South Petherton is a village and civil parish on the River Parrett in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It is 5 miles (8 km) east of Ilminster and 5 miles (8 km) north west of Crewkerne. It had a population of 5,034 in 2017. The parish includes the hamlets of Yeabridge, Compton Durville, South Harp, and Over Stratton, and is approximately 2 miles (3 km) from East Lambrook, Martock and Lopen.
It is distinctive for the traditional hamstone construction of many of its buildings. In 2005 South Petherton was awarded ‘Somerset Village of the Year’ in a national competition. And in 2011, TA13 was named second best place in England and Wales to raise a family in a UK wide survey of nearly 3000 postcodes.
Historically South Petherton was a market town, but these days is regarded to be a village, with many of its ancient functions having ended by around 1870.
The village’s name may come from the Old English word Pared meaning boundary and the Saxon word ton meaning settlement, forming ’Paredton’.
