Somerset
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{{otheruses4|the county of Somerset in England}}
{{Infobox England county
| name = Somerset
| image =
| motto = 'Sumorsaete ealle' <br />('all the people of Somerset')
| map = [[Image:EnglandSomerset.png]]
| status = [[Ceremonial counties of England|Ceremonial]] & (smaller) [[Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England|Non-metropolitan]] county
| origin = [[Historic counties of England|Historic]]
| region = [[South West England]]
| arearank = [[List of Ceremonial counties of England by Area|Ranked 7th]]
| area_km2 = 4171
| adminarearank = [[List of Administrative shire counties of England by Area|Ranked 12th]]
| adminarea_km2 = 3451
| adminhq = [[Taunton, Somerset|Taunton]]
| iso = GB-SOM
| ons = 40
| nuts3 = UKK23
| poprank = [[List of ceremonial counties of England by population|Ranked {{English cerem counties|RNK=Somerset}}]]
| popestdate = {{English statistics year}}
| pop = {{English cerem counties|POP=Somerset}}
| density_km2 = {{English cerem counties|DEN=Somerset}}
| adminpoprank = [[List of non-metropolitan counties of England by population|Ranked {{English admin counties|RNK=Somerset}}]]
| adminpop = {{English admin counties|POP=Somerset}}
| ethnicity = 98.5% White
| council = [[Image:Somerset-coa.png]]<br />Somerset County Council<br />http://www.somerset.gov.uk/
| exec = {{English county control|CTY=Somerset}}
| mps = *[[Jeremy Browne]] [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|(LD)]]
*[[Donald Foster (politician)|Don Foster]] (LD)
*[[Liam Fox]] [[Conservative Party (UK)|(C)]]
*[[David Heath]] (LD)
*[[David Heathcoat-Amory]] (C)
*[[David Laws]] (LD)
*[[Ian Liddell-Grainger]] (C)
*[[Dan Norris]] [[Labour Party (UK)|(L)]]
*[[John Penrose]] (C)
| subdivmap = [[Image:Somerset Ceremonial Numbered2.gif]]
| subdivs = #[[South Somerset]]
#[[Taunton Deane]] (Borough)
#[[West Somerset]]
#[[Sedgemoor]]
#[[Mendip]]
#[[Bath and North East Somerset]] (Unitary)
#[[North Somerset]] (Unitary)
}}
'''Somerset''' ({{Audio|En-uk-Somerset.ogg|pronunciation}}; [[Help:Pronunciation|IPA]] {{IPA|[ˈsʌmɚˌsɛt]}}) is a [[Counties of England|county]] in [[South West England|South West]] [[England]]. The [[county town]] is [[Taunton]], which is in the south of the county. The [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] of Somerset borders the counties of [[Bristol]] and [[Gloucestershire]] to the north, [[Wiltshire]] to the east, [[Dorset]] to the south-east, and [[Devon]] to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the coast of the [[Bristol Channel]] and the [[estuary]] of the [[River Severn]]. The traditional northern border of the county is the [[River Avon, Bristol|River Avon]], but the administrative boundary has crept southwards, with the creation and expansion of the [[Bristol|City of Bristol]], and latterly the county of [[Avon (county)|Avon]] and its successor [[Unitary Authorities]] in the north.<ref name="rajan"/>
Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills such as the [[Mendip Hills]], [[Quantock Hills]] and [[Exmoor National Park]], and large flat expanses of land including the [[Somerset Levels]]. There is evidence of human occupation from [[Neolithic]] times, and subsequent settlement in the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] and [[Saxon people|Saxon]] periods. Later, the county played a significant part in the consolidation of power and rise of [[King Alfred the Great]], the [[English Civil War]] and the [[Monmouth Rebellion]].
[[Agriculture]] is a major business in the county. Farming of sheep and cattle, including for wool and the county's famous cheeses, are traditional and contemporary, as is the more unusual cultivation of willow for basketry. Apple orchards were once plentiful, and to this day Somerset is known for the production of strong cider. Unemployment is lower than the national average, and the largest employment sectors are retail, manufacturing, tourism, and health and social care. Population growth in the county is higher than the national average.
==History==
{{main|History of Somerset}}
===Toponymy===
The name derives from [[Old English language|Old English]] ''Sumorsǣte'', which is short for ''Sumortūnsǣte'', meaning "the people living at or dependent upon Sumortūn".<ref name="watts1">{{cite book | last=Watts | first=Victor (Ed.) | title=The Cambridge Dictionary of English Place-Names | publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] | date=2004 | id=ISBN 0-521-36209-1}}</ref> The first known use of the name ''Somersæte'' was in 845, after the region fell to the Saxons.<ref name="EB1911">{{cite web |url=http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Somersetshire |title=Somersetshire |accessdate=2007-10-21 |format= |work=[[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica]] }}</ref>
Sumortūn is modern [[Somerton]] and may mean "summer settlement", a [[farmstead]] occupied during the summer but abandoned in the winter.<ref name="name">{{cite web | title=Mesolithic hunters and fishermen | work=Somerset History |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Meshuntfish.htm|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> However, Somerton is not down on the levels—lower ground, where only summer occupation was possible because of flooding—but on a hill where winter occupation would have been feasible. An alternative suggestion is that the name derives from ''Seo-mere-saetan'' meaning "settlers by the sea lakes".<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitlock |first=Ralph |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Somerset |year=1975 |publisher=B.T. Batsford Ltd |location=London |isbn=0713429054 }}</ref>
The people of Somerset are first mentioned in the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]'s entry for 845 AD, in the [[wikt:inflect|inflected]] form "Sumursætum", but the county is first mentioned in the entry for 1015 using the same name. The archaic county name ''Somersetshire'' is first mentioned in the Chronicle's entry for 878. Although "Somersetshire" had been in common use as an alternative name for the county, it went out of fashion in the late 19th century, and is no longer used. This is possibly due to the adoption of "Somerset" as the official name for the county through the establishment of the County Council in 1889. However, as with other counties not ending in "shire", this [[wikt:suffix|suffix]] was superfluous, as there was no need to differentiate between the county and a town within it.
The Old English name continues to be used in the [[motto]] of the county, ''Sumorsaete ealle'', meaning "all the people of Somerset". Adopted as the motto in 1911, the phrase is taken from the [[Anglo-Saxon Chronicle]]. Somerset was a part of the [[History of Anglo-Saxon England|Anglo-Saxon]] [[kingdom of Wessex]], and the phrase refers to the wholehearted support the people of Somerset gave to [[King Alfred]] in his struggle to save Wessex from the [[Viking]] invaders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Danishinvs.htm |title=The Danish Invasions |accessdate=2007-10-18 |format= |work=Somerset County Council archives }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://asc.jebbo.co.uk/e/e-L.html |title=Manuscript E: Bodleian MS Laud 636. The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: An Electronic Edition (Vol 5) literary edition |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/657 |title=The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle by Unknown |accessdate=2008-01-21 |format= |work=Project Gutenburg }}</ref>
Somerset is ''Gwlad yr Haf'' in Welsh, ''Gwlas an Hav'' in Cornish and ''Bro an Hañv'' in Breton, which all mean 'Land of Summer'.
Somerset settlement names are mostly Anglo-Saxon in origin, but a few hill names include [[Brythonic|Celtic]] elements. For example, an [[Anglo-Saxon Charters|Anglo-Saxon charter]] of 682 concerning Creechborough Hill defines it as "the hill the British call ''Cructan'' and we call ''Crychbeorh''"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=wA0lDM52m7MC&printsec=titlepage&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0#PRA1-PA97,M1 |title= Cartularium saxonicum: a collection of charters relating to Anglo-Saxon history |accessdate=2008-04-21 |format= |work=Google Books }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intellectbooks.com/on_line/heritage/dialects.htm |title= West Country Languages and Dialects |accessdate=2008-04-21 |format= |work=Intellect Books website }}</ref> (we being the Anglo-Saxons). Some modern names are [[Brythonic]] in origin, such as [[Tarnock]], while others have both Saxon and Brythonic elements, such as [[Pen Hill]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.takeourword.com/TOW110/page2.html |title=A word to the wise |accessdate=2008-01-22 |format= |work=Take our word for it }}</ref>
===Human occupation===
The caves of the [[Mendip Hills]] were settled during the [[Palaeolithic]] period onward and contain extensive archaeological sites such as those at [[Cheddar Gorge and Caves|Cheddar Gorge]]. Bones from [[Gough's Cave]] have been dated to 12,000 BC while a complete skeleton, known as Cheddar man, dates from [[8th millennium BC|7150 BC]]. Examples of cave art have been found in caves such as [[Aveline's Hole]]. Occupation of some caves continued until modern times, including [[Wookey Hole]].
