Æthelwulf of Wessex
The village was recorded as "Dunehevede", meaning "the top of the down", in 1196. The manor was given to Glastonbury Abbey by King Æthelwulf of Wessex, but by 1066 was held under the abbey by Erneis. By the early 18th century the estate was held by the Portmans of Orchard Portman.