Durleigh


Durleigh is a village and civil parish on the outskirts of Bridgwater in the Sedgemoor district of Somerset, England. According to the 2011 Census, it had a population of 548. Its nearest town is Bridgwater, which lies approximately north-east from the village.
The village lies on Durleigh brook, a tributary of the River Parrett, which was dammed in 1938 to form Durleigh reservoir.

History

The name Durleigh means wood frequented by deer.
Durleigh was part of the hundred of Andersfield.
West Bower Manor is all that remains of a large manorial property, the majority of which has been demolished. Parts of the building date from the 15th century though the core of the fabric may even be earlier, further parts were built in the 17th and 19th centuries. It was the seat of the historical estate of "West Bower" once held by Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, the brother of Jane Seymour, Henry the VIII's Queen.
Eight people from the parish were accused of complicity in the Monmouth Rebellion of 1685.

Governance

The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of Sedgemoor, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Bridgwater Rural District, which is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.
Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, Trading Standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.
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. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

Religious sites

dates from the 11th century but was substantially rebuilt in the late 19th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade II* listed building.