The [[Somerset Levels]]—specifically the [[dry point]]s such as [[Glastonbury]] and [[Brent Knoll]]— also have a long history of settlement, and are known to have been settled by [[Mesolithic]] hunters.<ref name="Dunning">{{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=A History of Somerset |year=1983 |publisher=Phillimore & Co |location=Chichester |isbn= 0-85033-461-6 }}</ref><ref name="Mesolithic">{{cite web | title=Somerset | work=Camelot Village: Britain's Heritage and History |url=http://www.camelotintl.com/heritage/counties/england/somerset.html|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref> Travel in the area was helped by the construction of the world's oldest known engineered roadway, the [[Sweet Track]], which dates from [[39th century BC|3807 BC]] or [[39th century BC|3806 BC]].<ref >{{cite web | title = The day the Sweet Track was built | work = New Scientist, [[16 June]] [[1990]] | url = http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg12617212.800.html
| accessdate =2007-10-26 }}</ref><ref name=brunning>Brunning, Richard (2001). "The Somerset Levels". In: [[Current Archaeology]], '''Vol. XV''', (No. 4), Issue Number 172 (''Wetlands Special Issue''), (February 2001), Pp 139-143. [[ISSN|ISSN 0011-3212]].</ref>
There are numerous [[Iron Age]] [[Hill fort|Hill Forts]], some of which, like [[Cadbury Castle]]<ref>{{cite web | title=Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | work=Somerset County Council Archaeological Projects | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/896B4/MendipAONB.pdf| format=pdf | accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref>
and [[Ham Hill, Somerset|Ham Hill]], were later reoccupied in the [[Early Middle Ages]]. The exact age of the [[henge monument]] at [[Stanton Drew stone circles]] is unknown, but it is believed to be [[Neolithic]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Stanton Drew Stone Circles | work=English Heritage Archeometry | url=http://www.eng-h.gov.uk/archaeometry/StantonDrew/ | accessdate=2006-07-08}}</ref>
On the authority of the future emperor [[Vespasian]], as part of the ongoing expansion of the Roman presence in Britain, the [[Legio II Augusta|Second Legion Augusta]] invaded Somerset from the south-east in AD 47. The county remained part of the [[Roman Empire]] until around AD 409, when the Roman occupation of Britain came to an end.<ref name="rajan">{{cite news |first=Amal |last=Rajan |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Around a county in 40 facts: A (very) brief history of Somerset |url=http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article2891211.ece |work=Independent on Sunday |publisher= |date= 2007-08-24 |accessdate=2007-10-21 }}</ref>
A variety of Roman remains have been found, including [[Pagans Hill Roman Temple]] in [[Chew Stoke]],<ref name="hucker">{{cite book | author = Hucker, Ernest| year = 1997 | title = Chew Stoke Recalled in Old Photographs | publisher = Ernest Hucker | id = }}</ref>
[[Low Ham Roman Villa]] and the [[Roman Baths (Bath)|Roman Baths]] which gave their name to the city of [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]].<ref>{{cite web | title= Roman Baths Treatment Centre | work=Images of England | url= http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/details/default.aspx?id=442194 | accessdate=2006-11-15}}</ref>
After the Romans left, Britain was invaded by Anglo-Saxon peoples, who had established control over much of what is now England by A.D. 600 but Somerset was still in British hands. The native British held back Saxon advance in the southwest for some time longer, but by the early eighth century King [[Ine of Wessex]] had pushed the boundaries of the West Saxon kingdom far enough west to include Somerset.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britannia.com/history/somerset/somhist5.html |title=Narative History of Saxon Somerset |accessdate=2007-10-21 |last=Lewis |first=Brenda Ralph |coauthors=David Nash Ford |date= |work=Britania |publisher=}}</ref> The Saxon royal palace in [[Cheddar]] was used several times in the 10th century to host the [[Witenagemot]].<ref>{{cite web | url= http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/catalogue/adsdata/arch-769-1/ahds/dissemination/pdf/vol06-07/6_053_066.pdf | format= PDF | last= Rahtz | first= Phillip | publisher= Archaeology Data Service | title= The Saxon and Medieval Palaces at Cheddar, Somerset-an Interim Report of Excavations in I 960-62 | accessdate= 2008-03-31}}</ref> After the [[Norman Conquest]], the county was divided into 700 [[Fiefdom|fiefs]], and large areas were owned by the crown,<ref name="EB1911"/> with fortifications such as [[Dunster Castle]] used for control and defence. Somerset contains [[Shepton Mallet (HM Prison)|HMP Shepton Mallet]], England's oldest prison still in use, which opened in 1610.<ref name="Historic">{{cite web | url= http://www.sheptonmallet.org/infopage.asp?infoid=251 | work= Shepton Mallet Town Council | title= Historic Buildings of Shepton Mallet | accessdate= 2007-08-30 }}</ref> In the [[English Civil War]] Somerset was largely [[Roundhead|Parliamentarian]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Battles and Generals of the Civil Wars |last=Rodgers |first= Colonel H.C.B.|authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1968 |publisher=Seeley Service & Co. |location= |isbn= }}</ref> In 1685 the [[Monmouth Rebellion]] was played out in Somerset and neighbouring Dorset.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/media/139%2Epdf |title=Sedgemoor Battle and the Monmouth Rebellion Campaign |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format=PDF |work= }}</ref> The rebels landed at [[Lyme Regis]] and travelled north, hoping to capture [[Bristol]] and [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], but they were defeated in the [[Battle of Sedgemoor]] at [[Westonzoyland]], the last [[pitched battle]] fought in [[England]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~smedlo/history.htm |title=History of Bridgwater |accessdate=2007-10-21 |format= |work=Bridgwater }}</ref> [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]] took his title, [[Duke of Wellington]] from the town of [[Wellington, Somerset|Wellington]];<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.badley.info/history/Wellesley-Arthur-Great-Britain.biog.html |title=History and Chronology of Arthur Wellesley Wellington in Great Britain |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=World History Database }}</ref> he is commemorated on a nearby hill by a large, spotlit [[obelisk]], known as the [[Wellington Monument, Somerset|Wellington Monument]].
The 18th century was largely one of peace in Somerset, but the [[Industrial Revolution]] in the Midlands and Northern England spelled the end for most of Somerset's cottage industries. Farming continued to flourish, however, and the [[Royal Bath and West of England Society|Bath and West of England Society for the Encouragement of Agriculture, Arts, Manufactures and Commerce]] was founded in 1777 to improve farming methods.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathandwest.com/membership_purchase.php |title=Society History |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=Royal Bath and West }}</ref> Despite this, 20 years later [[John Billingsley (agriculturist)|John Billingsley]] conducted a survey of the county's agriculture in 1795 and found that agricultural methods could still be improved.<ref>{{cite book | title=General View of the Agriculture of the County of Somerset | date= 1798 | last= Billingsley | first= John | url=http://books.google.com/books?id=DBUAAAAAQAAJ&printsec=titlepage}}</ref> [[Somerset coalfield|Coal mining]] was an important industry in north Somerset during the 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1800 it was based around [[Radstock]].<ref>{{cite web | title=A Brief History of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield | work=The Mines of the Bristol and Somerset Coalfield | url=http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/mhn/b_s_coal/coal_text.htm | accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref> The [[Somerset coalfield]] reached its peak production by the 1920s, but all the pits have now been closed, the last in 1973.<ref name=cornwell>Cornwell, John (2005). ''Colleries of Somerset & Bristol''. Ashborne: Landmark Publishing. ISBN 1-84306-170-8.</ref> Most of the surface buildings have been removed, and apart from a winding wheel outside [[Radstock Museum]], little evidence of their former existence remains. Further west, the [[Brendon Hills]] were mined for iron ore in the late 19th century; this was taken by rail to Watchet Harbour for shipment to the furnaces at [[Ebbw Vale]]
Many Somerset soldiers died during the [[First World War]], with the [[Somerset Light Infantry]] suffering nearly 5,000 casualties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sommilmuseum.org.uk/article.php?id=1 |title=Somerset Light Infantry (Prince Albert's) |accessdate=2007-12-23 |format= |work=Somerset Military Museum }}</ref> War memorials were put up in most of the county's towns and villages; only seven, described as the [[Thankful Villages]], had none of their residents killed. During the [[Second World War]] the county was a base for troops preparing for the [[D-Day landings]]. Some of the hospitals which were built for the casualties of the war remain in use. The [[Taunton Stop Line]] was set up to repel a potential German invasion. The remains of its [[Bunker|pill boxes]] can still be seen along the coast, and south through [[Ilminster]] and [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pillboxes-somerset.com/taunton_stop_line.htm |title=Taunton Stop Line |accessdate=2007-10-25 |format= |work=Pillboxes Somerset }}</ref>
A number of decoy towns were constructed in Somerset in World War II to protect Bristol and other towns, at night. They were designed to mimic the geometry of "blacked out" streets, railway lines, and [[Bristol Temple Meads railway station]], to encourage bombers away from these targets.<ref name=brown>Brown, Donald (1999). ''Somerset v Hilter: Secret Operations in the Mendips 1939 - 1945''. Newbury: Countryside Books. ISBN 1-85306-590-0.</ref> One, on the [[Battle of the Beams|radio beam]] flight path to [[Bristol]], was constructed on [[Black Down, Somerset|Black Down]].<ref name=brown/><ref>{{cite web | title=Mendip Hills An Archaeological Survey of the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty | work=Somerset County Council Archaeological Projects | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/media/896B4/MendipAONB.pdf | accessdate=2006-10-28}}</ref> It was laid out by [[Shepperton Film Studios]], based on [[aerial photograph]]s of the city's railway [[marshalling yard]]s.<ref name=brown/> The decoys were fitted with dim red lights, simulating activities like the stoking of [[steam locomotive]]s. Burning bales of straw soaked in creosote were used to simulate the effects of [[incendiary device|incendiary bombs]] dropped by the first wave of Pathfinder night bombers; meanwhile, incendiary bombs dropped on the correct location were quickly smothered, wherever possible. Drums of oil were also ignited to simulate the effect of a blazing city or town, with the aim of fooling subsequent waves of bombers into dropping their bombs on the wrong location.<ref name=brown/> The [[Chew Magna]] decoy town was hit by half-a-[[dozen]] bombs on [[2 December]] [[1940]], and over a thousand incendiaries on [[3 January]] [[1941]].<ref name=brown/> The following night the [[Uphill]] decoy town, protecting [[Weston-super-Mare]]'s airfield, was bombed; a herd of [[dairy cow]]s was hit, killing some and severely injuring others.<ref name=brown/>
[[Image:Pulteney Bridge, Bath 2.jpg|thumb|[[Palladian]] Pulteney Bridge at Bath]]
==Cities and towns==
{{See also|List of places in Somerset|Category:Villages in Somerset}}
[[Somerton]] took over from [[Ilchester]] as the [[county town]] in the late thirteenth century,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/cultureheritage/heritage/projects/eus/somerton/ |title=Somerton by Miranda Richardson |accessdate=2008-01-07 |format= |work=Somerset Urban Archaeological Survey }}</ref> but it declined in importance and the status of county town transferred to Taunton about 1366.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.southsomerset.gov.uk/media/pdf/8/1/Somerton_full_version_plan__no_appendix__low_resolution.pdf |title=A town plan for Somerton |accessdate=2008-01-07 |format=PDF |work=South Somerset Council }}</ref> The county has two cities, [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]] and [[Wells]], and only a small number of towns. In many cases there are villages which are larger than their neighbouring towns; the village of [[Cheddar]], for example, has three times the population of the nearby town of [[Axbridge]]. Many settlements developed because of their strategic importance in relation to geographical features, such as river crossings or valleys in ranges of hills. Examples include Axbridge on the [[River Axe, Somerset|River Axe]], Castle Cary on the [[River Cary]], [[North Petherton]] on the [[River Parrett]], and [[Ilminster]], where there was a crossing point on the [[River Isle]]. Midsomer Norton lies on the [[River Somer]]; while the [[Wellow Brook, Somerset|Wellow Brook]] and the [[Fosseway]] [[Roman road]] run through Radstock, which, along with Midsomer Norton, is now designated as apart of [[Norton Radstock]]. [[Chard, Somerset|Chard]] is the most southerly town in Somerset, and at an altitude of {{convert|397|ft|m|0|abbr=on}} it is also the highest.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionwebsites.co.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=621&SiteExtra=3437671&TopNavId=748&NavSideId=7517 |title=Welcome to Chard |accessdate=2008-01-11 |format= |work=Chard Town Council }}</ref>
==Physical geography==
===Geology===
{{main|Geology of Somerset}}
Much of the landscape of Somerset falls into types determined by the underlying [[geology]]. These landscapes are the [[limestone]] [[karst]] and [[Early Jurassic|lias]] of the north, the [[clay]] [[valley|vale]]s and [[wetlands]] of the centre, the [[oolite]]s of the east and south, and the [[Devonian]] [[sandstone]] of the west.<ref>{{cite web | title=Somerset Geology | work=Good Rock Guide | url=http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/hughprudden/sgg.htm | accessdate=2006-10-30}}</ref>
To the north east of the [[Somerset Levels]], the [[Mendip Hills]] are moderately high limestone hills. The central and western Mendip Hills was designated an [[Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty]] in 1972 which covers {{convert|76|sqmi|km2|0|lk=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mendiphillsaonb.org.uk/faqs.php |title=Frequently Asked Questions |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=Mendip Hills AONB }}</ref> The main [[Habitat (ecology)|habitat]] on these hills is [[calcareous grassland]], with some [[arable land|arable]] agriculture. The [[Somerset coalfield]] is part of a larger coalfield which stretches into [[Gloucestershire]]. To the north of the Mendip hills is the [[Chew Valley]] and to the south, on the clay substrate, are broad valleys which support dairy farming and drain into the Somerset Levels.
