Winsham
| Winsham | |
|---|---|
 Winsham Post Office and Store |
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 Winsham
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| Winsham shown within Somerset | |
| Population | 748 (2011) |
| OS grid reference | ST375062 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CHARD |
| Postcode district | TA20 |
| Dialling code | 01460 |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | |
Winsham is a village and civil parish 4 miles (6 km) south-east of Chard, Somerset and 6 miles (10 km) from Crewkerne, in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish, which has a population of approximately 750, living in some 320 households, includes the hamlets of Whatley,Bridge,Purtington and Ammerham and covers an area of approximately 12 square miles (3,100 ha).
The village is on the southern border of Somerset, approximately 0.4 miles (0.64 km) from the Dorset border. Administratively it is in Area West, South Somerset District Council, and has a Parish Council elected by residents. The Winsham Parish Council was one of the first to be formed in 1894, shortly after the passing of the Local Government Act of the same year.
The name Winsham means Wine's settlement.
In Saxon times the manor formed part of the estate of Wells Cathedral. The parish of Winsham was part of the Kilmersdon Hundred.
With its roots in Saxon times, and its listing in the Domesday Book. Three estates had a major influence on Winsham's rural community Forde Abbey, Cricket St Thomas and Leigh House. The Fry family, the chocolate manufacturers from Bristol, who owned the Cricket St Thomas estate from 1897 until 1919, and the Hall family who followed them were particularly active in their support of the village.
The same is true of Leigh House where the Henley and Davies family also played an active part in village affairs. In the nineteenth century, the West of England Woollen Mill employed large numbers (said to be 600 at its peak). During that time it is believed that the population of Winsham increased to over a thousand. This boom was over by 1850, when the mill closed, having lost its business to the north of England. At a later date, it continued on reduced scale processing jute until the early twentieth century.
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Wikipedia