A History of West Huntspill & Alstone

From Iron Age lake village to Somerset community — a thousand years of history on the edge of the levels

Origins and Early History

The name Huntspill is derived from the Old English ‘Huna’s Pill’ — the word ‘pill’ referring to a tidal creek or inlet suitable as a harbour. The mouth of the River Brue once formed an extensive natural harbour in Roman and Saxon times, before gradually silting up during the medieval period.

The earliest documentary reference to Huntspill dates to around AD 796, when a hide of land at ‘Hunespulle’ is recorded as having been granted to Glastonbury Abbey by Aethelmund, a nobleman, with the consent of Offa, King of Mercia. This ancient connection to Glastonbury Abbey — one of the most powerful religious institutions in England — shaped much of the parish’s early medieval character.

By the time of the Domesday Book of 1086, the settlement was recorded as ‘Honspil’ and held by Walter of Douai, a Norman lord who had succeeded earlier Saxon landowners. Walter held two distinct estates in the parish. Over the following centuries, Huntspill came to be divided among numerous manors — including Huntspill Manor, Huntspill Mareys, Huntspill Delahayes, Huntspill Verney, Huntspill Bailey, and Alstone Manor — reflecting the complex landowning arrangements typical of medieval Somerset.

The ancient parish of Huntspill was very large, stretching some 10.5 kilometres from east to west and 4 kilometres from north to south in its medieval extent. Its principal settlements were West Huntspill village and its northern extension, Alstone. On 1 April 1949, the historic parish was formally divided into the civil parishes of West Huntspill and East Huntspill, following the line of the Bristol and Exeter Railway.

Archaeological Significance

West Huntspill and the hamlet of Alstone sit within one of the archaeologically richest landscapes in Britain. The Somerset Levels have yielded evidence of human settlement stretching back thousands of years, with the waterlogged peat preserving organic remains that would be lost in drier conditions.

The Alstone Lake Settlement — A Scheduled Ancient Monument

The most significant archaeological site in the parish is the Alstone Lake Settlement, which is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 (List Entry 1012311, first listed 26 November 1969). This designation places it among the nationally important heritage sites of England, protected by law.

The settlement is located on the edge of a Burtle Bed island at Alstone — a raised area of sand and gravel that stood above the surrounding wetlands — at the interface between dry land and the open water of the ancient flooded landscape. Excavations in the adjacent field revealed Iron Age occupation features and finds, including pottery of the ‘Meare Lake Village B type’ — associated with the famous Iron Age lake villages of Glastonbury and Meare — along with faunal remains and evidence of Romano-British and 12th–14th century activity.

Historic England’s designation notes that ‘Known Iron Age settlements preserved in waterlogged conditions are rare nationally’ and that the site ‘has high archaeological value’ due to ‘the high potential for waterlogged preservation of organic material and a wide diversity of features and artefacts, rarely encountered in more common dry land sites.’ The site is described as ‘invaluable to our understanding of the period locally and nationally.’

The land-water interface at Alstone provided a particularly favourable environment for settlement, permitting economic exploitation of both the land and the water. Comparable settlements excavated at Glastonbury and Meare have shown how remarkably rich such sites can be, preserving rare organic materials including wooden structures, textiles, and plant remains that would otherwise be lost.

Roman and Medieval Remains

On the clay ridge where West Huntspill village now stands, extensive Roman pottery scatters have been identified at several sites. Evidence of possible stone building was recorded at Bleak Bridge. In the eastern part of the parish, archaeologists have identified several dozen salt-making mounds of Roman date — testament to a significant industrial activity exploiting the tidal clay lands in the Roman period.

Medieval settlement in the parish was evidently scattered and closely tied to the gradual progress of drainage and land reclamation across the Levels. The irregular lanes around West Huntspill church, the rectory house, and Alstone are characteristic of medieval settlement patterns. Sealey’s Farm at 12 Church Road (possibly dating to the late 15th century) and nos. 7–9 Church Road are considered among the earliest surviving buildings in the parish.

The Church of St Peter and All Hallows

The parish church of St Peter and All Hallows is one of the oldest and finest buildings in West Huntspill. There has been a church on this site since at least 1194, and a rector is recorded by 1208. The building was substantially rebuilt around 1400 and extended in the early to mid 15th century, producing the largely Perpendicular Gothic structure that can be seen today. It is designated a Grade I listed building — the highest classification of heritage protection, reserved for buildings of exceptional interest.

The church has not been without drama. In 1878 it was gutted by fire, a catastrophic event that destroyed much of its medieval interior. It was carefully restored over the following two years, and a significant Heritage Project in recent years has further revealed and conserved the building’s history.

Balliol College, Oxford, was the patron of the living for many centuries, a connection arising through the Rectory Manor, whose copyholds were granted by successive rectors acting on behalf of the College until 1869. Roger Mander, Master of Balliol College 1687–1704, arranged for land in Huntspill and Cannington to be held by trustees to provide exhibitions (scholarships) at the College — a link between this Somerset village and one of Oxford’s most celebrated colleges that endured for generations.

