County Dossier
Somerset
A county of levels, legends and abbeys.
Somerset is a maritime county in the West Country, renowned for its agriculture and traditional cider production. Its coastline features resort towns including Minehead, Weston-super-Mare, Burnham-on-Sea, Watchet, and Clevedon.
At a glance
Somerset at a glance
A county of levels, legends and abbeys.
- Anglo-Saxon Chronicle: Somersaete
- Sumorsaete: Somerton people
- County Flag: Traditional Somerset Dragon
- Area: 1,633 sq miles
- Population: 1,053,504
- County Top: Dunkery Beacon
County Geography
Somerset faces the Bristol Channel to the north and meets Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Dorset, and Devon inland. Its county shape is organised by coast, levels, limestone ridge, and the westward reach toward Exmoor.
Levels, limestone ridge, channel coast, and cathedral-and-market-town country give Somerset a strong shape.
Map Reference
View Somerset on the map
Somerset is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Bath, Wells, Glastonbury, Bridgwater, and Taunton show the county from Roman and cathedral centre to tor-side town, estuary crossing-point, and western county capital. Together they explain Somerset as a county of levels, routeways, and upland edge.
Connections
Somerset’s routes have long crossed the Levels, climbed the Mendips, and linked Bath, Wells, Bridgwater, and Taunton. The pattern runs naturally from channel coast to inland west.
Names
- Somerset
- County of Somerset
- Somersetshire
Somerset is the standard county name, while Somersetshire is the older historical form preserved in documentary usage.
By the 9th century Somerset was already established as a shire, and Domesday records it as Sumersaete.