===Caves and rivers===
[[Image:Uk som brue.jpg|thumb|The [[River Brue]] in an artificial channel draining farmland near [[Glastonbury]]]]
There is an extensive network of [[Caves of the Mendip Hills|caves]], including [[Wookey Hole Caves|Wookey Hole]], underground rivers, and [[gorge]]s, including [[Cheddar Gorge]] and [[Ebbor Gorge]].<ref>{{cite web | title=Somerset | work=English Nature, Special Sites, Somerset Geology | url=http://www.english-nature.org.uk/special/geological/sites/area_ID30.asp | accessdate=2006-10-30}}</ref> The county has many rivers, including the [[River Axe, Somerset|Axe]], [[River Brue|Brue]], [[River Cary|Cary]], [[River Parrett|Parrett]], Sheppey, [[River Tone|Tone]] and [[Congresbury Yeo|Yeo]]. These both feed and drain the flat levels and moors of mid and west Somerset.<ref name="topo" /> In the north of the county the [[River Chew]] flows into the [[River Avon, Bristol|Bristol Avon]]. The Parrett is tidal almost to [[Langport]], where there is evidence of two Roman wharfs.<ref name=hadfield>[[Charles Hadfield (historian)|Hadfield, Charles]] (1999). ''Canals of Southern England. London: Phoenix House Ltd. </ref> At the same site during the reign of [[King Charles I of England|King Charles I]], river tolls were levied on boats to pay for the maintenance of the bridge.<ref name=hadfield/>
===Levels and moors===
The Somerset Levels (or Somerset Levels and Moors as they are less commonly but more correctly known) are a sparsely populated [[wetland]] area of central Somerset, between the [[Quantock Hills|Quantock]] and Mendip hills. They consist of marine clay levels along the coast, and the inland (often [[peat]] based) moors. The Levels are divided into two by the [[Polden Hills]]; land to the south is drained by the [[River Parrett]] while land to the north is drained by the [[River Axe, Somerset|River Axe]] and the [[River Brue]]. The total area of the Levels amounts to approximately {{convert|160000|acre|ha|-1|lk=on}}<ref name="robinwilliams">{{cite book |last=Williams |first=Robin |authorlink= |coauthors=Romey Williams |title=The Somerset Levels |year=1992 |publisher=Ex Libris Press |location=Bradford on Avon |isbn=0948578386 }}</ref>
and broadly corresponds to the administrative [[district]] of [[Sedgemoor]] but also includes the south west of [[Mendip]] district. Approximately 70% of the area is grassland and 30% is arable.<ref name="robinwilliams"/>
Stretching up to {{convert|20|mi|km|0}} inland, this expanse of flat land barely rises above sea level. Before it was drained, much of the land was under a shallow [[brackish water|brackish sea]] in winter and was [[marsh|marsh land]] in summer. Drainage began with the [[Roman Empire|Romans]], and was restarted at various times: by the [[Anglo-Saxons]]; in the [[Middle Ages]] by the [[Glastonbury Abbey]], from 1400–1770; and during the Second World War, with the construction of the [[River Huntspill|Huntspill River]]. Pumping and management of water levels still continues.<ref name= williams>Williams, Michael (1970). ''The Draining of the Somerset Levels''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-07486-X.</ref>
The [[North Somerset Levels]] basin, north of the Mendips, covers a smaller geographical area than the Somerset Levels; and forms a coastal area around [[Avonmouth]]. It too was reclaimed by draining.<ref name=williams/><ref name=rippon>Rippon, Stephen (1997). ''The Severn Estuary: Landscape Evolution and Wetland Reclamation''. London: Leicester University. ISBN 0-7185-0069-5</ref> It is mirrored, across the [[Severn Estuary]], in Wales, by a similar low-lying area: the [[Caldicot and Wentloog Levels]].<ref name=rippon/>
In the far west of the county, running into Devon, is [[Exmoor]], a high [[Devonian]] sandstone [[moorland|moor]], which was designated as a [[national park]] in 1954, under the 1949 [[National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.everythingexmoor.org.uk/_E/Exmoor_National_Park_Authority.php |title=Exmoor National Park Authority |accessdate=2007-10-16 |format= |work=Everything Exmoor }}</ref>
The highest point in Somerset is [[Dunkery Beacon]] on Exmoor, with an altitude of {{convert|1704|ft|m|0|lk=on|abbr=on}}. Over 100 sites in Somerset have been designated as [[List of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Somerset|Sites of Special Scientific Interest]].
[[Image:Brean Down.jpg|thumb|left|[[Brean Down]] from [[Steep Holm]]]]
===Coastline===
The 40 mile (64 km) coastline of the [[Bristol Channel]] and [[Severn Estuary]] forms part of the northern border of Somerset.<ref name="dandsfire"/>
The Bristol Channel has the second largest tidal range in the world. At [[Burnham-on-Sea]], for example, the tidal range of a spring tide is over 39 feet (12 m).<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/commondata/acrobat/severnpositionmay2006_1508223.pd | format= PDF | work= UK Environment Agency | title= Severn Estuary Barrage | date= [[31 May]] [[2006]] | accessdate= 2007-09-03 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/bristol/content/articles/2005/07/04/bristolchannel_feature.shtml | title= Coast: Bristol Channel | work= BBC | accessdate= 2007-08-27 }}</ref>
Proposals for the construction of a [[Severn Barrage]] aim to harness this energy. The main coastal towns are, from the west to the north east, [[Minehead]], [[Watchet]], [[Burnham-on-Sea]], [[Weston-super-Mare]], [[Clevedon]] and [[Portishead, Somerset|Portishead]]. The coastal area between Minehead and the eastern extreme of the administrative county's coastline at [[Brean Down]] is known as [[Bridgwater Bay]], and is a [[National Nature Reserves in England|National Nature Reserve]].<ref name="topo">{{cite web | title=Somerset Topography | work=Somerset County Council |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/cultureheritage/heritage/info/somersetlandscape/ | accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref>
North of that, the coast forms [[Weston Bay]] and [[Sand Bay]] whose northern tip, [[Sand Point, Somerset|Sand Point]], marks the lower limit of the Severn Estuary.<ref name="osgb">{{cite map | publisher=Ordnance Survey | title=OS MasterMap | accessdate=2007-04-12}}</ref> In the mid and north of the county the coastline is low as the level wetlands of the levels meet the sea. In the west, the coastline is high and dramatic where the [[plateau]] of Exmoor meets the sea, with high cliffs and waterfalls.<ref name="topo" />
===Climate===
[[Image:SnowyExmoor.jpg|thumb|Horner Woods, Exmoor, in winter]]
Along with the rest of [[South West England]], Somerset has a [[Temperate|temperate maritime climate]] which is generally wetter and milder than the rest of the country. The annual mean temperature is approximately {{convert|10|°C|°F||lk=on}} and shows a seasonal and a [[Diurnal motion|diurnal]] variation, but due to the modifying effect of the sea the range is less than in most other parts of the UK. January is the coldest month with mean minimum temperatures between {{convert|1|°C|°F|}} and {{convert|2|°C|°F|}}. July and August are the warmest months in the region with mean daily maxima around {{convert|21|°C|°F|}}.
The south-west of England has a favoured location with respect to the [[Azores High|Azores high pressure]] when it extends its influence north-eastwards towards the UK, particularly in summer. [[Convective]] cloud often forms inland however, especially near hills, reducing the number of hours of sunshine. The average annual sunshine totals around 1,600 hours.
