Lamyatt

Lamyatt is a village and civil parish in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. It lies 5 miles (8 km) south east of Shepton Mallet, 2 miles (3 km) north east of Castle Cary, and 3 miles (5 km) south of Evercreech. The parish has a population of 183.[1]

Lamyatt
Church of St Mary and St John, Lamyat
Lamyatt Location within Somerset
Population	183 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference	ST656356
Civil parish	Lamyatt
District	Mendip
Shire county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	SHEPTON MALLET
Postcode district	BA4
Dialling code	01749
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Wells

History

A square, Roman-period Celtic temple built in the late 3rd century, is situated a mile north-west of the parish on the summit of Lamyatt Beacon. It fell into disuse around 370 or perhaps 410.[2]

Lamyatt was recorded in the Domesday book as Lamieta meaning "the lamb's gate" from the Old English lamb and goat. The Abbot of Glastonbury Abbey owned the land and 5 hides (660 acres) were sublet to Nigel the Doctor.[3]

The parish of Lamyatt was part of the Whitstone Hundred.[4]

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 Mendip, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Shepton Mallet Rural District,[5] which 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 Wells 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

St Mary and St John Church dates from the 13th century, and has been designated by English Heritage as a grade II* listed building.[6]

Notable people

• John Copleston (1841–1918), cricketer and clergyman

References

1. "Lamyat Parish". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
2. "Lamyatt Beacon". Sacred sites around Glastonbury. Retrieved 31 October 2007.
3. Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Dovecote Press. ISBN 1-874336-03-2.
4. "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 22 October 2011.
5. "Shepton Mallet RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
6. Historic England. "Church of St Mary and St John (1344874)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 30 October 2007.

External links

• Lamyatt village web site