Hundred of Williton and Freemanners
{{Short description|Historical Hundred of Somerset, England}}
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|Name= Williton and Freemanners Hundred
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|DivisionsNames= Watchet, Doniford, Bicknoller, Brompton Ralph, Brompton Regis, Brushford, Chipstable, Clatworthy, Old Cleeve, Crowcombe, St Decuman, Dodington, Dulverton, Elworthy, Exmoor Forest, Exton, Halse, Hawkridge, Huish Champflower, Kilton, Kilve, Lilstock, Monksilver, Nettlecombe, East Quantoxhead, West Quantoxhead, Raddington, Sampford Brett, Skilgate, Stogumber, Nether Stowey, Upton, Winsford, and Withypoole.
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The Hundred of Williton and Freemanners (also written as Freemanors) is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England,{{cite web|title=Williton and Freemanors Hundred|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit_page.jsp?u_id=10098520|work=A vision of Britain through time|publisher=University of Portsmouth|access-date=23 October 2011}} dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was responsible for the maintenance of the frankpledge system.{{cite web|url=http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/types/status_page.jsp?unit_status=Hundred |title=Administrative Units Typology | Status definition: Hundred |publisher=Vision of Britain |access-date=18 October 2011}} They also formed a unit for the collection of taxes.{{cite web|title=The Shire and the Hundred|url=http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Shirehundred.htm|publisher=Somerset County Council|access-date=13 October 2011|archive-date=14 August 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110814143027/http://www1.somerset.gov.uk/archives/ASH/Shirehundred.htm|url-status=dead}} The role of the hundred court was described in the Dooms (laws) of King Edgar. The name of the hundred was normally that of its meeting-place.{{cite web | url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/project/assembly/summary.htm | title=Summary | publisher=Institute of Archaeology | access-date=15 October 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100525082817/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/project/assembly/summary.htm | archive-date=25 May 2010 | url-status=dead }}
The Hundred of Williton and Freemanners consisted of Watchet the ancient parishes of: Bicknoller, Brompton Ralph, Brompton Regis, Brushford, Chipstable, Clatworthy, Old Cleeve, Crowcombe, St Decuman, Dodington, Dulverton, Elworthy, Exmoor Forest, Exton, Halse, Hawkridge, Huish Champflower, Kilton, Kilve, Lilstock, Monksilver, Nettlecombe, East Quantoxhead, West Quantoxhead, Raddington, Sampford Brett, Skilgate, Stogumber, Nether Stowey, Upton, Winsford, and Withypoole it also has the hands of Doniford a settlement in Watchet. It covered an area of {{convert|114,870|acre|ha}}.{{cite web|title=Somerset Hundreds|url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/|publisher=GENUKI|access-date=23 October 2011}}
At the time of the Domesday Book Williton and Dulverton were separate Hundreds. These were brought together with Winsford and Old Cleeve.{{cite web|title=Somerset |url=http://edocs.hull.ac.uk/muradora/objectView!getDataStreamContent.action?pid=hull:518&dsid=externalDatastream__0.6943890975644409&mimeType=application/rtf |publisher=University of Hull |access-date=23 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710092518/http://edocs.hull.ac.uk/muradora/objectView!getDataStreamContent.action?pid=hull:518&dsid=externalDatastream__0.6943890975644409&mimeType=application/rtf |archive-date=10 July 2012 }}
The importance of the hundred courts declined from the seventeenth century. By the 19th century several different single-purpose subdivisions of counties, such as poor law unions, sanitary districts, and highway districts sprang up, filling the administrative role previously played by parishes and hundreds. Although the Hundreds have never been formally abolished, their functions ended with the establishment of county courts in 1867County Courts Act 1867 (30 & 31 Vict. c. 142) s.28 and the introduction of districts by the Local Government Act 1894.{{cite web | url=http://www.geog.cam.ac.uk/research/projects/occupations/hundredmapping/ |title=Mapping the Hundreds of England and Wales in GIS | publisher=University of Cambridge Department of Geography|date=6 June 2008| access-date=15 October 2011}}