Rainfall tends to be associated with Atlantic [[Low pressure area|depressions]] or with convection. The Atlantic depressions are more vigorous in autumn and winter and most of the rain which falls in those seasons in the south-west is from this source. Average rainfall is around {{convert|31|in|mm|0|lk=on}}–{{convert|35|in|mm|0}}. About 8–15 days of snowfall is typical. November to March have the highest mean wind speeds, with June to August having the lightest winds. The predominant wind direction is from the south-west.<ref name="weather">{{cite web | title=About south-west England | work=Met Office |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/location/southwestengland/index.html | accessdate=2008-01-22}}</ref>
<table align="center">
<td>{{Yeovilton weatherbox}}</td>
</table>
==Economy and industry==
{{main|Economy of Somerset}}
[[Image:somerset.dunster.arp.750pix.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Dunster]] Yarn Market was built in 1609 for the trading of local cloth]]
Somerset has few industrial centres, but it does have a variety of light industry and high technology businesses, along with traditional agriculture and an increasingly important tourism sector, resulting in an unemployment rate of 2.5%.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=3&b=3567644&c=Somerset&d=180&e=15&g=482799&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1197641980457&enc=1 |title=Somerset Key Figures for 2001 Census: Key Statistics |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=Office of National Statistics }}</ref> [[Bridgwater]] was developed during the [[Industrial Revolution]] as the West Country's leading port. The [[River Parrett]] was navigable by large ships as far as Bridgwater. Cargoes were then loaded onto smaller boats at Langport Quay, next to the Bridgwater Bridge, to be carried further up river to [[Langport]];<ref name=lawrence>Lawrence, J.F. (2005). ''A History of Bridgwater''. (revised and compiled by J.C. Lawrence) Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 1-86077-363-X.</ref> or they could turn off at [[Burrowbridge]] and then travel via the [[River Tone]] to Taunton.<ref name=hadfield/> The Parrett is now only navigable as far as [[Dunball]] Wharf. Bridgwater, in the 19th and 20th centuries, was a centre for the manufacture of bricks and clay roof tiles, and later [[cellophane]], but those industries have now closed.<ref name=lawrence/> With its good links to the motorway system, Bridgwater has developed as a distribution hub for companies such as [[Argos]], Toolstation and Gerber Juice. [[AgustaWestland]] manufactures helicopters in [[Yeovil]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.agustawestland.com/company03.php |title=History |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=AgustaWestland }}</ref> and [[Normalair|Normalair Garratt]], builder of aircraft oxygen systems, is also based in the town.<ref>{{cite book |title=Celebrating fifty years of Normalair - A brief history |last=Bednall |first=M.P. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year= |publisher= |location= |isbn= }}</ref> Many towns have encouraged small-scale [[light industry|light industries]], such as [[Crewkerne]]'s [[Ariel Ltd|Ariel Motor Company]], one of the UK's smallest car manufacturers.
Somerset is an important supplier of defence equipment and technology. A [[Royal Ordnance Factory]], [[ROF Bridgwater]] was built at the start of the [[Second World War]], between the villages of [[Puriton]] and [[Woolavington]],<ref name=cocroft>{{cite book |title=Dangerous Energy: The archaeology of gunpowder and military explosives manufacture |last=Cocroft |first=Wayne D. |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=2000 |publisher=English Heritage |location=Swindon |isbn=1850747180 }}</ref> to manufacture explosives. [[As of April 2008]] the site is being decommissioned and is due to close in July 2008.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://www.bridgwatermercury.co.uk/mostpopular.var.2159743.mostcommented.sad_day_as_firm_sheds_workforce.php | publisher= Bridgwater Mercury | date= [[31 March]] [[2008]] | title= Sad day as firm sheds workforce | last= Colledge | first= Matthew | accessdate= 2008-04-15}}</ref>
[[Templecombe]] has [[Thales Underwater Systems]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thalesonline.com/About-us/History.html |title=From the origins of the company in 1893 to 2007 and the "New Thales" |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=Thales }}</ref> and Taunton presently has the [[United Kingdom Hydrographic Office]] and Avimo, which became part of Thales Optics. It has been announced twice, in 2006 and 2007, that manufacturing is to end at Thales Optics' Taunton site,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://archive.thisisthewestcountry.co.uk/2006/11/9/70222.html |title=Shock at factory closure news |accessdate=2007-10-29 |format= |work=This is the West Country }}</ref> but the [[Trade Unions]] and Taunton Deane District Council are working to reverse or mitigate these decisions. Other high-technology companies include the optics company Gooch and Housego, at [[Ilminster]]. There are [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] offices in [[Bath, Somerset|Bath]], and [[Norton Fitzwarren]] is the home of [[3 Commando Brigade|40 Commando Royal Marines]]. The [[RNAS Yeovilton|Royal Naval Air Station in Yeovilton]], is one of Britain's two active Fleet Air Arm bases and is home to the Royal Navy's Lynx helicopters and the Royal Marines Commando Westland Sea Kings. Around 1675 service and 2000 civilian personnel are stationed at Yeovilton and key activities include training of aircrew and engineers and the Royal Navy's Fighter Controllers and surface based aircraft controllers.
Agriculture and food and drink production continue to be major industries in the county, employing over 15,000 people.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=3567644&c=Somerset&d=180&e=15&g=482799&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1197641980457&enc=1&dsFamilyId=27 |title=Somerset Industry of Employment - All People (KS11A) |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format= |work=2001 Census Key statistics: Office of National Statistics }}</ref> Apple orchards were once plentiful, and Somerset is still a major producer of [[cider]]. The towns of Taunton and [[Shepton Mallet]] are involved with the production of cider, especially [[Blackthorn Cider]], which is sold nationwide, and there are specialist producers such as [[Burrow Hill Cider Farm]] and [[Thatchers Cider]]. [[Gerber Products Company]] in Bridgwater is the largest producer of fruit juices in Europe, producing brands such as '[[SunnyD|Sunny Delight']] and 'Ocean Spray'. Development of the milk-based industries, such as [[Ilchester Cheese Company]] and [[Yeo Valley Organic]], have resulted in the production of ranges of desserts, [[yoghurt]]s and cheeses,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burrows.co.uk/somerset/09WorM.htm |title=Mini profiles of the key industrial sectors in Somerset |accessdate=2007-10-26 |format= |work=Celebrating Somerset }}</ref>
including [[Cheddar cheese]] – some of which has the ''West Country Farmhouse Cheddar'' [[Protected designation of origin|PDO]].
Traditional [[willow]] growing and weaving is not as extensive as it used to be but is still carried out on the [[Somerset Levels]] and is commemorated at the [[Willows and Wetlands visitor centre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/oldtourism/willow/ |title=Celebrating Somerset Willow |accessdate=2007-06-10 |format= |work=Somerset County Council }}</ref> Fragments of willow basket were found near the Glastonbury Lake Village, and it was also used in the construction of several [[Iron Age]] causeways.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/opencountry_20041120.shtml |title=Somerset Levels |accessdate=2007-06-10 |format= |work=BBC Radio 4 - Open Country }}</ref> The willow was harvested using a traditional method of [[coppicing]], where a tree would be cut back to the main stem. During the 1930s over {{convert|9000|acre|km2|0}} of willow were being grown commercially on the Levels. Largely due to the displacement of baskets with plastic bags and cardboard boxes, the industry has severely declined since the 1950s. By the end of the 20th century only around {{convert|350|acre|km2|1}} were grown commercially, near the villages of [[Burrowbridge]], [[Westonzoyland]] and [[North Curry]].<ref name="robinwilliams"/> The Somerset Levels is now the only area in the UK where basket willow is grown commercially.
Towns such as [[Castle Cary]] and [[Frome, Somerset|Frome]] grew around the medieval [[weaving]] industry. [[Street, Somerset|Street]] developed as a centre for the production of woollen slippers and, later, boots and shoes, with [[C&J Clark]] establishing its headquarters in the town. C&J Clark's shoes are no longer manufactured there as the work was transferred to lower-wage areas, such as [[China]] and Asia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2005/01/10/clarks_feature.shtml |title=Clarks ends shoemaking in Somerset |accessdate=2007-10-29 |format= |work=BBC Somerset }}</ref> Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form [[Clarks Village]], the first purpose-built [[Outlet mall|factory outlet]] in the [[United Kingdom|UK]]. C&J Clark also had shoe factories, at one time at Bridgwater and [[Minehead]], to provide employment outside the main summer tourist season, but those satellite sites were closed in the late 1980s, before the main site at Street. [[Dr. Martens]] shoes were also made in Somerset, by the Northampton-based R. Griggs Group, using redundant skilled shoemakers from C&J Clark; that work has also been transferred to Asia.
