Whitestaunton

Whitestaunton is a village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Northay. It was known simply as Staunton until the 14th century.[2]

Whitestaunton
Stone building with square tower. In the foreground are gravestones.
Whitestaunton is located in Somerset
Whitestaunton
Whitestaunton
Location within Somerset
Population256 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST285105
Civil parish
  • Whitestaunton
District
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHARD
Postcode districtTA20
Dialling code01460
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

History

The univallate Iron Age hill fort at Horse Pool Camp is situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) west from the village. The hill fort is an oval univallate that is 300 metres (980 ft) long and 150 metres (490 ft) wide.[3][4]

The parish of Whitestaunton was part of the South Petherton Hundred.[5]

A Roman bath house and Edwardian folly in the village were excavated by the television series Time Team.[6]

Whitestaunton Manor dates from the 15th century and is a Grade I listed building.[7]

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 South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Chard Rural District.[8] 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 Yeovil 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 was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Religious sites

The Church of St Andrew dates from the 13th century and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building.[9]

Notable residents

References
  1. "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. "Parishes: Whitestaunton | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  3. "Horse Pool Camp". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Somerset County Council. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
  4. "Whitestaunton Camp". National Monuments Record. English Heritage. Retrieved 5 October 2012.
  5. "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  6. "A Roman bath house and Edwardian folly". Time Team microsite. Channel 4. 11 January 2004. Retrieved 9 February 2008.
  7. Historic England. "Whitestaunton Manor (1250783)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 February 2008.
  8. "Chard RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  9. Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1263098)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 2 February 2008.

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