West Hatch
Stone church with square tower
Church of St Andrew, West Hatch
West Hatch is located in Somerset
West Hatch
West Hatch
Location within Somerset
Population306 (2011)[1]
OS grid referenceST286209
Unitary authority
Ceremonial county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townTAUNTON
Postcode districtTA3
Dialling code01823
PoliceAvon and Somerset
FireDevon and Somerset
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament

West Hatch is a hamlet and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 5 miles (8.0 km) south east of Taunton. It has a population of 306.[1]

History

The name of the hamlet indicates it lies to the west of Hatch Beauchamp.[2]

The parish of West Hatch was part of the North Curry Hundred.[3] The manor, along with North Curry, was granted to the Bishop of Wells by Richard I in 1189 and then to the dean and chapter of Wells Cathedral.[2]

West Hatch has been the home of an RSPCA Little Creech centre since 1963, when the 17th century farm[4] was purchased for the charity. A new purpose-built centre was constructed in 1997. During the cleanup operation after the beaching of the MSC Napoli cargo ship off the coast of Devon in January 2007, the majority of seabirds covered in oil were sent to the West Hatch RSPCA to be cleaned. It is one of two RSPCA centres in the UK used for this purpose and its work is often featured on national television.

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 hamlet comes under the unitary authority of Somerset Council. Prior to this, it was part of the non-metropolitan district of Somerset West and Taunton (formed on 1 April 2019) and, before this, the district of Taunton Deane (established under the Local Government Act 1972). From 1894-1974, for local government purposes, West Hatch was part of Taunton Rural District.[5]

It is also part of the Taunton Deane 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 parish Church of St Andrew dates from the 15th century, but was extensively restored in 1861 when the north aisle and probably the vestry and organ bay were added by Benjamin Ferrey.[6] The church was rededicated by Bishop Jim Thompson on 10 May 1992.[2] From 1846-1849 the curate was Charles Parish, subsequently a noted botanist and plant collector.[7]

Notable residents

References

  1. 1 2 "Statistics for Wards, LSOAs and Parishes — SUMMARY Profiles" (Excel). Somerset Intelligence. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. pp. 228–229. ISBN 1-874336-26-1.
  3. ↑ "Somerset Hundreds". GENUKI. Retrieved 17 October 2011.
  4. ↑ Historic England. "Little Creech (RSPCA Centre) (1253377)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  5. ↑ "Taunton RD". A vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  6. ↑ Historic England. "Church of St Andrew (1177365)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 10 February 2009.
  7. ↑ Dudley Clayton (2014). "The Reverend Charles Samuel Pollock Parish - Plant Collector & Botanical Illustrator of the Orchids from Tenasserim Province, Burma" (PDF). Lankesteriana. 13 (3): 215–227. doi:10.15517/LANK.V13I3.14358. ISSN 1409-3871. Wikidata Q110270510.
  8. ↑ "Grave locations for holders of the Victoria Cross in Wales". The Victoria Cross. Archived from the original on 14 May 2010. Retrieved 5 May 2010.

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