The county has a long tradition of supplying [[freestone]] and [[:Category:Building stone|building stone]]. Quarries at [[Doulting]] supplied freestone used in the construction of [[Wells Cathedral]]. [[Bath stone]] is also widely used. [[Ralph Allen]] promoted its use in the early 18th century, as did [[Hans Price]] in the 19th century, but it was used long before then. It was mined underground at [[Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines]], and as a result of cutting the [[Box Tunnel]], at locations in [[Wiltshire]] such as [[Box, Wiltshire|Box]].<ref name=hudson>Hudson (1971). ''The Fashionable Stone''. Bath: Adams & Dart. ISBN 0-239-00066-8</ref><ref name=bezzant>Bezzant, Norman (1980). ''Out of the Rock..''. London: William Heinemann Ltd. ISBN 0-434-06900-0</ref><ref name=perkins>Perkins, J.W., Brooks, A.T. and McR. Pearce, A.E. (1979). ''Bath Stone: a quarry history''. Cardiff: Department of Extra-mural Studies, University College Cardiff. ISBN 0-906230-26-8</ref> Bath stone is still used on a reduced scale today, but more often as a [[cladding]] rather than a structural material.<ref name=hudson/> Further south, [[Hamstone]] is the colloquial name given to stone from [[Ham Hill Country Park|Ham Hill]], which is also widely used in the construction industry. [[Blue Lias]] has been used locally as a building stone and as a raw material for [[lime mortar]] and [[Portland cement]]. Until the 1960s, [[Puriton]] had Blue Lias stone quarries, as did several other [[Polden Hills|Polden Villages]]. Its quarries also supplied a cement factory at [[Dunball]], adjacent to the [[King's Sedgemoor Drain]]. Its derelict, early 20th-century remains were removed when the [[M5 motorway]] was constructed in the mid-1970s.<ref name=image>(n/a)(1998).''Images of England: Bridgwater (Compiled from the collections at Admiral Blake Museum). Stroud: Tempus Publishing. ISBN 0-7524-1049-0</ref> Since the 1920s, the county has supplied [[Construction aggregate|aggregates]]. [[Foster Yeoman]] is Europe's large supplier of [[limestone]] aggregates, with quarries at [[Torr Works|Merehead Quarry]]. It has a dedicated railway operation, [[Mendip Rail]], which is used to transport aggregates by rail from a group of [[Quarries of the Mendip Hills|Mendip quarries]].<ref name=shannon>Shannon, Paul (2007). "Mendip Stone". In: [[Railway Magazine]], '''Vol. 153''', No. 1,277, Pp 22-26. (September 2007)[[ISSN|ISSN 0033-8922]].</ref>
Tourism is a major industry, estimated in 2001 to support around 23,000 people.<ref name="tourism">{{cite web | title=Employers in Somerset|work=Somerset Chamber of Commerce |url=http://www.somerset-chamber.co.uk/somerset_employers.htm|accessdate=2006-05-28}}</ref>
Attractions include the coastal towns, part of the [[Exmoor National Park]], the [[West Somerset Railway]] (a [[heritage railway]]), and the museum of the [[Fleet Air Arm]] at [[RNAS Yeovilton]]. The town of [[Glastonbury, England|Glastonbury]] has mythical associations, including legends of a visit by the young [[Jesus]] of Nazareth and [[Joseph of Arimathea]], with links to the [[Holy Grail]], [[King Arthur]], and [[Camelot]], identified by some as [[Cadbury Castle]], an [[Iron Age]] [[hill fort]]. Glastonbury also gives its name to an annual open-air [[rock festival]] held in nearby [[Pilton, Somerset|Pilton]]. There are [[show cave]]s open to visitors in the Cheddar Gorge, as well as its locally produced cheese, although there is now only one remaining cheese maker in the village of [[Cheddar]].
== Demography ==
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="margin-left: 1em; width: 30em; font-size: 90%;"
!colspan="6"|'''Somerset Compared'''
|-
![[United Kingdom Census 2001|UK Census 2001]] || Somerset C.C.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=3567644&c=Somerset&d=180&g=482799&i=1001x1003&m=0&r=1&s=1197493972093&enc=1&domainId=15 |title=Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics: Area: Somerset (Education Authority) |author=United Kingdom Census 2001 |publisher=statistics.gov.uk |year=2001 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> || [[North Somerset|North Somerset UA]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=3567717&c=Somerset&d=180&e=16&g=399691&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1197490290431&enc=1&altAreaId=276835 |title=Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics: Area: North Somerset |author=United Kingdom Census 2001 |publisher=statistics.gov.uk |year=2001 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> || [[Bath and North East Somerset|BANES UA]]<ref name="BANEScensus">{{cite web |url=http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadDatasetList.do?a=3&b=3567719&c=Somerset&d=180&e=16&g=397814&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1197489822531&enc=1&altAreaId=276833 |title=Key Figures for 2001 Census: Census Area Statistics: Area: Bath and North East Somerset |author=United Kingdom Census 2001 |publisher=statistics.gov.uk |year=2001 |accessdate=2007-12-12}}</ref> || [[South West England]]<ref name="BANEScensus"/> || England<ref name="BANEScensus"/>
|-
|Total population||498,093||188,564||169,040||4,928,434||49,138,831
|-
|Foreign born||7.6%||9.5%||11.2%||9.4%||9.2%
|-
|White||98.8%||97.1%||97.3%||97.7%||91%
|-
|Asian||0.3%||1.7%||0.5%||0.7%||4.6%
|-
|Black||0.2%||0.9%||0.5%||0.4%||2.3%
|-
|Christian||76.7%||75.0%||71.0%||74.0%||72%
|-
|Muslim||0.2%||0.2%||0.4%||0.5%||3.1%
|-
|Hindu||0.1%||0.1%||0.2%||0.2%||1.1%
|-
|No religion||14.9%||16.6%||19.5%||16.8%||15%
|-
|Over 75 years old||9.6%||9.9%||8.9%||9.3%||7.5%
|-
|Unemployed||2.5%||2.1%||2.0%||2.6%||3.3%
|}
In the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 census]] the population of the Somerset County Council area was 498,093<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/40.asp |title=Somerset |accessdate=2007-10-20 |format= |work=Office for National Statistics 2001 Census }}</ref>
with 169,040 in [[Bath and North East Somerset]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/00ha.asp |title=Bath and North East Somerset UA |accessdate=2007-10-20 |format= |work=Office for National Statistics 2001 Census }}</ref>
and 188,564 in [[North Somerset]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/pyramids/pages/00hc.asp |title=North Somerset UA |accessdate=2007-10-20 |format= |work=Office for National Statistics 2001 Census }}</ref>
giving a total for the historic county of 855,697. This was estimated to have risen to 895,700 in 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=9666&More=Y |title= T 09: Quinary age groups and sex for local authorities in the United Kingdom; estimated resident population Mid-2006 Population Estimates|accessdate=2007-10-20 |format= |work=[[Office for National Statistics]] }}</ref>
[[Population growth]] is higher than the national average, with a 6.4% increase, in the Somerset County Council area, since 1991, and a 17% increase since 1981. The [[population density]] is 1.4 persons per [[hectare]], which can be compared to 2.07 persons per hectare for the [[South West England|South West region]]. Within the county, population density ranges 0.5 in [[West Somerset]] to 2.2 persons per hectare in [[Taunton Deane]]. The percentage of the population who are economically active is higher than the regional and national average, and the unemployment rate is lower than the regional and national average.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.six.somerset.gov.uk/somhtml/56/somweb/section2.htm |title=Demographic Information |accessdate=2007-10-20 |format= |work=Somerset school organisation plan }}</ref>
The black minority ethnic proportion of the total population is 2.9% in Somerset. Chinese is the largest ethnic group, and although there is no official recording, it is believed that [[Romnichal|Romany Gypsies]] are a significant ethnic minority.<ref name="dandsfire">{{cite web |url=http://www.dsfire.gov.uk/DevonFire/AboutUs/ |title= About The Service |accessdate=2007-10-20 |format= |work=Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue }}</ref> Over 25% of Somerset's population is concentrated in Taunton, Bridgwater and Yeovil. The rest of the county is rural and sparsely populated. Over 9 million tourist nights are spent in Somerset each year, which significantly increases the population at peak times.<ref name="dandsfire"/>
{| class="wikitable" style="clear:both;"
| colspan="14" style="text-align:center;"|'''Population since 1801'''
|-
!Year
|'''1801'''
|'''1851'''
|'''1901'''
|'''1911'''
|'''1921'''
|'''1931'''
|'''1941'''
|'''1951'''
|'''1961'''
|'''1971'''
|'''1981'''
|'''1991'''
|'''2001'''
|-
!Somerset CC area<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10089827&c_id=10001043&add=N |title=Somerset: Total Population |accessdate=2007-12-12 |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time |publisher=Great Britain Historical GIS Project }}</ref>
|187,266
|276,684
|277,563
|280,215
|282,411
|284,740
|305,244
|327,505
|355,292
|385,698
|417,450
|468,395
|498,093
|-
!BANES<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10168442&c_id=10001043&add=N|title=Bath and North East Somerset: Total Population |accessdate=2007-12-13 |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time |publisher=Great Britain Historical GIS Project }}</ref>
|57,188
|96,992
|107,637
|113,732
|113,351
|112,972
|123,185
|134,346
|144,950
|156,421
|154,083
|164,737
|169,045
|-
!North Somerset<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/data_cube_table_page.jsp?data_theme=T_POP&data_cube=N_TPop&u_id=10207289&c_id=10001043&add=N |title= North Somerset: Total Population |accessdate=2007-12-13 |work=A Vision of Britain Through Time |publisher=Great Britain Historical GIS Project }}</ref>
|16,670
|33,774
|60,066
|68,410
|75,276
|82,833
|91,967
|102,119
|119,509
|139,924
|160,353
|179,865
|188,556
|-
!Total
|'''261,124'''
|'''407,450'''
|'''445,266'''
|'''462,357'''
|'''471,038'''
|'''479,758'''
|'''520,396'''
|'''563,970'''
|'''619,751'''
|'''682,043'''
|'''731,886'''
|'''812,997'''
|'''855,694'''
|}
==Politics==
[[Image:WestonTownHall.jpg|thumb|Weston-super-Mare town hall, the administrative headquarters of [[North Somerset]]]]
