Somerset (pop. 571,547) is a unitary authority in southwestern England, bordering on the Bristol Channel. It has much fine scenery and many historical associations. It is well known for its cider-apple orchards and Cheddar cheeses. The area of the traditional county of Somerset was reduced in 1974. The northern parts of the county, including Bath and Weston-super-Mare, were taken to form part of a new county called Avon. Today, Somerset covers an area of 1,332 square miles (3,450 square kilometers). Its administrative center is Taunton.
People and government
Local customs.
At Carhampton, the people wassail the cider-apple orchards on January 17. They throw cider on the trees and fire guns to “drive away evil spirits.” The people of Hinton St. George, near Crewkerne, celebrate Punkie Night each October. Children go singing around the village, carrying lighted candles.
Recreation.
The most popular games are cricket, rugby, and soccer. Fishing facilities are good, and Hawkridge Reservoir and Wimbleball, near Dulverton, have large and thriving sailing clubs.
Many visitors go to Somerset to enjoy its natural recreation facilities. The coast has some good beaches. Hikers and nature lovers find much of interest in Exmoor National Park and on the Quantock Hills. Many people visit the caves in northern Somerset.
Local government.
In 2023, the Somerset county council joined with Somerset’s four local government districts to form the Somerset unitary authority. The districts were Mendip, which included Frome, Glastonbury, Shepton Mallet, and Wells; Sedgemoor, which included Bridgwater and Burnham-on-Sea; Somerset West and Taunton, which included Minehead, Taunton, Watchet, and Wellington; and South Somerset, which included Chard, Crewkerne, and Yeovil. 
Avon and Somerset Police has its headquarters at Portishead. The Crown court sits at Taunton.
Economy
Agriculture.
The number of people employed in agriculture in Somerset has long been declining, but agriculture remains an important part of the county’s economy. Somerset is one of the main milk-producing counties of the United Kingdom. Wells has one of the United Kingdom’s largest cheese-processing plants. Farmers also raise beef cattle, sheep, hogs, and poultry.
Farmers in Sedgemoor grow withies (willows used for basket making). Sedgemoor also has peat, which is extracted for use in horticulture. Isle Brewers, near Crewkerne, is the only place in England where teasels, a type of herb, are grown commercially (see Teasel). Somerset has extensive apple orchards, and several towns produce cider. Growers also produce strawberries commercially, mainly in the Cheddar area. Shepton Mallet has the site of one of the United Kingdom’s best-known agricultural shows, the Royal Bath and West Show.
Manufacturing.
Bridgwater and Yeovil are the main manufacturing centers of Somerset. Bridgwater produces food products, engineering goods, plastics, and shirts. In Yeovil, Crewkerne, and Martock, glove making is an important industry. Yeovil also has factories producing aircraft components, garage doors, and helicopters. Somerset factories produced marquees, sails, and tents for many years.
Traditionally, Taunton has specialized in producing clothing. Other products include cider, electrical goods, leather, meat products, and organs. A long-established silk mill now produces synthetic fibers. Factories in Frome produce electrical equipment, plastics, and preservatives for wood and textiles. Glastonbury workers have long produced sheepskin boots, coats, and rugs. The Wansbrough Mill in Watchet produced paper for hundreds of years before its closure in 2015.
Tourism
is important to Somerset’s economy. On the coast, the main resort is Minehead. Also popular are Burnham-on-Sea and Watchet. The county has a great variety of scenery, from Exmoor to the Somerset Levels, the largest unspoiled wetlands in Europe.
Transportation and communication.
Somerset has a good network of roads. The M5 motorway from Bristol runs through the county and on into Devon. Taunton and Bridgwater are linked by rail to Bristol. A branch line runs via Yeovil to Weymouth in Dorset.
Several of the larger towns in Somerset have their own weekly newspapers. Taunton has studios for British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Somerset Sound and independent FM stations.
Land and climate
Location and size.
Somerset is bounded on the north by the Bristol Channel, the North Somerset Unitary Authority, and the Bath and Northeast Somerset Unitary Authority. Wiltshire lies to the east of Somerset, Dorset lies to the southeast, and Devon lies to the southwest. Somerset’s greatest length from north to south is 35 miles (56 kilometers). Its greatest width from east to west is 67 miles (108 kilometers).
Land regions.
In the north of Somerset are the Mendips and their outlying hills of limestone and sandstone. The Mendips are a high plateau, split by magnificent gorges and honeycombed with caves. They extend 25 miles (40 kilometers) between Frome and the Bristol Channel and average about 1,100 feet (335 meters) high.
The central region of Somerset is a plain broken only by the Polden Hills and some isolated conical hills. The central plain includes Sedgemoor and merges into the fertile Vale of Taunton Deane, in the southwest of the county. South of Taunton, the Blackdown Hills range for 12 miles (19 kilometers) along the border between Somerset and Devon. The Quantocks, north of Taunton, are heavily wooded hills, extending towards the Bristol Channel. The Brendon Hills merge into the upland of Exmoor.
Exmoor is a national park. It is the highest and wildest part of the county and reaches 1,076 feet (520 meters) at the Dunkery Beacon. Most of Exmoor is in Somerset, but the western end is in Devon.
The coastline of Somerset is varied. East of the estuary of the River Parrett, the coast is low-lying, broken occasionally by headlands. West of the estuary, the coast has low red cliffs veined with alabaster.
Most of the rivers in Somerset flow into the Bristol Channel, although the River Exe rises on Exmoor and flows into Devon. The River Parrett flows north across the center of the county to meet the sea at Bridgwater.
Climate.
Somerset’s climate is mild. The average annual rainfall is about 35 inches (89 centimeters). The wettest area is Exmoor. The average temperature is about 45 °F (7 °C) in January and about 70 °F (21 °C) in August.
History
The abbey ruins at Glastonbury are believed to mark the site of the first Christian church in England. According to legend, it was founded by Joseph of Arimathea. King Arthur is said to have been buried at Glastonbury with Queen Guinevere. Somerset was the territory of an Anglo-Saxon group, the Somersaetas. Later, it was part of the kingdom of Wessex.
During the English Civil War of the 1640’s, Somerset was staunchly Royalist, except for Taunton, which was held for Parliament by Robert Blake. The Monmouth Rebellion took place mainly in Somerset. The Duke of Monmouth was defeated at the Battle of Sedgemoor in 1685. This battle was the last fought on English soil.
The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” and “Kubla Khan” at Nether Stowey. R. D. Blackmore’s novel Lorna Doone has a West Somerset background. People born in Somerset include the philosopher Roger Bacon; the buccaneer, explorer, and scientist William Dampier; the novelist Henry Fielding; and the scientist Thomas Young.
