Situated on the River Cary, approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north-west of Yeovil, Somerton has its own town council serving a population of 4,697 as of 2011.

The discovery of a high status cemetery in 2019, suggests that these local people adopted a more Roman lifestyle.

Having lost county town status, Somerton then became a market town in the Middle Ages, whose economy was supported by transport systems using the River Parrett, and later rail transport via the Great Western Railway, and by light industries including glove making and gypsum mining.

[5] Archaeological evidence uncovered in 2019 indicates the existence of a Celtic settlement which pre-dates any written records of the area.

[7] The town returned to West Saxon royal control in the ninth century,[8] and it was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Sumertone".

[13] A building referred to as "Somerset castle" is believed to have been built around 1280 as a county gaol,[14] with a visitor in 1579 describing the remaining portion as "an old tower embattled about castle-like".

[16] Details are vague and visible remains have vanished,[17] so its status as a castle and its very existence is in doubt, with one writer, D.J.C.

[14] The Abbots of Muchelney Abbey held the rectorship of the parish church of Somerton during the Middle Ages.

[18][19] Glove making was a major industry in the town in the early 19th century, along with the production of rope and twine.

[20] The Somerton Brewery, owned by a local landowner named Thomas Templeman, was first recorded under the Tithe Apportionment Act 1841.

[22] Before the National Insurance and the Health Service was introduced, Somerton Men's Club acted as a local provident society within the area.

[23] Gypsum was extracted by hand at the Hurcott open-cast mine from the Victorian era up until it closed down in 1953.

[28] Somerton also is home to large properties, like The Lynch Country House, a Grade II listed building, built in 1812 and St Michael's and All Angels Church.

[30] In February 2012 the external auditor appointed by the Audit Commission published a critical "Report in the Public Interest" regarding the activities of Somerton Town Council in the fiscal year 2008 to 2009.

[34] Great Breach Wood is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and is situated just 1.4 miles (2.3 km) north-east from Somerton, near the hamlet of Littleton.

[38] Some light industries and services, such as garage repair, physiotherapy, water treatment, and builders and decorators, are located in the business park on Bancombe Road.

[6][45] Bordering the square are the church, and the Lady Smith Memorial Hall, also known as the "Parish Rooms", which was built in 1902,[46] and named after Frances (nee Pinney), the late wife of Sir John Smith, who had died in 1895.

[49][50] From the early 1980s onwards projects aiming to improve Somerton for film industry purposes have been undertaken.

[51] The market square was heavily revamped, creating a central parking area with easy access to the local amenities.

The house has had various owners including Edward IV's brother, the Duke of Clarence, and Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland, who sold the estate in 1530.

Its new owner renamed the house "Somerton Court", and replaced the gabled dormers with Gothic battlements and turrets.

It is shallow pitched with massive, richly decorated tie beams and short king posts.

[68] It is said there are bullet holes in the timbers, caused by soldiers who camped in the church in 1646 before the Battle of Langport.

Currently the institution is still based on two sites, however applications have been submitted to the Department of Education to be granted permission to build a new, one-building free school for King Ina Academy on one of three possible sites, all of which are situated in the western outskirts of the town.