The county is divided into nine constituencies for the election of [[Member of Parliament|Members of Parliament]] (MPs) to the [[British House of Commons|House of Commons]]. As of November 2007, the constituencies of [[Bridgwater (UK Parliament constituency)|Bridgwater]], [[Wells (UK Parliament constituency)|Wells]], [[Weston-super-Mare (UK Parliament constituency)|Weston-super-Mare]] and [[Woodspring (UK Parliament constituency)|Woodspring]] elect [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] MPs, while [[Bath (UK Parliament constituency)|Bath]], [[Somerton and Frome (UK Parliament constituency)|Somerton and Frome]], [[Taunton (UK Parliament constituency)|Taunton]] and [[Yeovil (UK Parliament constituency)|Yeovil]] return [[Liberal Democrats]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.parliament.uk/directories/hciolists/alms.cfm |title=Alphabetical List of Members of Parliament |accessdate=2008-01-11 |format= |work=Parliament UK }}</ref> Only [[Wansdyke (UK Parliament constituency)|Wansdyke]], which will become [[North East Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)|North East Somerset]] at the next election,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.electoralcalculus.co.uk/cgi-bin/calcwork.pl?seat=Somerset%20North%20East |title= Somerset North East: New Boundaries Calculation|accessdate=2007-09-19 |format= |work=Electoral Calculus: General Election Prediction }}</ref> returns a [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] politician. Residents of Somerset also form part of the electorate for the [[South West England (European Parliament constituency)|South West England]] constituency for elections to the [[European Parliament]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.europarl.org.uk/uk_meps/southwest.asp |title=UK MEPs for the South West |accessdate=2008-01-11 |format= |work=European Parliament UK Office }}</ref>
The [[Ceremonial counties of England|ceremonial county]] of Somerset consists of a [[Metropolitan and non-metropolitan counties of England|non-metropolitan county]] and two [[Unitary authority|unitary authorities]]. The [[Districts of England|districts]] of Somerset are [[West Somerset]], [[South Somerset]], [[Taunton Deane]], [[Mendip]] and [[Sedgemoor]]. The two administratively independent unitary authorities, which were established on [[1 April]] [[1996]] following the break up of the [[county of Avon]], are [[North Somerset]] and [[Bath and North East Somerset]]. These unitary authorities include areas that were once part of Somerset before the creation of Avon in 1974.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1995/Uksi_19950493_en_1.htm |title=The Avon (Structural Change) Order 1995 |accessdate=2007-12-09 |format= |work=HMSO }}</ref> In 2007, proposals to abolish the district councils in favour of a single Somerset unitary authority were rejected following local opposition.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/features/unitarycouncil/page8.cfm | work= Somerset County Council | title= A unitary council for Somerset | accessdate=2007-06-29 }}</ref>
==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Somerset}}
[[Image:Cathedrale de wells front ouest.JPG|thumb|right|The west front of [[Wells Cathedral]]]]
Somerset has traditions of art, music and literature. [[William Wordsworth|Wordsworth]] and [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge|Coleridge]] wrote while staying in [[Coleridge Cottage]], [[Nether Stowey]].<ref name=webbio>{{cite web | url= http://www.victorianweb.org/previctorian/ww/bio.html | last= Everett | first= Glenn | title= William Wordsworth: Biography | work= The Victorian Web | accessdate= 2007-01-07}}</ref>
The writer [[Evelyn Waugh]] spent his last years in the village of [[Combe Florey]].<ref>{{cite book | last= Waugh | first= Auberon | authorlink= Auberon Waugh | title= Will this do? | pages= pp. 206 | publisher= Century | date= December 1991 | isbn= 0712637338}}</ref>
Traditional folk music, both song and dance, was important in the agricultural communities. Somerset songs were collected by [[Cecil Sharp]] and incorporated into works such as [[Gustav Holst|Holst's]] ''[[A Somerset Rhapsody]]''. [[Halsway Manor]] near [[Williton]] is an international centre for folk music. The tradition continues today with groups such as [[The Wurzels]] specialising in [[Scrumpy and Western]] music.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/content/articles/2006/06/19/wurzels_big_summer_party_review_feature.shtml |title=Review: The Wurzels' Big Summer Party |accessdate=2007-10-21 |format= |work=BBC Somerset }}</ref>
The [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury Festival of Contemporary Performing Arts]] takes place most years in [[Pilton, Somerset|Pilton]], near [[Shepton Mallet]], attracting over 170,000 music and culture lovers from around the world, and world-famous entertainers.<ref>{{cite web | work= Contact Music | url= http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/extra%20glastonbury%20tickets%20snapped%20up_1028793 | title= Extra Glastonbury Tickets Snapped Up | date= [[22 April]] [[2007]] | accessdate= 2007-10-22}}</ref>
The [[Big Green Gathering]] which grew out of the Green fields at the Glastonbury Festival is held in the Mendip Hills between [[Charterhouse, Somerset|Charterhouse]] and [[Compton Martin]] each summer.<ref>{{cite journal | quotes=no | author = Mark Adler | year = 2006 | month = August | title = It's my party | journal = Mendip Times | volume = 2 | issue = 3 | pages = 14–15 | id = | url = http://www.mendiptimes.co.uk/ }}</ref>
The annual [[Bath Literature Festival]] is one of several local festivals in the county; others include the [[Frome Festival]] and the [[Trowbridge Village Pump Festival]], which, despite its name, is held at [[Farleigh Hungerford]] in Somerset. The annual circuit of [[West Country Carnival]]s is held in a variety of Somerset towns during the autumn, forming a major regional festival, and the largest [[Festival of Lights]] in Europe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Evans |first=Roger |authorlink= |coauthors=Peter Nichols |title=Somerset Carnivals: A Celebration of 400 Years |year= |publisher= |location= |isbn=1841144835 }}</ref>
[[Image:Glastonbury Tor.jpg|thumb|left|Glastonbury Tor]]
In [[Matter of Britain|Arthurian legend]], [[Avalon]] became associated with [[Glastonbury Tor]] when monks at [[Glastonbury Abbey]] claimed to have discovered the bones of [[King Arthur]] and his queen.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.britainexpress.com/Myths/Glastonbury_King_Arthur.htm |title=King Arthur and Glastonbury |accessdate=2007-10-23 |format= |work=Britain Express }}</ref> What is more certain is that Glastonbury was an important religious centre by 700 and claims to be "the oldest above-ground Christian church in the World"<ref name="glastabbey">{{cite web |url=http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/ |title=Glastonbury Abbey's official website |accessdate=2007-10-23 |format= |work=Glastonbury Abbey }}</ref> situated "in the mystical land of Avalon". The claim is based on dating the founding of the community of monks at AD 63, the year of the legendary visit of [[Joseph of Arimathea]], who was supposed to have brought the [[Holy Grail]].<ref name="glastabbey"/> During the Middle Ages there were also important religious sites at [[Woodspring Priory]] and [[Muchelney Abbey]]. The present [[Diocese of Bath and Wells]] covers Somerset and a small area of Dorset. The [[cathedra|Episcopal seat]] of the [[Bishop of Bath and Wells]] is now in the [[Wells Cathedral|Cathedral Church of Saint Andrew]] in the city of [[Wells]], having previously been at [[Bath Abbey]]. Before the [[English Reformation]], it was a Roman Catholic diocese. The [[Benedictine]] monastery Saint Gregory's Abbey, commonly known as [[Downside Abbey]], is at [[Stratton-on-the-Fosse]], and the [[Cistercian]] [[Cleeve Abbey]] is near the village of [[Washford]].
[[Image:Tyntesfield 1.jpg|thumb|[[Tyntesfield]]]]
The county has several museums; those at Bath include the [[American Museum in Britain]], the [[Building of Bath Museum]], the [[Herschel Museum of Astronomy]], the [[Jane Austen Centre]], and the [[Roman Baths (Bath)|Roman Baths]]. Other visitor attraction which reflect the cultural heritage of the county include [[Claverton Pumping Station]], [[Dunster Working Watermill]], the [[Fleet Air Arm Museum]] at Yeovilton, [[Nunney Castle]], [[The Helicopter Museum (Weston)|The Helicopter Museum]] in Weston super Mare, [[King John's Hunting Lodge, Axbridge|King John's Hunting Lodge]] in [[Axbridge]], [[Radstock Museum]], [[Somerset County Museum]] in Taunton, the [[Somerset Rural Life Museum]] in Glastonbury, and [[Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum]].
Somerset has 11,500 [[listed buildings]], 523 [[Scheduled Monument]]s, 192 [[conservation area]]s,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/ete/ltp/2006/section_122393346279.html |title=Somerset Local Transport Plan 2006-2011 |accessdate=2008-01-11 |format= |work=Somerset County Council }}</ref> 41 parks and gardens including those at [[Barrington Court]], [[Holnicote Estate]], [[Prior Park Landscape Garden]] and [[Tintinhull Garden]], 36 [[English Heritage]] sites and 19 [[National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty|National Trust]] sites,<ref name="rajan"/> including [[Clevedon Court]], [[Fyne Court]], [[Montacute House]] and [[Tyntesfield]] as well as [[Stembridge Tower Mill]] the last remaining thatched windmill in England.<ref name="rajan"/> Other historic houses in the county which have remained in private ownership or used for other purposes include [[Halswell House]] and [[Marston Bigot]]. A key contribution of Somerset architecture is its [[Somerset Towers|medieval church towers]]. Jenkins writes, "These structures, with their buttresses, bell-opening tracery and crowns, rank with Nottinghamshire alabaster as England's finest contribution to medieval art."<ref>{{cite book |last= Jenkins|first=Simon|title= England's Thousand Best Churches|year= 2000|publisher= Penguin Books|isbn= 0-14-029795-2|}}</ref>
[[Bath Rugby]] play at the [[Recreation Ground (Bath)|Recreation Ground]] in Bath, and the [[Somerset County Cricket Club]] are based at the [[County Cricket Ground, Taunton|County Ground]] in Taunton. The county gained its first [[Football League]] club in 2003, when [[Yeovil Town F.C.|Yeovil Town]] won promotion to [[Football League Third Division|Division Three]] as [[Football Conference]] champions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fchd.info/YEOVILT.HTM |title=Yeovil Town |accessdate=2008-01-11 |format= |work=Football Club History Database }}</ref> They had achieved numerous [[FA Cup]] victories over [[Football League]] sides in the past 50 years, and since joining the elite they have won promotion again – as [[Football League Two|League Two]] champions in 2005. They came close to yet another promotion in 2007, when they reached the [[Football League One|League One]] playoff final, but lost to [[Blackpool F.C.|Blackpool]] at the newly reopened [[Wembley Stadium]]. [[Thoroughbred horse race|Horse racing]] courses are at [[Taunton Racecourse|Taunton]] and [[Wincanton Racecourse|Wincanton]].
