Carhampton, Somerset
| Carhampton | |
|---|---|
 St John the Baptist |
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 West Somerset Railway at Blue Anchor |
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 Carhampton
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| Carhampton shown within Somerset | |
| Population | 865 |
| OS grid reference | ST005425 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | MINEHEAD |
| Postcode district | TA24 |
| Dialling code | 01643 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Carhampton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) to the east of Minehead.
Carhampton civil parish stretches from the Bristol Channel coast inland to Exmoor. The parish has a population of 865 (2011 census).
Iron Age occupation of the parish is evident from the remains of Bat's Castle hillfort and associated earthworks. Archaeological excavation in the mid-1990s suggested the existence of early Christian settlement and burial to the east of the village, which had previously been the site of a metalworking settlement.
Carhampton is thought to have been the centre for a Saxon royal estate. The king and his court would locate temporarily to Carhampton as part of a visiting circuit. One function was that officials of the royal court operated from Carhampton to collect taxes from surrounding estates. The village was subjected to Viking raids.
The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle state that, in 836, King Egbert fought the crews of 35 ships at Carhampton. With the Danes in possession of the battlefield, the Chronicle recount a great slaughter.
Carhampton was part of the hundred of Carhampton.
The title of Earl of Carhampton was created in the Peerage of Ireland in 1785, but became extinct upon the death of the 3rd Earl in 1829. The earls bore the subsidiary titles of Viscount Carhampton (1781) and Baron Irnham (1768), both in the Peerage of Ireland. The Lutrells arrived in England in 1066, with William the Conqueror's army at the Battle of Hastings, acquiring estates as reward for services to the Crown.
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Wikipedia