Parish Villages & Hamlets

The Parish of Winscombe has a dispersed settlement pattern as opposed to a single nucleated village which is common in many Somerset parishes.

In the Middle Ages, it comprised at least twenty or so small named settlements of farmsteads, all of which were involved with pastoral farming.  There was extensive common pasture on the upland areas of the parish and out on Sandford Moor, along with areas of woodland which are reflected in place-names such as Oakridge and Woodborough.

The place-name Winscombe comes from Wine’s combe, presumably named after an early landholder.  The main manorial centre was sited beside the church of St James.

Today the main areas of settlement in the parish are Winscombe (formerly known as Woodborough) and Sandford, with the smaller hamlets of Barton, Sidcot/Oakridge.  Dinghurst was a part of Winscombe parish until 1935 when it became part of Churchill.