Stoke St Gregory is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England, about east of

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village is on a low ridge of land between the

River Tone The River Tone is a river in the English county of Somerset. The river is about long. Its source is at Beverton Pond near Huish Champflower in the Brendon Hills, and is dammed at Clatworthy Reservoir. The reservoir outfall continues through ...

to the north and

West Sedgemoor West Sedgemoor or West Sedge Moor () is an area of the Somerset Levels, in Somerset, England, around 8 miles (13 km) east of Taunton, which approximately coincides with the West Sedgemoor biological Site of Special Scientific Interest, a 1,016 he ...

to the south. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 942.

History

The parish of Stoke St Gregory was part of the

North Curry North Curry is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, east of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The parish, which includes several hamlets, had a population of 1,640 in 2011. History The parish was part of the North ...

Hundred. The manor was held, with

, from 1190 by the dean and chapter of Wells Cathedral. The parish includes the

Willows and Wetlands visitor centre The Willows and Wetlands Visitor Centre is situated at Stoke St Gregory, on the Somerset Levels, north east of Taunton, England. Based on a working farm, growing and processing willow, the centre offers tours of over of withies, willow yards and ...

which offers tours of more than 80 acres (0.12 sq mi) of

withies A withy or withe (also willow and osier) is a strong flexible willow stem, typically used in thatching, basketmaking, gardening and for constructing woven wattle hurdles.

, willow yards and basket workshops and explains the place of willow in the history of the Somerset Levels. Lovell's Farm has a withy boiler that was built in 1906. Slough Farmhouse, formerly called Slough Court, was built in the late Middle Ages as a fortified manor house. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Governance

The civil parish has a parish council. The parish is in the

Non-metropolitan district Non-metropolitan districts, or colloquially "shire districts", are a type of local government district in England. As created, they are sub-divisions of non-metropolitan counties (colloquially ''shire counties'') in a two-tier arrangement. Non-m ...

of Somerset West and Taunton and the non-metropolitan county of Somerset, governed by

Somerset County Council Somerset County Council is the county council of Somerset in the South West of England, an elected local government authority responsible for the most significant local government services in most of the county. On 1 April 2023 the county counc ...

. It was previously in the district of

Taunton Deane Taunton Deane was a local government district with borough status in Somerset, England. Its council was based in Taunton. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the Municipal Borough of Ta ...

, 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 ...

, and part of

Taunton Rural District Taunton was a rural district in Somerset, England, from 1894 to 1974. It was created in 1894 under the Local Government Act 1894. In 1974 it was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 when it became part of Taunton Deane district. The p ...

before that. Stoke St Gregory is part of

county constituency, represented in the House of Commons of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprema ...

. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the

first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

system of election.

Church and chapel

The Church of England parish of church of St Gregory was built in the 14th century. It has some 15th- and 18th-century features, was twice restored in the 19th century and is a Grade I listed building. There is a set of 17th- or 18th-century

stocks Stocks are feet restraining devices that were used as a form of corporal punishment and public humiliation. The use of stocks is seen as early as Ancient Greece, where they are described as being in use in Solon's law code. The law describing ...

in the churchyard. Nearby may be found the grave of Bunny Austin, renowned 1930s tennis champion. The churchyard is home to generations of the Hembrow family. The Baptist Church was built in 1895 and has stables at the rear.

Williams Hall (The Village Hall)

The original hall, a converted barn, had been donated by a Miss Williams in 1931. The objective of the Trust is, in the quaint language of the Trust Deed. "The provision and maintenance of a village hall for the use of the inhabitants of Stoke St Gregory without distinction of political, religious or other opinions”. The “new” Stoke St Gregory village hall - the Williams Hall - was opened in 2006. The project to replace the old hall was largely funded through the efforts of those in the village who passionately believed in a facility to serve and support the local community.

References

External links