Stoke Trister

Stoke Trister is a village and civil parish 2mi south-east of Wincanton and 5mi north-west of Gillingham close to the Dorset border in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Bayford.HistoryThe Stoke part of the name means place or dairy farm with the Trister part being a corruption of the name of Richard del Estre who was lord of the manor in the 12th century. Stoke Trister passed with Cucklington to the Phelips family in 1765 and was then held with Montacute.The parish of Stoke Trister was part of the Norton Ferris Hundred.The manor house, which was built in the 16th century, is now Stoke Farm House. It was acquired around 1547 by the Earl of Pembroke and sold in 1602.Physicwell House, which was formerly known as Horwood Well House was built around 1805.GovernanceThe parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) 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 (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.