Hundred of Somerton

The Hundred of Somerton is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England,[1] dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was responsible for the maintenance of the frankpledge system.[2] They also formed a unit for the collection of taxes.[3] The role of the hundred court was described in the Dooms (laws) of King Edgar. The name of the hundred was normally that of its meeting-place.[4]

Somerton Hundred
Area
25,450 acres (10,300 ha)
StatusHundred
 • HQSomerton
Subdivisions
 • TypeParishes
 • UnitsAller, West Camel, Charlton Adam, Charlton Mackrell, Kingston, East Lydford, Somerton, Long Sutton, and Yeovilton

Somerton Hundred originated as a Royal Estate before the Norman Conquest and may have included the parishes later included in the Pitney Hundred.[5][6]

The Hundred of Somerton consisted of the ancient parishes of: Aller, West Camel, Charlton Adam, Charlton Mackrell, Kingston, East Lydford, Somerton, Long Sutton, and Yeovilton. It covered an area of 25,450 acres (10,300 ha).[7]

The importance of the hundred courts declined from the seventeenth century. By the 19th century several different single-purpose subdivisions of counties, such as poor law unions, sanitary districts, and highway districts sprang up, filling the administrative role previously played by parishes and hundreds. Although the Hundreds have never been formally abolished, their functions ended with the establishment of county courts in 1867[8] and the introduction of districts by the Local Government Act 1894.[9]

References
  1. "Somerton Hundred". A vision of Britain through time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  2. "Administrative Units Typology | Status definition: Hundred". Vision of Britain. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  3. "The Shire and the Hundred". Somerset County Council. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
  4. "Summary". Institute of Archaeology. Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  5. R. W. Dunning (editor), A. P. Baggs, R. J. E. Bush, Margaret Tomlinson (1974). "Somerton hundred". A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 3. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 19 October 2011.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "Local History". Somerton. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  7. "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  8. County Courts Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 142) s.28
  9. "Mapping the Hundreds of England and Wales in GIS". University of Cambridge Department of Geography. 6 June 2008. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
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