Somerton, Somerset

Somerton (/ˈsʌmərtən/ SUM-ər-tən) is a town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, situated on the River Cary, approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north-west of Yeovil. The parish, which includes the hamlets of Etsome, Hurcot, Catsgore, and Catcombe, had a population of 5,484 at the 2021 census. Residents are often referred to locally as Somertonians.

Somerton gave its name to the county and was briefly, around the start of the 14th century, the county town, Around 900, it 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.

Archaeological remains at Somerton provide evidence of a Iron Age 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 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, the economy of which 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 the centre of Somerton the wide market square with its octagonal roofed market cross is surrounded by old houses, and 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.