Stoke Trister

Stoke Trister is a village and civil parish 2 miles (3 km) south-east of Wincanton and 5 miles (8 km) north-west of Gillingham close to the Dorset border in the county of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Bayford.

Stoke Trister
Stoke Trister — Parish Church of St Andrew
Stoke Trister Village Street
Stoke Trister Location within Somerset
Population	313 (2011)[1]
OS grid reference	ST735285
Unitary authority	Somerset Council
Ceremonial county	Somerset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	WINCANTON
Postcode district	BA9
Dialling code	01963
Police	Avon and Somerset
Fire	Devon and Somerset
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Glastonbury and Somerton
List of places UK England Somerset 51.0552°N 2.3794°W / 51.0552; -2.3794

History

The Stoke part of the name means place or dairy farm with the Trister part being a corruption of the name of Richard del Estre who was lord of the manor in the 12th century. Stoke Trister passed with Cucklington to the Phelips family in 1765 and was then held with Montacute.^[2]

The parish of Stoke Trister was part of the Norton Ferris Hundred.^[3]

The manor house, which was built in the 16th century, is now Stoke Farm House. It was acquired around 1547 by the Earl of Pembroke and sold in 1602.^[4]

Physicwell House, which was formerly known as Horwood Well House was built around 1805.^[5]

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.

For local government purposes, since 1 April 2023, the parish comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of South Somerset (established under the Local Government Act 1972). It was part of Wincanton Rural District before 1974.^[6]

It is also part of the Glastonbury and Somerton 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.

Religious sites

The Church of St Andrew dates from 1841 and has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.^[7]