Stanton Drew is a small village and civil parish within the Chew Valley in Somerset, England, lying north of the Mendip Hills, 8 miles (13 km) south of Bristol, just off the A368 between Chelwood and Bishop Sutton in the area of the Bath and North East Somerset unitary authority.
The area around the village has several dairy and arable farms on neutral to acid red loamy soils with slowly permeable subsoils.
The first element is clearly a direct reference to the megalithic monument, which may well have been in far better condition over 1,000 years ago than it is today, and would have made a most striking impression on the first English speakers to arrive in this area, probably in the second half of the 7th century.
[4] The second part of the place-name (ie the second, separate word as it appears in modern forms) is a 'standard' manorial suffix from the post-Norman Conquest period.
Although the form in which we have the name is Anglo-Norman French, Professor Coates remarks that it is "of Continental Germanic origin, from one of two roots meaning 'go to war' or 'ghost'".
[7] There is a long history of coal mining in the parish and the locations of many small pits are still visible in newly ploughed fields.
The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, such as the village hall or community centre, playing fields and playgrounds, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning.
[11] The parish is represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom as part of North East Somerset and Hanham.
[25] Later buildings include those from the 19th century such as: Mill Place,[26] and its accompanying wall and piers,[27] Rosedale,[28] and Fern Cottage.
[31] The Church of St Mary the Virgin has been a place of Christian worship for at least eight hundred years, and the site itself probably for far longer.
[32] In the north aisle is the Norman bowl of the font and further east the small turret steps behind a glass door that in earlier times led up into a rood loft.
Written in response to opening up of trade with Europe, Adge suggests what might happen to Somerset culture when Europeans come over.
The Dancers of Stanton Drew is a song written by Jim Parker and Muriel Holland and performed by The Yetties.
It tells the story of Sue and William being turned to stone after dancing on a Sunday in Stanton Drew.
"Stanton Drew in the County of Somerset That's where the Devil played at Sue's request They paid the price for dancing on a Sunday Ever as stones they stand at rest"[39]