West Chinnock Explained

Country:England
Coordinates:50.92°N -2.7583°W
Static Image:West Chinnock - geograph.org.uk - 457595.jpg
Static Image Width:250px
Official Name:West Chinnock
Civil Parish:West and Middle Chinnock
Population:592
Unitary England:Somerset
Shire County:Somerset
Region:South West England
Constituency Westminster:Yeovil
Post Town:CREWKERNE
Postcode District:TA18 7
Postcode Area:TA
Dial Code:01935
Os Grid Reference:ST467136

West Chinnock is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of West and Middle Chinnock, in the Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England. It is 4miles north east of Crewkerne. It occupies a central position east of the road that links Crewkerne to the A303 road and is mainly south of a brook that feeds nearby into the Parrett. The village forms the civil parish of West and Middle Chinnock with the neighbouring village of Middle Chinnock. The parish has a population of 592 (2011 census).[1]

West Chinnock was a separate civil parish until 1884.[2] It then absorbed the parish of Middle Chinnock. In 2003 the parish was renamed West and Middle Chinnock.[3] In 1881 the parish (prior to the merge) had a population of 418.[4]

History

The origin of the name Chinnock is uncertain. It may be derived from the Old English cinu meaning ravine or cinn meaning a chin shaped hill, with the addition of ock meaning little.[5] An alternative derivation may be an old hill-name of Celtic origin.[6]

The Chinnocks were held as one estate in Saxon times by Wynflaed under Shaftesbury Abbey but by the time of the Norman Conquest in 1066 East Chinnock, West Chinnock and Middle Chinnock had been separated.

Governance

The parish council has co-responsibility for some local issues so sets an annual precept (local rate) to cover its costs and makes annual accounts for public scrutiny. It can submit its evaluation report into all planning applications and works with police, other councils' officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime/security, traffic and highways. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and the environment can be in its reports and initiatives. It maintains and repairs some of, and consults with both higher-tier councils, as to more of, sports/leisure facilities, verges, parks, surface water drainage, paths, public transit and street cleaning.

The village is in the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 from part of Yeovil Rural District.[7] It is responsible for local planning and building control, most of the streetscenes and parks, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, and tourism. As to those councillors it is in its 'Parrett' electoral ward. This stretches from Chiselborough in the north, via East Chinnock to North Perrott in the south. The ward population at the 2011 census was 2,336.[8]

Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.

It is served by the Yeovil seat in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

Landmarks

The Manor Farmhouse in West Chinnock retains large parts from the late 16th or early 17th century thus is in the middle category of listed buildings.

Church

See main article: Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, West Chinnock. Ecclesiastically the parish of West Chinnock is now part of the united benefice of Norton-sub-Hamdon, West Chinnock, Chiselborough and Middle Chinnock.[9]

The parish Church of Saint Mary has 13th-century origins but was totally rebuilt in the 19th century.

Notable residents

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles. Somerset Intelligence. 4 January 2014. Excel.
  2. http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/relationships.jsp?u_id=10438895 Vision of Britain website: Middle Chinnock
  3. Web site: District Council notices of the change of name of a parish 2003 . Office of the Deputy Prime Minister . 2011-05-07 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110519082840/http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/localgovernment/pdf/151840.pdf . 2011-05-19 .
  4. Web site: Population statistics West Chinnock CP/Ch through time. A Vision of Britain through Time. 3 August 2023.
  5. Book: Bush, Robin. Robin Bush (historian). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. 1994. 91. 1-874336-26-1.
  6. Book: Mills. A.D. . Room. A. . A Dictionary of British Place-Names . 2003 . . Oxford . 0-19-852758-6 . Chinnock .
  7. Web site: Yeovil RD. A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. 4 January 2014.
  8. Web site: Parrett ward 2011. 5 March 2015.
  9. http://www.bathandwells.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=about.parish&parishid=26346 Diocese of Bath and Wells website
  10. Web site: Austin, Sir William Michael Byron, (27 Nov. 1871–13 Nov. 1940), JP . 2024-03-15 . WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO . 2007 . en . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U205481.
  11. Web site: Greenslade, Brigadier Cyrus, (13 May 1892–30 Oct. 1985), psc . 2024-03-15 . WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO . 2007 . en . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U164777.
  12. Web site: Sweeney, Timothy Patrick, (born 2 June 1944), Director: Waste Resources Action Programme plc, 2001–11; Cafbank, 2008–10 (Interim Chairman, 2008–09) . 2024-03-15 . WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO . 2007 . en . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U36818.
  13. Web site: Williams, Major Ronald Samuel Ainslie, (1890–10 Dec. 1971) . 2024-03-15 . WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO . 2007 . en . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U161048.