Sedgemoor is a low-lying area of land in Somerset, England. It lies close to sea level south of the Polden Hills, historically largely marsh (or "moor" in its older sense).[2] The eastern part is known as King's Sedgemoor, and the western part West Sedgemoor. Sedgemoor is part of the area now known as the Somerset Levels and Moors. Historically the area was known as the site of the Battle of Sedgemoor.
Sedgemoor Sedgemoor District | |
|---|---|
 | |
 Shown within Somerset | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West England |
| Ceremonial county | Somerset |
| Admin HQ | Bridgwater |
| Created | 1 April 1974 |
| Government | |
| • Type | Unitary district |
| • Leader | Duncan McGinty |
| • Council ——— Somerset Council | |
| • MPs: | Ian Liddell-Grainger C, James Heappey C |
| Area | |
| • Total | 217.90 sq mi (564.36 km2) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
| • Total | 125,752 |
| • Density | 580/sq mi (220/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| Post Code | |
| Area code | 01278 |
| Website | www |
Sedgemoor gave its name to a local government district formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the municipal borough of Bridgwater, the Burnham-on-Sea urban district, Bridgwater Rural District and part of Axbridge Rural District. The district covered a larger area than the historical Sedgemoor, extending north of the Polden Hills across the Somerset Levels and Moors to the Mendip Hills.
On 1 April 2023 the district was abolished and replaced by a new unitary district for the area previously served by Somerset County Council. The replacement council is Somerset Council.[3]Elections for the new council took place in May 2022, and it ran alongside Sedgemoor and the other councils until their abolition in April 2023.[4]
Toponymy
Sedgemoor does not mean "sedge moor", but is instead "marsh of a man called Sicga" from the Old Norse personal name Sicga and Old English mor "moor".[5] The name was recorded as Secgamere in 1165.
Towns
- Bridgwater – the administrative centre
- Burnham-on-Sea
- North Petherton
- Highbridge
- Axbridge
- Cheddar
Parishes
Rivers
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Battles
- Battle of Sedgemoor 1685
Industry
Light industry now predominates, but traditional trades including peat extraction, willow crafts and cider making may still be found, in addition to livestock farming. The River Parrett provides a source of eels (anguilla anguilla) and elvers from January through to May.
Also notable is the new Isleport trading estate at Highbridge, which houses many global businesses such as Geest (Isleport Foods) who make yoghurt under franchise to Ski & Muller, Brake Brothers who supply the catering trade, BFP wholesale who supply dry goods to bakeries etc., Woodbury & Haines who supply furniture globally, Polybeam Limited who supply GRP radio masts to customers such as Marconi, and also AT&T whose centre there controls all internet cable traffic to and from the US.
Industry in Bridgwater has also seen major growth recently with the opening of "Express Park" which houses Gerber Foods (a global fruit juice supplier), NHS Logistics depot and Eddie Stobart depot.
Governance
Sedgemoor District Council
The Sedgemoor district was established in 1974 and is based in Bridgwater. It covers a mostly rural area between the Quantock Hills and the Mendip Hills. The council, along with Somerset County Council, was replaced in April 2023 by Somerset Council, a unitary authority.
Members of UK parliament
The area is falls within theBridgwater and West Somerset and Wells county constituencies which are represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system of election. The current MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset is Ian Liddell-Grainger,[11] a Conservative; for Wells the MP is James Heappey, also a Conservative, who won the seat in 2015 from Tessa Munt, a Liberal Democrat.[12]
Education
Schools (those which are not independent) in Sedgemoor are operated the Children & Young People's Directorate of Somerset County Council, although some such as The Kings of Wessex School in Cheddar have distanced themselves from the county council by opting for foundation and then subsequently academy status.
See also
References
External links
