each beam are dragon-like beasts. It is said there are bullet holes in the timbers, caused by soldiers who camped in the church in 1646 before the Battle of Langport . The 17th century pulpit and altar table are Jacobean woodwork. There are five other churches in
2666-524: The ruling dynasty. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, these roles were performed by a similar council known as the curia regis . The witan is considered an ancestor of the Parliament of England . Before the 20th century, historians thought it had been a proto-parliament, an institution that was both democratic and representative. In the 20th century, historians shifted to emphasise the witan's ad hoc and essentially royal nature. The Old English word witan ( lit. ' wise men ' ) described
2728-519: The school, with the ultimate aim of having one building for the whole academy. Currently the institution is still based on two sites, however applications have been submitted to the Department of Education to be granted permission to build a new, one-building free school for King Ina Academy on one of three possible sites, all of which are situated in the western outskirts of the town. Witan The witan ( lit. ' wise men ' )
2790-407: The so-called election of the king by the witan merely amounted to formal recognition of the deceased king's natural successor. But Liebermann was generally less willing than Chadwick to see the witan's significance as buried under the weight of the royal prerogative: The influence of the king, or at least of kingship, on the constitution of the assembly seems, therefore, to have been immense. But on
2852-423: The term "King's Council" in place of witan and witenagemot . This change in terminology signaled an important change in the way Anglo-Saxon political assemblies were perceived. Instead of proto-parliaments, the assemblies were essentially royal institutions. Other historians followed Stenton's lead. Scholars such as Stenton have noted that the witenagemot was in many ways different from the future institution of
2914-635: The town councillors resigned en masse, citing excessive criticism from local residents and in particular criticism from a hostile local weblog. In February 2012 the external auditor appointed by the Audit Commission published a critical "Report in the Public Interest" regarding the activities of Somerton Town Council in the fiscal year 2008 to 2009. The town was formerly part of South Somerset district from 1974 to 2023, and part of Langport Rural District from 1894 to 1974. Somerton
2976-491: The town declined, despite being the county town of Somerset in the late thirteenth century and early fourteenth century. Having lost county town status, Somerton then became a market town in the Middle Ages, whose economy was supported by transport systems using the River Parrett , and later rail transport via the Great Western Railway , and by light industries including glove making and gypsum mining. In
3038-725: The town, including Methodist and Catholic groups. A grammar school in Somerton was first founded in the 1570s, and later was endowed as the Somerton Free Grammar School. In 1903, it became Somerton Free Church of England School, before merging with Montclefe in 1963. Monteclefe National School was founded in 1851 by the Pinney family of Somerton Erleigh. Somerton Infants School and Monteclefe CEVA Junior school merged in September 2014 to form King Ina Academy , with Somerton Roundabout Preschool also amalgamating with
3100-490: The use of witnesses, mirroring the methods of authentication used for private transactions on the continent, was an elegant solution." The witan was noted by contemporary sources as having the singular power to ceosan to cynige , ' to choose the king ' from amongst the extended royal family. Nevertheless, at least until the 11th century, royal succession generally followed the "ordinary system of primogeniture ". The historian Chadwick interpreted these facts as proof that
3162-564: The witan as part responsible for the failure of his reign. At the end of 1065, King Edward the Confessor fell into a coma without clarifying his preference for the succession. He died on 5 January 1066, according to the Vita Ædwardi Regis, but not before briefly regaining consciousness and commending his widow and the kingdom to Harold's "protection". When the witan convened the next day they selected Harold to succeed as ruler of England. After
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#17327760003303224-432: The witan consented to the grants. This practice originated from the late Roman law , which required witnesses for private transactions. Historian Levi Roach explains that the "adoption of this method of authentication for early English diplomas is understandable: in the absence of direct bureaucratic continuity with the late Roman Empire, which effectively precluded sealing or notarial subscription, as practised elsewhere,
3286-547: Was drafted by the clergy, with lay nobles merely giving consent. The witan's influence was not limited to legislation. The king sought its advice and consent for extraordinary taxation that would burden the nobility, such as the Danegeld .The witan deliberated on matters of war, peace, and treaties. The declaration of royal wills occurred at witan meetings. Kings issued charters granting bookland at witan meetings. The witness lists attached to these charters proved that
3348-875: Was extracted by hand at the Hurcott open-cast mine from the Victorian era up until it closed down in 1953. In 1906, a railway station opened on the Castle Cary Cut-Off which was built by the Great Western Railway . Whilst the line still remains in use, the station was closed in 1962. When the Marconi Company built the radio stations known as the Imperial Wireless Chain for the Post Office during 1925–26, they also established their own transmitting station at Dorchester with
3410-505: Was not until 1961 that the population of Somerton had risen above its former population of 1851. The population has since continued to steadily increase. A weekly market has been held in Somerton for much of its history. The cloth industry dominated the town's market from the 17th century until the 20th century, when agriculture took over as the leading industry. Some light industries and services, such as garage repair, physiotherapy, water treatment, and builders and decorators, are located in
3472-508: Was originally known as "Somerton Erleigh". The house has had various owners including Edward IV 's brother, the Duke of Clarence , and Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland , who sold the estate in 1530. It passed through a number of hands until 1597 when it was purchased by James Fisher, whose son later rebuilt it in 1641. The court remained in the Fisher family's possession until 1808 when it
3534-528: Was owned by Sir Ralph Cromwell between 1423 and 1433. Details are vague and visible remains have vanished, so its status as a castle and its very existence is in doubt, with one writer, D.J.C. King, feeling that people were confusing it with Somerton Castle in Lincolnshire. The Abbots of Muchelney Abbey held the Rectorship of the parish church of Somerton during the Middle Ages . They built
3596-477: Was purchased by Roger Byron-Collins when it was subject to extensive upgrading and extensions. It was resold in 2005. The Dower House was built in the early 19th century. The house now stands in 55 acres (22 ha) grounds. The town's former, and only, railway station was on the Castle Cary Cut-Off , once part of the Great Western Railway . Although the line still remains in use the station closed to passengers in 1962, and goods in 1964. The nearest station
3658-499: Was sold. Its new owner renamed the house "Somerton Court", and replaced the gabled dormers with Gothic battlements and turrets. The house was later enlarged by the Hall-Stephenson family. During World War II it was occupied by Royal Navy WRENS . In the 1970s it was purchased by a local businessman Stuart Pattemore. In 1987 Somerton Court and the estate of 55 acres (22 ha) and 4 cottages including The Dower House
3720-460: Was the king's council in the Anglo-Saxon government of England from before the 7th century until the 11th century. It comprised important noblemen , including ealdormen , thegns , and bishops . Meetings of the witan were sometimes called the witenagemot . Its primary function was to advise the king on legislation, judicial cases, land transfers, and other matters of national importance. The witan may have elected new kings from among members of
3782-469: Was the presence of leading secular and ecclesiastical magnates . Kings issued royal charters at meetings of the witan, and the witness lists to these charters also served as attendance lists. About 2,000 charters and 40 law codes attest to the workings of around 300 recorded witan meetings. Typically, scribes listed witnesses in hierarchical order, with the king listed first, followed by: When English kings claimed overlordship over their Welsh neighbors,
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#17327760003303844-529: Was the site of the 949 meeting of the witan , a form of Anglo-Saxon parliament. The town returned to West Saxon royal control in the ninth century, and it was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Sumertone". The name may come from Old English for "sea-lake enclosure", "summer town" or "summer farmstead". The Somerton name was extended to the people in the area it controlled, and this area became known as Somerset, although Somerton soon ceased to be
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