Place:Burnham, Somerset, England

Watchers
NameBurnham
Alt namesBurnham on Seasource: new name as of 1917
Burnham-on-Seasource: hyphenated
Aston Morrissource: hamlet in parish
TypeAncient parish, Civil parish, Urban district
Coordinates51.237°N 2.993°W
Located inSomerset, England     ( - 1917)
See alsoBempstone Hundred, Somerset, Englandhundred in which it was located
Highbridge, Somerset, Englandcivil parish and urban district covering the more inland part of Burnham since 1896
Burnham on Sea, Somerset, Englandcivil parish and urban district covering the sea-facing part of Burnham since 1917
Sedgemoor District, Somerset, Englanddistrict municipality covering the area since 1974
:the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia.

Burnham (#B on map) was a large ancient parish, and until the late 19th century included the then hamlet of Highbridge (#H) and rural areas around Edithmead (since 1896 Burnham Without) (#10). In 1894 Highbridge became a separate civil parish, and in 1896 divided again into the new civil parishes of North Highbridge (within Highbridge Urban District) and the more rural Burnham Without. Burnham itself became "Burnham Urban District".

Burnham Urban District was created in 1894 and changed its name to "Burnham on Sea Urban District" in 1917. In 1933 it annexed Highbridge Urban District. This combined urban district (Burnham-on-Sea and Highbridge) became one civil parish in 1974 following the abolition of urban districts under the Local Government Act 1972. The town now falls within the non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed under the same legislation. (source:Wikipedia, under "Governance".

The hamlet of Aston-Morris has been redirected here. Edithmead is in the parish of Burnham Without. Highbridge is covered separately. Huish juxta Highbridge is a specific area in the centre of Highbridge and is discussed in Wikipedia on Highbridge. References to Burnham on Sea have been redirected here.

Image:Axbridge Rural 1900 3.png

A Vision of Britain through Time provides the following description of Burnham from John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales of 1870-72:

"BURNHAM, a village, a parish, and a [registration] subdistrict in the [registration] district of Axbridge, Somerset. The village stands on the coast, at the mouth of the rivers Brue and Parret, at the terminus of a short branch railway, in connection with the central Somerset and the Bristol and Exeter railways, 2 miles NW of the Highbridge Junction, and 9 SW by W of Axbridge. It has a post office under Bridgewater, and an hotel; and is frequented as a watering-place. The beach at it is a fine sand; but is left bare, to the breadth of 4 miles, at low water. A project was authorized in August 1860 for constructing a tidal harbour in connection with the branch railway, with the view of traffic by steam-vessels, to the various ports of the Bristol Channel and of South Wales. There is a large monthly market. Two mineral springs, severally saline and sulphurous, are close to the beach; and the two lights, for guiding vessels into the river Parret, 91 and 23 feet high, 1,500 feet asunder, the higher one intermitting, the lower one fixed, are in the neighbourhood. The parish includes also the tything of Huish-juxta-Highbridge, the hamlets of Edithmead and Highbridge, and part of the tything of Aston-Morris. Acres: 4,302; of which 430 are water. Real property: £16,557. Population: 2,252. Houses: 473. The property is much divided. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Value: £559. Patrons: the Dean and Chapter of Wells. The church is an ancient building, 140 feet in length, with a lofty tower, serving as a landmark; was recently well restored; and contains a magnificent altar piece designed by Inigo Jones. The vicarage of Highbridge is a separate benefice. There are a national school and charities £72. Bishop King was vicar."

For more information, see the EN Wikipedia article Burnham-on-Sea.

Research Tips

  • The Somerset Heritage Centre (incorporating what was formerly the Somerset Record Office and the Somerset Local Studies Library) can be found at its new location at Langford Mead in Taunton. It has an online search facility leading to pages of interest, including maps from the First and Second Ordnance Survey (select "Maps and Postcards" from the list at the left, then enter the parish in the search box).
    The Heritage Centre has an email address: archives@somerset.gov.uk.
  • Three maps on the A Vision of Britain through Time website illustrate the changes in political boundaries over the period 1830-1945. All have expanding scales and on the second and third this facility is sufficient that individual parishes can be inspected.
  • Somerset Hundreds as drawn in 1832. This map was prepared before The Great Reform Act of that year. Note the polling places and representation of the various parts of the county.
  • Somerset in 1900, an Ordnance Survey map showing rural districts, the boundaries of the larger towns, the smaller civil parishes of the time, and some hamlets and villages in each parish
  • Somerset in 1943, an Ordnance Survey map showing the rural districts after the changes to their structure in the 1930s
This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with WeRelate, the content of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.