| Country: | England |
| Coordinates: | 51.132°N -3.109°W |
| Official Name: | Spaxton |
| Population: | 1,012 |
| Population Ref: | (2012)[1] |
| Unitary England: | Somerset Council |
| Lieutenancy England: | Somerset |
| Region: | South West England |
| Constituency Westminster: | Bridgwater |
| Post Town: | BRIDGWATER |
| Postcode District: | TA5 |
| Postcode Area: | TA |
| Dial Code: | 01278 |
| Os Grid Reference: | ST225375 |
| Static Image: | St. Margaret's church, Spaxton - geograph.org.uk - 145156.jpg |
| Static Image Width: | 250px |
| Static Image Caption: | St. Margaret's church |
| Static Image 2: | Court Farm, Spaxton - geograph.org.uk - 145152.jpg |
| Static Image 2 Width: | 250px |
| Static Image 2 Caption: | Court Farm |
Spaxton is a small village and civil parish on the Quantocks in Somerset, South West England.
The name of Spaxton may originate from "Spakr", a Dane who settled in the area in about the 9th century.[2] An alternative derivation is that it means "councillor's enclosure", from the Old English spæcas and tun. It is recorded as "Spacheston" in the Domesday Book and was the property of Alfred of Spain.[3]
Spaxton was part of the hundred of Cannington.[4]
The National Gazetteer (1868) says:
The modern parish includes the ancient parishes of Aisholt and Charlynch. Aisholt is one of the Thankful Villages - those villages that suffered no fatalities during the Great War of 1914–1918.
During the 19th century, Henry James Prince, former curate of Charlynch founded the notorious religious cult of the Agapemone at Four Forks.[5]
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.
For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the village comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Bridgwater Rural District.[6]
It is also part of the Bridgwater county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Near the village is Hawkridge Reservoir which supplies water for Bridgwater, constructed between 1960 and 1962,[7] and the Ashford Reservoir which was constructed in 1932.