The church was the focal point of a rich parish life. Fives was played against the church wall in the 1730s, an old English ball game common to churchyards. The churchyard and surrounding area have long served as a gathering place for the community, a tradition that continues today.

Nonconformist Chapels

West Huntspill also had a strong tradition of religious nonconformity. A Wesleyan Methodist chapel was established in the village, and historical records note that timbers salvaged from the demolished Grove Farm — the probable site of the medieval capital messuage of Huntspill Manor — were re-used to support the floor of this chapel, creating a material link between the ancient manor and the Victorian place of worship. The presence of a Temperance Tavern in the village by 1883 further reflects the influence of nonconformist values on the community.

The Sea Wall and the Battle Against the Water

Perhaps no aspect of West Huntspill’s history is more dramatic or more defining than its long struggle against flooding. The parish occupies the seaward end of the Brue valley, lying on alluvium over marine clay, and for centuries its people have lived at the mercy of the tidal River Parrett and the inland waters of the Somerset Levels.

A sea wall alongside the Parrett is recorded by the early 14th century, enclosing an area of land known as ‘La Harth’ or ‘La Warth’ — recorded as arable in 1400 and under grass by 1550. The maintenance of the wall was a shared responsibility between local landowners; by 1511 the rector was being charged with a portion in the manor court.

The great flood of 1607 — one of the most devastating natural disasters in English history, which swept across the Bristol Channel and Somerset Levels, drowning thousands of acres — ‘quite drowned’ the parish and destroyed the sea wall. The hurricane of 1703, another catastrophic weather event that struck across southern Britain, again destroyed the riverside pastures and warths, flooding them to a depth of four feet above the original height of the walls. The stones used in the subsequent repairs were inscribed with the date 1704 and the initials of each landowner responsible for that section of the wall — a practical and vivid record of the collective effort required to keep the water at bay.

Serious damage was again done in September and November 1798. By order of the commissioners for sewers, an entirely new wall was built between 1799 and 1802, the construction of which is still visible today. Its maintenance was a matter of ongoing dispute between the three major landowners on the west side of the parish (known as the ‘three lords’ work’) and the wider community of owners throughout the Brue valley.

The whole parish is criss-crossed by a network of rhynes — the drainage channels that are so characteristic of the Somerset Levels — flowing in often unexpected directions and bounded by flood banks known locally as ‘walls.’ Inland drainage and embanking had begun perhaps as early as the later 12th century, and the River Brue served as the principal drain for the entire area north of the Polden Hills.

The most significant modern addition to this ancient drainage landscape is the Huntspill River. This man-made channel was begun in 1940, constructed primarily as a reservoir to supply the Royal Ordnance Factory at Puriton during the Second World War, providing a guaranteed daily supply of 4.5 million gallons of process water. It was also welcomed as a major improvement to the drainage of the surrounding levels, and it continues to serve this dual function today.

The Pubs and Inns of West Huntspill

The licensed trade has a long and well-documented history in West Huntspill. A tippler was first licensed by the rectory manor court in 1515, and by 1620 there were three, one of whom was also described as a taverner. By 1686 the parish could offer ten guest beds and stabling for 22 horses — a measure of its importance as a stopping point on the main road.

The number of licensed premises grew through the 18th and 19th centuries. By 1851 there were five inns or beerhouses, and by 1871 the parish supported seven licensed premises, including the Globe Hotel and the White Hart. By 1883 there were nine licensed houses. Unlicensed cider houses were complained of in 1867, a reminder that the formal record likely undercounts the actual provision of drink in the village.

The Crossways Inn

The Crossways Inn is the most historic of West Huntspill’s surviving pubs, with claims to an origin around the 17th century. Its position at the junction of the main turnpike road made it a natural calling stage for coaches and carriages. Adjacent to the Common — where fairs and animal markets were held until the late 19th century — the Crossways would have been at the heart of the village’s social and commercial life. Photographic evidence confirms hunts meeting outside the inn in the early 20th century.

The Huntspill Seven Years Friendly Society met at the Crossways Inn from 1854 and by 1873 had 53 members — one of several mutual aid societies that formed an important part of working-class life before the welfare state. The Crossways has been voted Somerset CAMRA Branch Pub of the Year on ten occasions over twelve years, a remarkable record that speaks to its continuing importance to the community.

The Orchard Inn

The Orchard Inn, situated on the A38 through the village, has served as a large village pub and dining venue. Historical records of the wider parish’s licensing history show that by 2001 ‘The Orchard’ was among the establishments offering food and accommodation in the village. Together with the Crossways, it continues the centuries-old tradition of hospitality in West Huntspill.

Community Life Through the Ages

West Huntspill has always been a community of strong character and deep roots. The historical record reveals a village that has repeatedly come together in the face of hardship — whether from flooding, political upheaval, or the demands of war — while maintaining a rich social life.

