Staple Fitzpaine
| Staple Fitzpaine | |
|---|---|
 Castle Neroche |
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 Staple Fitzpaine manor house |
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 Staple Fitzpaine
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| Staple Fitzpaine shown within Somerset | |
| Population | 189 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST262183 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TAUNTON |
| Postcode district | TA3 |
| Dialling code | 01823 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Staple Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district. The village has a population of 189 and is within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish includes the hamlet of Badger Street.
The parish (by area the second-largest in Somerset) stretches south to Castle Neroche, east to Whitty Cross, west to Staple Hill and north to just past Smokey Bottom. The main part of the village is centred on the crossroads by the Greyhound Inn, on the Taunton-Chard road. Curland and Bickenhall, two smaller villages close by to the east, are socially and culturally one with Staple Fitzpaine. They have a combined population of almost 200.
Around the crossroads at Staple Fitzpaine there are several large sandstone boulders. They are called devilstones and are said to have been thrown by the Devil from Castle Neroche (some went over Staple to land in the Witch Lodge area, another he tossed back over his shoulder into West Buckland). According to legend if you prick them with a pin they draw blood. English word 'Stapol' means pillar or post and it is thought likely that this gave the village the first part of its name. The second part of the name comes from the Fitzpaine family who owned the manor between 1233 and 1393.
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.
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Wikipedia