Somerset

**Somerset** (archaically, **Somersetshire**) is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton.

Somerset is a rural county of rolling hills, the Blackdown Hills, Mendip Hills, Quantock Hills and Exmoor National Park, and large flat expanses of land including the Somerset Levels.

Godric's Hollow with its large wizarding population is in Somerset, meaning the area was home to the Dumbledores, Peverells, Potters, Bathilda Bagshot, and many others. It was also the birthplace of Godric Gryffindor. In 1981, Lord Voldemort attacked the Potter family inside their home in this village which resulted in his obliteration and the end of the First Wizarding War.

Castle Cary was another large wizarding settlement that was located in this county. Castle Cary is home to the ancestral seat of the House of Macmillan, and was the birthplace of Ernie Macmillan. Many members of the House of Greengrass were born in the city of Bath.

The traditional seat of the House of Yaxley is located in Upton Noble. Also, the House of Black owns a property located in the village of Ilminster.

## History

### Early history

After the Romans left, Britain was invaded by Anglo-Saxon peoples. By AD 600 they had established control over much of what is now England, but Somerset was still in native British hands. The British held back Saxon advance into the south-west for some time longer, but by the early eighth century King Ine of Wessex had pushed the boundaries of the West Saxon kingdom far enough west to include Somerset. Cheddar, a small village in Somerset, was used several times in the 10th century to host the Wizenagemot.

### 19th Century

Horatius Greengrass bought a house in Lansdown Crescent, a neighborhood in the City of Bath, located in Somerset, in 1822, and subsequently two adjacent houses to form his residence. Having acquired all the land between his home and the top of Lansdown Hill, he created a garden more than 1⁄2 mile (800 m) in length and built Green's Tower at the top. This became the primary home of many members of the House of Greengrass, as their former home in Norwich, Norfolk, had fallen into disrepair, and was sold by Horatius Greengrass in the year 1843.

### 20th Century

Many muggle Somerset soldiers died during the First World War, with the Somerset Light Infantry suffering nearly 5,000 casualties. War memorials were put up in most of the county's towns and villages; only nine, described as the Thankful Villages, had none of their residents killed. During the Second World War the county was a base for troops preparing for the D-Day landings. Some of the hospitals which were built for the casualties of the war remain in use. The Taunton Stop Line was set up to repel a potential German invasion. The remains of its pill boxes can still be seen along the coast, and south through Ilminster and Chard.

One such memorial was located in Godric's Hollow, Somerset: however, to wizarding folk, they see a statue of James, Lily, and the infant Harry Potter, as a representation of their sacrifice during the First Wizarding War. On 31 October, 1981, Voldemort attacked the Potter family in Godric's Hollow. The only survivor was baby Harry, and his survival of the killing curse marked history.

Castle Cary, another village located in Somerset, was home to the House of Macmillan as well as the Quick family.

## Residents

The following Wizarding families make their permanent homes or primary residences in Somerset.

* **House of Greengrass** (City of Bath)
* **House of Macmillan** (Castle Cary)
* **House of Yaxley** (Upton Noble)
* **Potter family** (formerly) (Godric's Hollow)
* **Dumbledore family** (formerly) (Godric's Hollow)
* **Doge family** (Godric's Hollow)
* **Quick family** (Castle Cary)
* **Migden family** (Castle Cary)