Six of the fifteen men from the parish who joined the Duke of Monmouth’s ill-fated rebellion in 1685 came from Alstone — a detail that speaks both to the political passions of the time and to the significant role of that small hamlet within the wider community. Bull- and bear-baiting were carried on in the parish in the early 17th century, and minstrels were employed at an alehouse, reflecting the rougher entertainments of an earlier age.

The Huntspill Musical and Friendly Society was founded in 1798, meeting at the Highbridge Inn. Cricket arrived around 1900, and by the 1930s flower shows and Harvest Homes had become regular fixtures. Soon after the Second World War, clubs were formed for young people, drama enthusiasts, and ex-servicemen, and a branch of the Women’s Institute was founded in 1951 — a formative period for the village associations and institutions that continue to this day.

George Burnett (1774–1811), a follower of S. T. Coleridge, nonconformist pastor, army surgeon, and miscellaneous writer, was born in the parish — one of the more colourful figures connected to Huntspill’s history. His association with Coleridge places the village within the broader story of the Romantic movement in the West Country.

The 2017 Parish Plan, which drew on a community questionnaire covering some 275 residents, reaffirmed what the historical record suggests: that West Huntspill’s location, natural environment, and community character remain the things most valued by those who live here. The average age of respondents had risen since 2003, reflecting the national trend of ageing rural communities, but the commitment to village life was undiminished. The plan identified priorities including better facilities for young families, improved road safety, the preservation of the village’s character, and the need for a local shop — concerns as relevant to the 21st century as their equivalents were to earlier generations.

Alstone — Ancient Hamlet, Scheduled Monument

The hamlet of Alstone, at the northern extension of West Huntspill, has a history as ancient as the parish itself. In the Domesday Book of 1086, Alstone was recorded as held by Walter of Douai in succession to an earlier Saxon holder named Alwold. By 1284 Walter de Sully held Alstone of John de Cogan, and the manor passed through a long succession of medieval owners before eventually being sold in the 19th century.

The irregular lanes around Alstone, characteristic of medieval settlement patterns, indicate that this was one of the principal centres of habitation in the ancient parish. Alstone Court, rebuilt in the earlier 19th century, stands as one of the farmhouses that define the hamlet’s historic character.

The Alstone Lake Settlement Site stands as physical proof of the hamlet’s extraordinary antiquity. Formally scheduled in 1969, the monument preserves an unexcavated area of an Iron Age settlement together with evidence of Romano-British and medieval occupation. Historic England records that ‘the protection of this site, the only part of the area of occupation which has not been built upon, preserves unique evidence of the activities which took place at Alstone in the Iron Age, this evidence is invaluable to our understanding of the period locally and nationally.’

Alstone is thus not merely a hamlet within a parish — it is a place of national archaeological significance, connecting the present community of West Huntspill to inhabitants who lived, worked, and fished these same wetlands more than two thousand years ago.

Historic Buildings and the Built Environment

West Huntspill has 14 listed buildings, a substantial number for a village of its size and a testament to its rich architectural heritage. The oldest surviving domestic buildings date from the late 15th century, and the village contains a striking mix of pre-1900 homes — nearly 20% of respondents to the 2017 parish survey lived in houses of that age, with many being 17th and even 16th century.

The farmhouses that stand set back from the main road through West Huntspill, and along Withy and New roads, are among the earliest, having been built on the boundaries of common land before the enclosures of 1782–1803. Most are of brick and tile with catslide roofs. Ilex House, of around 1820, features the rusticated voussoirs commonly found in the parish; in the mid-19th century its road-facing range housed a large shop run by the Burnett family, recalling a time when the village was more commercially self-sufficient.

The Common — rated highly by residents in the 2017 survey — remains a vital open space at the heart of the village, its character shaped by centuries of use as common grazing land, a site of fairs and markets, and a gathering place for the community. Ilex Park, adjacent to the village, was fully refurbished in 2017 and provides recreational facilities for residents of all ages.

Sources and Further Reading

This article draws on the following principal sources:

• Robert Dunning (ed.), A History of the County of Somerset, Volume 8: The Poldens and the Levels (Victoria County History, London, 2004) — British History Online: www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/som/vol8/pp91-112
• Historic England, National Heritage List for England: Alstone Lake Settlement Site (List Entry 1012311) — www.historicengland.org.uk
• Historic England, National Heritage List for England: Church of St Peter, West Huntspill (List Entry 1060138) — www.historicengland.org.uk
• The Crossways Inn, ‘A Brief History of the Pub’ — www.thecrosswaysinn.com
• East Huntspill and West Huntspill Churches, Heritage Project — www.huntspillchurches.org.uk
• West Huntspill & Alstone Parish Plan 2017 — Findings and Recommendations from the Community Questionnaire, West Huntspill Parish Council
• Miles, H. and Miles, T.J., ‘Alstone, West Huntspill’, Proceedings of the Somerset Archaeological and Natural History Society, Vol. 113 (1969), pp. 44–53

This article was prepared for the West Huntspill & Alstone Parish Council website. Information has been compiled from published historical sources and is believed to be accurate; residents with additional historical knowledge or photographs are encouraged to contact the Parish Council.