[3] The site of the medieval manor house survives as a moat and fish ponds south of the village.

[2] In the early 18th century the estate was held by Sir John St Barbe, 1st Baronet (d.1723) and was passed on through the families of Ashington and Sydenham of Combe, Dulverton, Somerset.

It is also part of the Glastonbury and Somerton county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

In the novel, Madox travels by bus to the nearby town of Yeovil and commits suicide in an unnamed church there.

In the film of the book, the character is referred to in Anthony Minghella's screenplay as coming from the county of Dorset.