Overview of Montacute

Montacute is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, 4 miles (6.4 km) west of Yeovil. The village has a population of 680 (2002 estimate). The name Montacute is thought by some to derive from the Latin "Mons Acutus", referring to the small but still quite acute hill dominating the village to the west. The village is built almost entirely of the local hamstone. From the 15th century until the beginning of the 20th century it formed the heart of the estate of the Phelips family of Montacute House. The village has a fine medieval church, and a former Cluniac priory, the gatehouse of which is now a private house. At the centre of the village is a large square known as the 'Borough' around which are grouped picturesque cottages and a public house, the Phelips Arms; there is a second public house and hotel situated in the village, called the King's Arms.