The history of Somerton cannot be understood through land records and buildings alone. Beneath those layers lies something less formal but no less important — the people who lived there, often across generations, shaping the character of the village in ways that were rarely written down.
The land around Somerton was not abstract — it was worked, known, and passed down. Families such as the Browns, the Corners, the Emberlins, the Godwins, and the Eagles formed part of this landscape. The 1919 sale document names them as tenants: Mr Charles Brown at Village Farm, Mr T. E. Emberlin at Manor Farm and cottages throughout the village, Mrs Godwin at Troy Farm, and Mrs Walton at the Railway Inn. These were not merely tenants — they were the working fabric of the village.
The Emberlin family, who after 1919 became lords of the manor, remained central to Somerton into the twenty-first century. When Miss Sybil Emberlin, the last of the family, died in 2006, her bequest to the church made possible the restoration of the Fermor monuments and the wider conservation project of which this history is a part. One former farm student who lived with Miss Emberlin later recalled: "She was a lovely lady and was a strong minded woman. As she had been from a large farming background she used to ask about my day on the farm when I got in at night. That Manor house she lived in was lovely. The view from my bedroom was fantastic. RIP Sybil."
The whole village revolved around the farms. Most fathers worked on the farms and their mothers stayed at home to look after the house and family. The Godwins, Hills, Emberlins and Browns owned most of the property and several families lived in tied houses — so you had to watch what you did and said.
Within the village there was once a complete infrastructure of everyday life. Waddup’s shop on the corner sold everything. Round the back of Waddup’s was a cobbler called Mr Harris, who mainly repaired farm workers’ footwear — his son Harold made baskets, and he was blind with big black glasses. Mr Moore the butcher; Mr Fox who did haircutting; a coal merchant at what is now cottages in Church Street; milk sold at the back of the butcher’s shop. The bread came from North Aston and a van came from Steeple Aston with fruit from Charlie Preston. The doctors’ surgery was in The Old Post House in Church Street — the doctor was only there once a week and you queued and went up the steps. There was Dr McCloud, and sometimes Dr McCabe, who had silver hair and was known to enjoy a drink; he was accustomed to calling at the Emberlins’ before surgery, and if he was out hunting he did not come at all. Lee Wolf was another doctor who wore a long black coat. Subsequently the surgery moved up to the New Rectory, where Rector Clifford Rhodes lived — another small sign of the way the rectory and its occupant remained woven into village life long after the Old Rectory had been sold.
It was Jerry Grant, together with Malcolm Arnold, Charles Newey and Roger Pugh, who decided that the village should have a proper social space. Rather than continuing with the more limited arrangement of a simple hatch, they built the first fully functioning bar — something that marked a real shift in how the village gathered and spent time together. The social club became part of the rhythm of village life, opening on Thursday evenings, Saturday evenings, and for Sunday lunch. These regular gatherings created a shared structure that extended beyond work and routine.
The life of Somerton cannot be understood without its events. Themed evenings such as Teds, Tramps and St Trinians brought people together through humour and participation. The village also held an annual Produce Show, with its distinctive logo featuring a harvest basket overflowing with vegetables.
The Millennium marked a particularly significant moment, and with it came a production that drew directly on the history of Somerton itself. At the centre of the performance was Linda Bailey Watson as Bug Ermie. Alongside her, Rosemary Arnold, Shirley Grant, Caroline Cavey, Tracey Clarke, Angela Kingdom and Maureen Risbridger appeared as singers and as the Sister Act nuns. Andrew Nesbit, the vicar at the time, also took part.
The Millennium play told the story of the village. Everyone knew someone in it. It was not just a play — it was us.
Village recollection
Did you grow up in Somerton, or does this article bring back a memory? Do you spot something that needs correcting or adding? Rosemary Arnold and Della Paviour would love to hear from you.