Spaxton | |
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St. Margaret's church |
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Court Farm |
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Spaxton shown within Somerset | |
Population | 1,012 (2012) |
OS grid reference | ST225375 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | BRIDGWATER |
Postcode district | TA5 |
Dialling code | 01278 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Devon and Somerset |
Ambulance | South Western |
EU Parliament | South West England |
UK Parliament | |
Spaxton is a small village and civil parish on the in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, South West England.
Spaxton was part of the hundred of Cannington.
The parish includes the village of Aisholt which is one of the Thankful Villages - those villages that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914-1918, and contains the 14th century Church of All Saints. Also in the parish is the village of Charlynch (or Charlinch) where, around 1850 Henry James Prince the founder of the Agapemonites was ordained to the curacy of Charlinch, where he had sole charge in the illness and absence of the rector, the Rev. Samuel Starkey. The Church of St Mary was an Anglican Parish Church, but has now been deconsecrated. It dates from the 11th century with a tower probably of 1867. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building. It contains monuments and tablets to the family of Admiral Robert Blake.
The name of Spaxton originates from "Spakr", a Dane who settled in the area in about the 9th century. An alternative derivation relies on it being recorded as Spacheston in the Domesday Book, meaning 'The councillor's enclosure', from the Old English spæcas and . It was the property of Alfred of Spain.
During the 19th century, the village was home to the notorious religious cult of the Agapemone.
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council’s operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.