- Marston Magna
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Coordinates: 50°59′58″N 2°35′02″W / 50.9994°N 2.5839°W
Marston Magna 
Church of St Mary, Marston Magna
Marston Magna
Marston Magna shown within SomersetPopulation 431 [1] OS grid reference ST591224 District South Somerset Shire county Somerset Region South West Country England Sovereign state United Kingdom Post town YEOVIL Postcode district BA22 Dialling code 01935 Police Avon and Somerset Fire Devon and Somerset Ambulance South Western EU Parliament South West England UK Parliament Somerton and Frome List of places: UK • England • Somerset Marston Magna (also known as Broad or Great Marston) is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 431.[1]
Contents
History
The name Marston Magna means larger settlement by a marsh.[2]
It was held as nine separate estates before the Norman Conquest.[2]
The parish was part of the hundred of Horethorne.[3]
The site of the medieval manor house survives as a moat and fish ponds south of the village.[2]
In the early 18th century the estate was held by Sir John St Barbe and was passed on through the Ashington and Sydenham families.[2]
Governance
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.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District.[4] The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.
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 also part of the Somerton and Frome 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, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.
Landmarks
The manor house on Church Green dates from 1613.[5]
Religious sites
The Church of St Mary can date its origins to before the Norman Conquest, however the present building largely dates from around 1360, with further rebuilding in the 15th century. It has been designated as a grade I listed building.[6] The church was held by Polsloe Priory, near Exeter from the 12th century until the dissolution of the monasteries.[2]
The Village in Fiction
In the 1992 novel The English Patient, Marston Magna features as the home of the character Maddox. In the novel, Maddox travels by bus to the nearby town of Yeovil and commits suicide in an unnamed church there.
In the film of the book, the character is referred to in Anthony Minghella's screenplay as coming from the county of Dorset.
References
- ^ a b "South Somerset population estimates for 2002". Somerset County Council. http://www.webcitation.org/5lRyCVNCk. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d e Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The complete guide. Wimborne: The Dovecote Press Ltd. pp. 137. ISBN 1874336261.
- ^ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/. Retrieved 9 October 2011.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Yeovil Rural District
- ^ "Manor House". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=262680. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- ^ "Church of St Mary". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=262672. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
External links
Media related to Marston Magna at Wikimedia CommonsCategories:- Villages in South Somerset
- Civil parishes in Somerset
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