| Carhampton Hundred | |
|---|---|
| Area | |
| 60,350 acres (24,420 ha) | |
| Status | Hundred |
| Subdivisions | |
| • Type | Parishes |
| • Units | Minehead,Cutcombe,Carhampton,Luccombe,Withycombe,Wootton,Luxborough,Almsworthy,Oare,Dunster,Porlock,Langham,Selworthy,Wilmersham,Allerford,Bickham,Broadwood,Holne,Staunton,Avill,Knowle,East Myne,West Myne,Exford,Aller,Doverhay,Gilcott,Bagley,Oaktrow,Downscombe,Rodhuish,Treborough andStone |
TheHundred of Carhampton is one of the 40 historicalHundreds in theceremonial county ofSomerset, England, dating from before theNorman conquest during theAnglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was responsible for the maintenance of thefrankpledge system.[1] They also formed a unit for the collection of taxes.[2] The role of the hundred court was described in the Dooms (laws) ofKing Edgar. The name of the hundred was normally that of its meeting-place.[3]
The hundred of Carhampton was a large hundred, covering approximately 60,350 acres (24,420 ha),[4] that contained the parishes ofMinehead,Cutcombe,Carhampton,Luccombe,Withycombe,Wootton,Luxborough,Almsworthy,Oare,Dunster,Porlock,Langham,Selworthy,Wilmersham,Allerford,Bickham,Broadwood,Holne,Staunton,Avill,Knowle,East Myne,West Myne,Exford,Aller,Doverhay,Gilcott,Bagley,Oaktrow,Downscombe,Rodhuish,Treborough andStone.[5]
The importance of the hundred courts declined from the seventeenth century. By the 19th century several different single-purpose subdivisions of counties, such aspoor law unions,sanitary districts, andhighway districts sprang up, filling the administrative role previously played by parishes and hundreds. Although the Hundreds have never been formally abolished, their functions ended with the establishment ofcounty courts in 1867[6] and the introduction ofdistricts by theLocal Government Act 1894.[7]