The Parish of Somerton lies along the east bank of the Cherwell about sixteen miles north of Oxford. The village itself sits on the limestone escarpment rising up to the tableland which forms the watershed between the Thames and the Ouse. The village has a number of springs and rich water meadows along the river.
From the Domesday Book it is clear that the village was settled in Saxon times, and its name shows that — then as now — the water meadows provided summer pasture for the livestock kept on the tableland to the east. The recorded history of the village revolves around the Manor and the Church. The Manor does not survive, but the Church of St James does. It is a Grade I listed building with fine monuments and several traces of the village's history.
At first glance, it is the kind of place that can be easily overlooked. There are no grand landmarks announcing its presence. And yet, like many villages of its kind, Somerton carries a depth that is not immediately visible. The roads are narrow and familiar, the landscape gently folded rather than dramatic, and the buildings reflect a long continuity rather than sudden change.
— Based on the original site introduction — Somerton Village History Project