Chiselborough is a village in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It is situated on the

River Parrett The River Parrett flows through the counties of Dorset and Somerset in South West England, from its source in the Thorney Mills springs in the hills around Chedington in Dorset. Flowing northwest through Somerset and the Somerset Levels to it ...

, 5 miles (8 km) west of Yeovil, and has a population of 275. The village consists largely of small cottages built in the local golden hamstone quarried at the local Ham Hill.

History

The village was recorded in

Saxon The Saxons ( la, Saxones, german: Sachsen, ang, Seaxan, osx, Sahson, nds, Sassen, nl, Saksen) were a group of Germanic * * * * peoples whose name was given in the early Middle Ages to a large country (Old Saxony, la, Saxonia) near the Nor ...

times as 'Ceoselbergon' and was later mentioned in the Domesday Book as 'Ceolseberge' in the holding of

Robert, Count of Mortain Robert, Count of Mortain, 2nd Earl of Cornwall (–) was a Norman nobleman and the half-brother (on their mother's side) of King William the Conqueror. He was one of the very few proven companions of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastin ...

. The name derives from the Old English ''cisel'' and ''beorg'' (gravel and hill). The parish was part of the hundred of Houndsborough. The

Earls of Ilchester Earl of Ilchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in ...

held most of the village until 1914 when the estate was sold, having inherited it from the heirs of Joan Wadham, Lady Strangways, first wife of Sir

Giles Strangways Giles Strangways (3 June 1615 – 20 July 1675) of Melbury House in Somerset, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1675. He fought on the Royalist side during the Civil War Origins He was the ...

(1528-1562) of Melbury Sampford, sister and co-heiress of

Nicholas Wadham Nicholas Wadham may refer to: * Nicholas Wadham (1531–1609) Nicholas Wadham () (1531–1609) of Merryfield in the parish of Ilton, Somerset, and Edge in the parish of Branscombe, Devon, was a posthumous co-founder of Wadham College, Oxfo ...

, co-founder of Wadham College, Oxford. The current Baron and Baroness of Chiselborough do not reside in the area. The annual Chiselborough Fair was held on common ground near the street now known as Fair Place.

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 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District. The district council is responsible for local planning and

building control Building automation (BAS), also known as building management system (BMS) or building energy management system (BEMS), is the automatic centralized control of a building's HVAC, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning), electrical, ligh ...

, local roads,

council housing Public housing in the United Kingdom, also known as council estates, council housing, or social housing, provided the majority of rented accommodation until 2011 when the number of households in private rental housing surpassed the number in so ...

, environmental health, markets and fairs,

refuse collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable m ...

and recycling,

cemeteries A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

and

crematoria Cremation is a method of final disposition of a dead body through burning. Cremation may serve as a funeral or post-funeral rite and as an alternative to burial. In some countries, including India and Nepal, cremation on an open-air pyre i ...

, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as Local Education Authority, education, social services, library, libraries, main roads, public transport, police, policing and fire services, Trading Standards, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. It is also part of the Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency), Yeovil county constituency represented in the British House of Commons, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election, and was part of the South West England (European Parliament constituency), South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Brexit, Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven Members of the European Parliament, MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Geography

It is surrounded by five hills within the parish of the same name. Geology, Geologically, the valley consists of a thin layer of Fuller's earth clay over Yeovil sands.

Religious sites

The Anglican parish Church of St Peter and St Paul, Chiselborough, Church of St Peter and St Paul has 12th-century origins. The chancel dates from the 17th century and the nave was rebuilt by E L Bracebridge 1842. The current priest in charge is Rev. Peter Thomas.

References

External links