Coordinates: 51°00′00″N 2°24′54″W / 50.999982°N 2.415075°W
| Templecombe | |
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  Templecombe shown within Somerset |
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| Population | 1,510[1] |
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| OS grid reference | |
| District | South Somerset |
| Shire county | Somerset |
| Region | South West |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Avon and Somerset |
| Fire | Devon and Somerset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| European Parliament | South West England |
| UK Parliament | Somerton and Frome |
| List of places: UK • England • Somerset | |
Templecombe is a village in Somerset, England, situated on the A357 road five miles south of Wincanton, twelve miles east of Yeovil, and 30 miles west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 1,510.[1] Along with the hamlet of Combe Throop it forms the parish of Abbas and Templecombe.
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History
One part of the village was known as Abbas Combe which was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086-7 as Cumbe, when it was held by the church of St Edward, Shaftesbury.[2]
The other manor within the parish was held by Earl Leofwine but after the Norman Conquest was given to Bishop Odo of Bayeux. It was his descendant Serlo FitzOdo who granted it to the Knights Templar.[3]
Templecombe derives its name from Combe Templariorum, after the Knights Templar who established a preceptory in the village in 1185.[4][5] After they were suppressed in 1312 it was granted to the Knights of St John who held it until the dissolution of the monasteries.[3] An attempt to discover 'the village of the templars' was made by the Time Team television programme.[6]
The Manor House in the high street was built in the 17th century on the site of a medieval building.[7]
Governance
The Abbas and Templecombe 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 April 1, 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Wincanton Rural District.[8] 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.
Transport
The railway station is served by trains on the London Waterloo to Exeter St. Davids West of England Main Line, originally built by the London and South Western Railway. When the village was served by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, trains had to reverse into Templecombe station. This unusual characteristic is shared with Limerick Junction in County Tipperary in Ireland. The station closed in 1966 due to the Beeching Axe, but re-opened due to local pressure in 1983.[9]
Economy
Templecombe's largest employer is Thales Underwater Systems.
Religious sites
The parish Church of St. Mary dates from the 12th century, but was largely rebuilt in the 19th century. It has been designated as a Grade II* listed building.[10]
In Templecombe stands the United Reformed Church (next door to The Royal Wessex, Public House) This building has been on the site for over 150 years and was originally a congregational church.[11]
Notable residents
General Sir Richard McCreery GCB, KBE, DSO, MC (1898 - 1967), Chief of Staff to Field Marshal Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Tunis, at the time of the Second Battle of El Alamein and later commanded the British Eighth Army in Northern Italy during 1944-45, died in Templecombe.
References
- ^ a b Somerset County Council, 2002. Population estimates.
- ^ Williams, Ann; G H Martin. Domesday Book: A Complete Translation. London: Penguin. pp. pp. 247; 1303. ISBN 9780141439945.
- ^ a b Bush, Robin (1994). Somerset: The Complete Guide. Dovecote Press. pp. 206. ISBN 1874336261.
- ^ 'House of Knights Templar: The preceptory of Templecombe', A History of the County of Somerset: Volume 2 (1911), pp. 146-147. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=40936. Date accessed: 27 January 2008.
- ^ Grand Priory of Knights Templar in England and Wales
- ^ "1996 - 03 - Templecombe, Somerset". Unofficial Time Team Site. http://www.timeteam.k1z.com/index.php?pid=45. Retrieved on 2008-01-28.
- ^ "Manor House". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=261743. Retrieved on 2009-02-08.
- ^ A Vision of Britain Through Time : Wincanton Rural District
- ^ The Directory of Railway Stations R.V.J. Butt Patrick Stephens Ltd 1995 ISBN 1 85260 508 1
- ^ "Church of St. Mary". Images of England. English Heritage. http://www.imagesofengland.org.uk/Details/Default.aspx?id=261736. Retrieved on 2009-02-08.
- ^ "Templecombe United Reformed Church". Templecombe United Reformed Church. http://www.templecombeurc.org.uk/index.html. Retrieved on 2009-07-03.
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