Somerton is a community as well as civil parish in the English area of Somerset. It provided its name to the area as well as was quickly, around the begin of the 14th century, the county town, as well as around 900 was perhaps the capital of Wessex. It has actually held a weekly market since the Middle Ages, and the primary square with its market cross is today an appealing place for visitors. Situated on the River Cary, approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north-west of Yeovil, Somerton has its own community council offering a population of 4,697 as of 2011. Homeowners are often described locally as Somertonians. The civil parish consists of the hamlets of Etsome, Hurcot, Catsgore, and Catcombe. The history of Somerton go back to the Anglo-Saxon period, when it was an essential political and commercial centre. After the Norman conquest of England the relevance of the town decreased, despite being the county town of Somerset in the late thirteenth century as well as early fourteenth century. Having shed county town standing, Somerton then became a market community in the Middle Ages, whose economic climate was supported by transportation systems using the River Parrett, as well as later rail transportation by means of the Great Western Railway, and also by light markets including glove production and also gypsum mining. In the centre of Somerton the large market square, with its octagonal roofed market cross, is bordered by old homes, while close by is the 13th century Church of St Michael and All Angels. Somerton additionally had links with Muchelney Abbey in the Middle Ages. The BBC drama The Monocled Mutineer was shot in Somerton from 1985 to 1986.
