Although the Hundreds have never been formally abolished, their functions ended with the establishment of county courts in 1867[1] and the introduction of districts by the Local Government Act 1894.

[2] The name of the hundred derives from the name of the large royal estate (later expanded by Henry II to become the Royal Forest of North Petherton[3]) that covered much of the area in 1086, recorded variously as Nortpetret in the Domesday Book, Nortpedret in Liber Exoniensis and Nort Peretu in the associated tax returns.

[3] A large royal estate existed at North Petherton in 1084 and constituted a hundred; assessed at 38 hides, 3 virgates, and ½ ferling.

[5] By 1285 the Hundred of North Petherton is known to have included the villages and hamlets of North Petherton, West Newton, Bawdrip, Horsey, Woolmersdon, Durston, Perry, Wembdon, Clayhill, Huntworth, Sandford, East and West Stretcholt, Shearston, Pawlett, Pignes, Crandon, Chilton, Dunwear and Sydenham – all of which had been included at the time of the Domesday Book – together with Chedzoy, Tuckerton and Thurloxton which had not received separate mentions in Domesday; by 1303 Ford, Wood and Kidsbury were also named separately within the hundred.

[10] By 1868 the town of Bridgwater and the parishes of Bawdrip, Chedzoy, Chilton Trinity, Durston, St. Michael Church, Pawlett, North Petherton, Thurloxton, and part of Wembdon were within the Hundred of North Petherton, which (excluding Bridgwater) covered an area of 23,150 acres (94 square kilometres).