In addition to [[List of newspapers in the United Kingdom|English national newspapers]] the county is served by the regional ''[[Western Daily Press]]'' and local newspapers including; [[the Weston & Somerset Mercury]], the ''[[Bath Chronicle]]'', ''[[Chew Valley Gazette]]'', ''[[Clevedon Mercury]]'' and the ''[[Mendip Times]]''. Television and radio are provided by [[BBC Somerset]], [[GWR FM Bristol]], [[Orchard FM]] Taunton, [[Ivel FM]] Yeovil, and [[HTV]], now known as ITV Wales & West Ltd, but still commonly referred to as HTV.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv/ifi/tvlicensing/c3/htv/ |title=Wales and West ITV |accessdate=2008-01-11 |format= |work=Ofcom }}</ref>
Recently there have been proposals for the introduction of an official [[Somerset flag]] for the [[ceremonial county]].
== Transport ==
Somerset has 4,058 miles (6,531 km) of roads. The main arterial routes, which include the [[M5 motorway]], [[A303 road|A303]], [[A37 road|A37]], [[A38 road|A38]] and [[A39 road|A39]], give good access across the county, but many areas can only be accessed via narrow lanes.<ref name="dandsfire"/>
Rail services are provided by the [[West of England Main Line]] through Yeovil, the [[Bristol to Taunton Line]], [[Heart of Wessex Line]] which runs from Bristol to Weymouth and the [[Reading to Plymouth Line]]. [[Bristol International Airport]] provides national and international air services.
The [[Somerset Coal Canal]] was built in the early 19th century to reduce the cost of transportation of coal and other ''heavy'' produce.<ref name=hadfield/> The first {{convert|10|mi|km|0}}, running from a junction with the [[Kennet and Avon Canal]], along the [[Cam Brook, Somerset|Cam valley]], to a terminal basin at [[Paulton]], were in use by 1805, together with several tramways. A planned {{convert|7.25|mi|km|0|sing=on}} branch to Midford was never built, but in 1815 a tramway was laid along its towing path. In 1871 the tramway was purchased by the [[Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway]] (S&DJR),<ref>{{cite web | title=Rivers and Canals | work=Somerset County Council: History of Somerset | url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Rivers.htm|accessdate=2006-10-29}}</ref><ref name=athill>Athill, Robin (1967). ''The Somerset & Dorset Railway''. Newton Abbot: [[David & Charles]]. ISBN 0-7153-4164-2.</ref> and operated until the 1950s.
The 19th century saw improvements to Somerset's roads with the introduction of [[turnpikes]], and the building of canals and railways. Nineteenth-century canals included the [[Bridgwater and Taunton Canal]], [[Westport Canal]], [[Glastonbury Canal]] and [[Chard Canal]].<ref name="Dunning"/><ref name=hadfield/> The [[Dorset and Somerset Canal]] was proposed, but little of it was ever constructed.<ref name=hadfield/>
[[Image:West Somerset Railway.jpg|thumb|left|The West Somerset Railway]]
The usefulness of the canals was short lived, though some have now been restored for recreation. The 19th century also saw the construction of railways to and through Somerset. The county was served by five [[Railways Act 1921|pre-1923 Grouping]] railway companies: the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR);<ref> {{cite web| url=http://www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docSummary.php?docID=65| title=Railways Act 1921| author=HM Government | year=1921| work=The Railways Archive| publisher=(originally published by HMSO)| accessdate=2006-11-25}}</ref><ref name=thomas> [[David St. John Thomas|St. John Thomas, David]] (1960). ''A Regional history of the railways of Great Britain: Volume 1 - The West Country''. London: Phoenix House.</ref> a branch of the [[Midland Railway]] (MR) to [[Bath Green Park railway station|Bath Green Park]] (and another one to Bristol);<ref name=smith>Smith, Martin (1992). ''The Railways of Bristol and Somerset''. Sheperton: Ian Allan Ltd. ISBN 0-7110-2063-9.</ref> the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway,<ref name=awdry-237>[[Christopher Awdry|Awdry, Christopher]] (1990). ''Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies''. Patrick Stephens Ltd. Page 237.</ref><ref name=casserley>Casserley, H.C. (1968). ''Britain's Joint Lines''. London: Ian Allan. ISBN 0-7110-0024-7.</ref><ref name=thomas/> and the [[London and South Western Railway]] (L&SWR).<ref name="williams1">Williams, R. A. (1968) ''The London & South Western Railway'', v. 1: The formative years, and v. 2: Growth and consolidation, David and Charles, ISBN 0-7153-4188-X; ISBN 0-7153-5940-1</ref><ref name=thomas/> The former main lines of the GWR are still in use today, although many of its branch lines were scrapped. The former lines of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway closed completely,<ref name=atthill>Atthill, Robin and [[O.S. Nock|Nock, O. S.]] (1967). ''The Somerset & Dorset Railway''. Newton Abbot: [[David & Charles]]. ISBN 0-7153-4164-2.</ref> as has the branch of the Midland Railway to Bath Green Park (and to [[Bristol St Philips railway station|Bristol St Philips]]); however, the L&SWR survived as a part of the present [[West of England Main Line]]. None of these lines, in Somerset, are [[Railway electrification in Great Britain|electrified]]. Two branch lines, the [[West Somerset Railway|West]] and [[East Somerset Railway]]s, were rescued and transferred back to private ownership as "[[Heritage railway|heritage]]" lines. The fifth railway was a short-lived light railway The [[Weston, Clevedon and Portishead Railway]]. The [[West Somerset Mineral Railway]] carried the iron ore from the [[Brendon Hills]] to [[Watchet]].
Until the 1960s the piers at [[Weston-super-mare]], [[Clevedon]], [[Portishead]] and [[Minehead]] were served by the [[paddle steamer]]s of [[P and A Campbell]] who ran regular services to [[Barry, Vale of Glamorgan|Barry]] and [[Cardiff]] as well as [[Ilfracombe]] and [[Lundy Island]]. The pier at [[Burnham-on-Sea]] was used for commercial goods, one of the reasons for the [[Somerset and Dorset Railway]] was to provide a link between the [[Bristol Channel]] and the [[English Channel]]. The pier at Burnham on Sea is the shortest pier in the UK.<ref name=handley>Handley, Chris (2001). ''Maritime Activities of the Somerset & Dorset Railway''. Cleckheaton: Millstream Books. ISBN 0-9488975-63-6.</ref> In the 1970s the [[Royal Portbury Dock]] was constructed to provide extra capacity for the [[Port of Bristol]].
For long-distance holiday traffic travelling through the county to and from Devon and Cornwall, Somerset is often regarded as a marker on the journey. North–south traffic moves though the county via the [[M5 Motorway]].<ref name=charlesworth>Charlesworth, George (1984). ''A History of British Motorways''. London: Thomas Telford Limited. ISBN 0-7277-0159-2.</ref> Traffic to and from the east travels either via the [[A303 road]], or the [[M4 Motorway]], which runs east–west, crossing the M5 just beyond the northern limits of the county.
== Education ==
[[State schools]] in Somerset are provided by three [[Local Education Authorities]]: Bath and North East Somerset, North Somerset, and the larger Somerset County Council. All state schools are comprehensive. In some areas [[Primary school|primary]], [[Infant school|infant]] and [[Junior school|junior]] schools cater for ages four to eleven, after which the pupils move on to [[secondary schools]]. There is a three-tier system of [[First school|first]], [[Middle school|middle]] and [[Upper school|upper]] schools in West Somerset, while most other schools in the county use the two-tier system.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burrows.co.uk/somerset/13Lea.htm |title=Learning in Somerset |accessdate=2007-10-26 |format= |work=Celebrating Somerset }}</ref> Somerset has 30 state and 17 independent secondary schools;<ref name="somschools">{{cite web |url=http://www.somerset.gov.uk/somerset/learning/ |title=Education and Learning|accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Somerset County Council }}</ref> Bath and North East Somerset has 13 state and 5 independent secondary schools;<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/BathNES/educationandlearning/Schoolsandcolleges/schoolcontactdetails/ |title=Primary, Secondary and Specialist Schools |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Bath and North East Somerset Council }}</ref> and North Somerset has 10 state and 2 independent secondary schools, excluding [[sixth form college]]s.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.n-somerset.gov.uk/Education/Schools/Schools/ |title=Schools |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=North Somerset Council }}</ref>
{| class="wikitable floatright" style="margin-left: 1em; width: 30em; font-size: 90%;"
!colspan="2"|'''% of pupils gaining 5 grades A-C including English and Maths in 2006'''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intelligencewest.org.uk/census/data/LDF_AMR%2019.11.07.xls |title=LDF Contextual Info |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format=Excel |work=Intelligence West }}</ref> (average for England is 45.8%)
|-
!Education Authority || %
|-
|Bath and North East Somerset (Unitary Authority) ||52.0%
|-
|West Somerset ||51.0%
|-
|Taunton Deane ||49.5%
|-
|Mendip ||47.7%
|-
|North Somerset (Unitary Authority) ||47.4%
|-
|South Somerset ||42.3%
|-
|Sedgemoor ||41.4%
|}
Some of the county's secondary schools have [[specialist school]] status. Some schools have sixth forms and others transfer their sixth formers to colleges. Several schools can trace their origins back many years, such as [[The Blue School, Wells|The Blue School]] in Wells, [[Richard Huish College, Taunton|Richard Huish College]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://creativesteps.org.uk/Colleges/RichardHuishCollege |title=Richard Huish College |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Creative Steps }}</ref> in Taunton and [[Oldfield School]] in Bath.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oldfield.bathnes.sch.uk/ |title=Welcome |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Oldfield School }}</ref> Others have changed their names over the years such as [[Beechen Cliff School]] which was started in 1905 as the City of Bath Boys' School and changed to its present name in 1972 when the [[grammar school]] was amalgamated with a local [[secondary modern school]], to form a [[comprehensive school]]. Many others were established and built since the Second World War. In 2006, 5,900 pupils in Somerset sat [[GCSE]] examinations, with 44.5% achieving 5 grades A-C including English and Maths (compared to 45.8% for England).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.intelligencewest.org.uk/census/data/LDF_AMR%2019.11.07.xls |title=LDF Contextual Info |accessdate=2007-12-14 |format=Excel |work=Intelligence West }}</ref>
[[Sexey's School]] is a state [[boarding school]] in [[Bruton]] that also takes day pupils from the surrounding area.<ref name="sexeyshistory">{{cite web | author = Sexey's School | title = Sexey's School - A Brief History | url = http://www.sexeys.somerset.sch.uk/index.php?main=history | accessdate = 2007-07-01}}</ref> The Somerset LEA also provides [[special school]]s such as [[Farleigh College]], which caters for children aged between 10 and 17 with [[special educational needs]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.farleighcollege.co.uk/ |title=Farleigh College |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Farleigh College }}</ref> Provision for pupils with special educational needs is also made by the mainstream schools.
