Tatworth

Tatworth
Stone building with arched windows and small turret.
St John's Church
Tatworth is located in Somerset
Tatworth
Tatworth
Location within Somerset
Population2,737 (Tatworth and Forton Parish, 2021)
OS grid referenceST325055
Civil parish
  • Tatworth and Forton
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCHARD
Postcode districtTA20
Dialling code01460
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Somerset
50°50′42″N 2°57′36″W / 50.8450°N 2.9601°W / 50.8450; -2.9601

Tatworth is a village 2 miles (3 km) south of Chard in the county of Somerset, England. It is within the civil parish of Tatworth and Forton. At the 2021 census, the parish had a population of 2,737.

Tatworth is a large village, consisting of a number of smaller villages including South Chard, Perry Street and Chard Junction which are close together. The hamlet of Forton lies to the north, towards Chard; an area southwest of Forton is called White Gate.

History

A white lias limestone Roman tessera measuring 25.7 millimetres (1.01 in) x 20.18 millimetres (0.79 in) x 17.75 millimetres (0.70 in) and regularly cut on two faces was found in the area, and may be connected with the remains of a Roman villa or farmhouse by St Margaret's Lane. Part of this building was excavated in 1967 and pottery and paving found there are displayed in the Chard Museum.

The name of the village comes from the Old English tat and worp meaning 'A cheerful farm'. In 1254, the spelling was Tattewurthe and was a sub-manor of Chard. In 1554 Thatteworh was granted to William Petre as the 'manor and park of Tatworthy' and remained in the family until 1790. Tatworth in the 1850s extended to 1,552 acres (6.28 km2) and had a population of 852.

Governance

There are two tiers of local government covering Tatworth and Forton, at parish and unitary authority level: Tatworth and Forton Parish Council and Somerset Council. The parish council is based at Tatworth Memorial Hall on Kents Road.

For national elections, the parish forms part of the Yeovil constituency.

Administrative history

The Tatworth and Forton area was historically part of the ancient parish of Chard. From the 17th century onwards, parishes were gradually given various civil functions under the poor laws, in addition to their original ecclesiastical functions. In some cases, including Chard, the civil functions were exercised by subdivisions of the parish rather than the parish as a whole. In Chard, poor law functions were exercised separately for the area of the borough of Chard and the rest of the parish. In 1866, the legal definition of 'parish' was changed to be the areas used for administering the poor laws, and so the old parish was split into two civil parishes: 'Chard Borough' and 'Chard', the latter covering the rural parts of the old parish outside the borough. The rural Chard parish ceded territory to the borough in 1893 and 1933.

The rural Chard parish was part of the wider Chard Rural District between 1894 and 1974. In 1974, Chard Rural District was abolished, and the parish became part of the new district of Yeovil, which was renamed South Somerset in 1985. Also in 1985, the rural Chard parish was renamed 'Tatworth and Forton', and there were some changes to the parish boundary.

South Somerset was abolished in 2023. Somerset County Council then took over district-level functions across its area, making it a unitary authority, and was renamed Somerset Council.

Amenities

St John's Church, which dates from 1851, is designated by English Heritage as a Grade II listed building.

Tatworth has a primary school, two pubs – Ye Olde Poppe Inn and the Golden Fleece – and the Perry Street Club, a members-only club. It also has a McColl's shop which is also a post office.

Perry Street F.C. in action in the 2008-09 season

Tatworth has a number of local sports clubs. The Perry Street & District Football League was formed in Tatworth in 1903 by Charles Edward Small, the owner of the Perry Street Lace Works. Perry Street Football Club still play in the league today. There is also a cricket club and local skittles league based at Perry Street Club.

Stowell Meadow is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

References

  1. ↑ "2021 Census Parish Profiles". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 31 January 2026. (To get individual parish data, use the query function on table PP002.)
  2. ↑ "Map of White Gate, Somerset". Streetmap.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
  3. ↑ "Tessera". Portable Antiquities Scheme. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  4. ↑ "The Story of Tatworth & Forton, briefly told". Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  5. ↑ Robinson, Stephen (1992). Somerset Place Names. Wimborne, Dorset: Dovecote Press. ISBN 1-874336-03-2.
  6. 1 2 "Chapter 5" (PDF). Open Windows Learning. Retrieved 8 December 2010.
  7. ↑ "Contact us". Tatworth and Forton Parish Council. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  8. ↑ "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 26 October 2026.
  9. ↑ Youngs, Frederic (1979). Guide to the Local Administrative Units of England: Volume I, Southern England. London: Royal Historical Society. p. xvi. ISBN 0901050679.
  10. ↑ "Chard Parish (Ancient Parish / Civil Parish)". A Vision of Britain. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 28 October 2026.
  11. ↑ "Chard RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  12. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 21 April 2026
  13. ↑ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 March 2023
  14. ↑ Alteration of Areas and Status of Local Authorities (PDF). London: Department of the Environment. 1985. p. 1. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
  15. ↑ "Historical information on changes to electoral arrangements of Local authorities, Parliamentary areas and European Parliamentary boundaries". Boundary-Line Downloads. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 25 August 2025. (See downloadable boundary-legislation-changes-from-1973.xls spreadsheet.)
  16. ↑ "History". Tatworth and Forton Parish Council. Retrieved 11 July 2026.
  17. ↑ "The Somerset (Structural Changes) Order 2022: Article 3", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/329 (art. 3), retrieved 20 July 2024
  18. ↑ "Church of St John, Tatworth". Somerset Historic Environment Record. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  19. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St John (1248929)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 23 November 2007.
  20. ↑ "Tatworth Primary School". Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  21. ↑ "Perry Street & District League". TheFA.com. Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  22. ↑ "Perry Street Skittles League". Yeovil Express. Retrieved 8 May 2012.

Media related to Tatworth at Wikimedia Commons