[5] The area around Westonzoyland was farmed as common land when it was owned by the Abbey at Glastonbury, who during the 12th and 13th centuries encouraged tenants to undertake large scale reclamation of the marshland.
Cornelius Vermuyden was active in the region in the mid 17th century, building small-scale drainage schemes at Cossington, Catcott, Huntspill and Puriton, but despite the devastation caused by extensive flooding in 1607, was unable to convince the communities of Sedgemoor of the benefits that a drainage scheme would bring, as they feared that improved pastures would prejudice their common rights.
[8] A series of Acts of Parliament were passed between 1777 and 1801, which authorised the construction of drainage schemes in the Somerset moors and levels.
Once a guardian of the Somerset Levels, it is now a small museum displaying stationary steam engines and exhibits of land drainage history.
[12] To the east of the village is the former RAF Weston Zoyland (1926–68) Airfield, which was used for a variety of duties, including air combat and the transport of airborne ground troops to France during World War II.
[14] It is also part of the Bridgwater and West Somerset county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
[16] A major upgrade of the drain occurred during the Second World War, when an explosives factory, ROF Bridgwater, was built at Puriton.
The 7.5-mile (12.1 km) embanked channel, called the Sowy River, runs from Monks Leaze Clyse below Langport to the King's Sedgemoor Drain near Westonzoyland Airfield.
To the south of the village is Langmead and Weston Level a 168.8 hectare (417.1 acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest.
It forms part of the nationally important grazing marsh and ditch systems of the Somerset Levels and Moors.
[19] In the summer the Azores high pressure affects the south-west of England, however convective cloud sometimes forms inland, reducing the number of hours of sunshine.
In summer, a large proportion of the rainfall is caused by sun heating the ground leading to convection and to showers and thunderstorms.
Leading a surprise night-time attack against the enemy encampment, Monmouth’s bold strategy was only discovered when a shot was fired from a passing Royalist patrol.
With the element of surprise now gone, the battle was all but lost, the farmers and peasants that made up the bulk of Monmouth’s 3,600 strong rebel forces were no match for the slightly smaller, but well equipped professional soldiers of the Royalist army.
Monmouth himself was captured and later executed, and hundreds of his supporters suffered ferocious reprisals at the hands of the infamous Judge Jeffreys’ Bloody Assizes.
Fragments of willow basket were found near the Glastonbury Lake Village, and it was also used in the construction of several Iron Age causeways.
It served as a prison for around 500 troops after the Battle of Sedgemoor[21] and now contains a corner dedicated to local airmen who lost their lives in 1918 and 1919 and post World War II in the early 1950s.
The four-stage tower has an embattled parapet with quatrefoil arcading, and set-back buttresses which terminate in pinnacles on the bell-chamber stage.