There is also a range of [[independent school (UK)|independent]] or [[public school]]s. Many of these are for pupils between 11 and 18 years, such as [[King's College (Taunton)|King's College, Taunton]] and [[Taunton School]]. [[King's School, Bruton]] was founded in 1519 and received royal foundation status around 30 years later in the reign of [[Edward VI of England|Edward VI]]. [[Millfield]] is the largest [[coeducation|co-educational]] boarding school, and the largest co-educational independent school in the country, catering for 1,260 pupils, of which 910 are boarders.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nexo-sa.com/asp/news/newspage.asp?id=531 |title=PS Series wins place at Millfield school |accessdate=2007-10-26 |format= |work=Nexo }}</ref> There are also [[Preparatory school (UK)|preparatory schools]] for younger children, such as [[All Hallows Preparatory School|All Hallows]], and [[Hazlegrove Preparatory School]]. Other schools provide education for children from the age of 3 or 4 years through to 18, such as [[King Edward's School, Bath]], [[Queen's College, Taunton]] and [[Wells Cathedral School]] which is one of the five established musical schools for school-age children in [[UK|Britain]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wells-cathedral-school.com/ |title=Wells Cathedral School |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Wells Cathedral School }}</ref> Some of these schools have religious affiliations, such as [[Monkton Combe School]], [[Prior Park College]], [[Sidcot School]] which is associated with the [[Religious Society of Friends]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.sidcot.org.uk/about/index.html |title=About Sidcot |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Sidcot School }}</ref> [[Downside School]] which is a [[Roman Catholic]] public school in [[Stratton-on-the-Fosse]], situated next to the [[Benedictine]] [[Downside Abbey]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.downside.co.uk/senior/welcome.html |title=About Downside School |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Downside School }}</ref> and [[Kingswood School]], which was founded by [[John Wesley]] in 1748 in Kingswood near Bristol, originally for the education of the sons of the itinerant ministers (clergy) of the [[Methodist Church]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kingswood.bath.sch.uk/heartofkingswood/ethos/ |title=A Christian Ethos |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Kingswood School }}</ref>
===Further and higher education===
A wide range of [[adult education]] and [[further education]] courses is available in Somerset, in schools, colleges and other community venues. The colleges include [[Bridgwater College]], [[Frome Community College]], [[Richard Huish College]], [[Somerset College of Arts and Technology]], [[Strode College]] and [[Yeovil College]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.somersetcolleges.ac.uk/ |title=Somerset Colleges |accessdate=2007-12-18 |format= |work=Somerset Colleges }}</ref>
[[Bath University]] and [[Bath Spa University]] are higher education establishments in the north-east corner of the county. Bath University gained its Royal Charter in 1966, although its origins go back to Bristol Trade School (founded 1856) and Bath School of Pharmacy (founded 1907).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/internal/staff/intro/history.html | author=University of Bath | title=History of the University | accessdate=2008-01-02}}</ref> It has a purpose-built campus at [[Claverton, Somerset|Claverton]] on the outskirts of Bath, and has 12,000 students).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bath.ac.uk/about/facts/ | author=University of Bath | title=Facts and figures| accessdate=2008-01-02}}</ref> Bath Spa University, which is based at [[Newton St Loe]], achieved university status in 2005, and has origins including the Bath Academy of Art (founded 1898), Bath Teacher Training College, and the Bath College of Higher Education.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/about/campuses/ | author=Bath Spa University | title=Our History | accessdate=2008-01-02}}</ref> It has several campuses and 5,500 students.
==See also==
{{portal|image=Somerset-coa.png}}
*[[Flag of Somerset]]
*[[List of visitor attractions in Somerset]]
*[[West Country dialects]]
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
== Further reading ==
<div class="references-small">
*[[1911 Encyclopædia Britannica|Encyclopædia Britannica, 1911]], [http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Somersetshire "Somersetshire"].
* [[Victoria History of the Counties of England]] – ''History of the County of Somerset''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, for: The Institute of Historical Research.
**Note: Volumes I to IX published so far **[http://www.victoriacountyhistory.ac.uk/webdav/harmonise?Page/@id=90&Section/@id=3060&Section/@id=3112&Section 1st link to on-line version (not all volumes)]
**[http://www.british-history.ac.uk/place.aspx?gid=29®ion=3 2nd link to on-line version (not all volumes)]
**Volume I: Natural History, Prehistory, Domesday
**Volume II: Ecclesiastical History, Religious Houses, Political, Maritime, and Social and Economic History, Earthworks, Agriculture, Forestry, Sport.
**Volume III: Pitney, Somerton, and Tintinhull hundreds.
**Volume IV: Crewkerne, Martock, and South Petherton hundreds.
**Volume V: Williton and Freemanors hundred.
**Volume VI: Andersfield, Cannington and North Petherton hundreds (Bridgwater and neighbouring parishes).
**Volume VII: Bruton, Horethorne and Norton Ferris Hundreds.
**Volume VIII: The Poldens and the Levels.
**Volume IX: Glastonbury and Street, Baltonsborough, Butleigh, Compton Dundon, Meare, North Wootton, Podimore, Milton, Walton, West Bradley, and West Pennard.
* {{cite book |last=Adkins |first=Lesley and Roy |title=A field guide to Somerset Archeology |year=1992 |publisher=Dovecote press |location=Stanbridge |isbn=0946159947}}
* {{cite book |last=Aston |first=Michael |authorlink=Mick Aston |coauthors=Ian Burrow |title=The Archaeology of Somerset: A review to 1500 AD |year=1982 |publisher=Somerset County Council. |location=Somerset |isbn=0861830288 }}
* {{cite book |last=Aston |first=Michael |authorlink=Mick Aston |coauthors= |title=Aspects of the Medieval Landscape of Somerset & Contributions to the landscape history of the county |year=1988 |publisher=Somerset County Council |location=Somerset |isbn=0861831292 }}
* {{cite book |last=Bush |first=Robin |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Somerset: The complete guide |year=1994 |publisher=Dovecote press |location=Wimbourne |isbn=187433627X }}
* {{cite book |last=Costen |first=Michael |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=The origins of Somerset |year=1992 |publisher=Manchester University Press |location=Manchester |isbn=0719036755 }}
* {{cite book |last=Croft |first=Robert |authorlink= |coauthors=Mick Aston |title=Somerset from the air: An aerial Guide to the Heritage of the County |year=1993 |publisher=Somerset County Council |location=Somerset |isbn=0861832159 }}
* {{cite book |last=Dunning |first=Robert |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Somerset Castles |year=1995 |publisher=Somerset Books |location=Somerset |isbn=0861832787 }}
* {{cite book |last=Leach |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Roman Somerset |year=2001 |publisher=The Dovecote Press |location=Stanbridge |isbn=1874336938 }}
* {{cite book |last=Little |first=Bryan |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Portrait of Somerset |year=1983 |publisher=Robert Hale Ltd |location=London |isbn=0709009151 }}
* {{cite book |last=Robinson |first=Stephen |title=Somerset Place Names |year=1992 |publisher=The Dovecote Press Ltd |location=Wimbourne |isbn=1874336032}}
</div>
==External links==
{{Commonscat|Somerset}}
* [http://www.visitsomerset.co.uk Official Somerset Tourism Web Site]
* [http://www.somerset.gov.uk/ Somerset County Council]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/somerset/ BBC Somerset]
* [http://www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/ Weston & Somerset Mercury]
* {{dmoz|/Regional/Europe/United_Kingdom/England/Somerset/|Somerset}}
* {{Gutenberg|no=12287|name=Somerset}}
* [http://www.somerset3d.co.uk/ 3d photos of Somerset's towns and villages (Anaglyphs)]
* [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/ Somerset] at [[GENUKI]]
* [http://www.flickr.com/groups/somerset flickr: Images of Somerset]
* [http://www.cotch.net/somerset Photographs of Somerset]
{{Somerset}}
{{England counties}}
{{featured article}}
[[Category:Somerset| ]]
[[Category:Articles including recorded pronunciations (UK English)]]
[[ar:سومرست]]
[[br:Somerset]]
[[ca:Comtat de Somerset]]
[[cs:Somerset]]
[[cy:Gwlad yr Haf]]
[[da:Somerset]]
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[[fr:Somerset]]
[[ko:서머싯 주]]
[[hi:समरसेट]]
[[id:Somerset]]
[[is:Somerset]]
[[it:Somerset]]
[[kw:Gwlas an Hav]]
[[la:Comitatus Somersetensis]]
[[lv:Somerseta]]
[[lb:Somerset]]
[[lt:Somersetas]]
[[nl:Somerset]]
[[ja:サマセット]]
[[no:Somerset]]
[[oc:Somerset]]
[[pl:Hrabstwo Somerset (Anglia)]]
[[pt:Somerset]]
[[ro:Somerset]]
[[ru:Сомерсет]]
[[simple:Somerset]]
[[sk:Somerset (grófstvo)]]
[[fi:Somerset]]
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[[zh:薩默塞特郡]]