Kingstone, Somerset
Kingstone is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated near Ilminster, north east of Chard in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 83. The parish includes the village of Allowenshay which was the name of the parish from 1280. History. Kingstone. The village name means "Kings settlement", which it was until King Edmund gave the manor to St Dunstan, as abbot of Glastonbury Abbey in 940. The estate was valued at this time at eight hides. After the Norman Conquest it was lost to the Count of Mortain, William the Conqueror's  brother Robert. It was later held by the Arundell family (1461-1663) and then by the Pouletts of Hinton St George until the 20th century. In the medieval period it was the site of a deer park. Allowenshay. The settlement at Allowenshay, is mentioned in 1280 as "Alwynesheye" derived from the Saxon personal name "Alwine". After 1300 Allowenshay became the largest settlement and was the name of the local manor. Archaeology from this time reveal a chapel, though a manor house is yet to be found. However, just north of Allowenshay, fields called the "Park, Lower, Higher", and "Middle Park