Somerton is a town and also civil parish in the English region of Somerset. It provided its name to the region and also was quickly, around the beginning of the 14th century, the county town, and around 900 was potentially the capital of Wessex. It has actually held an once a week market considering that the Middle Ages, as well as the primary square with its market cross is today an appealing location for site visitors. Located on the River Cary, approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 kilometres) north-west of Yeovil, Somerton has its very own town council offering a population of 4,697 since 2011. Citizens are frequently referred to locally as Somertonians. The civil parish consists of the districts of Etsome, Hurcot, Catsgore, and Catcombe. The background of Somerton dates back to the Anglo-Saxon age, when it was a crucial political as well as commercial centre. After the Norman conquest of England the significance of the town decreased, despite being the county town of Somerset in the late thirteenth century and also early fourteenth century. Having lost county town standing, Somerton then ended up being a market town in the Middle Ages, whose economic situation was supported by transport systems using the River Parrett, and also later on rail transportation using the Great Western Railway, and also by light sectors consisting of glove production and also gypsum mining. In the centre of Somerton the wide market square, with its octagonal roofed market cross, is surrounded by old residences, while nearby is the 13th century Church of St Michael and All Angels. Somerton also had links with Muchelney Abbey between Ages. The BBC drama The Monocled Mutineer was shot in Somerton from 1985 to 1986.