Martock had a single entry in the Domesday book and expanded rapidly in the succeeding years to include dependent settlements at Bower Hinton, Hurst, Newton, Coat, Stapleton, Ash, Witcombe, Milton and Long Load, expanding between 1086 and 1302 from 89 tenants to more than 200. It was the only parish in the Martock Hundred. Later history In 1810 1,025 acres of common land were enclosed as a result of the Inclosure Acts. The village was once a junction on local branches of the Great Western Railway, now dismantled. Governance The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council. The village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District. The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism. Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning. An electoral ward exists in the same name. Although Martock is the most populous area the ward stretches north to Long Load. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 5,724. It is also part of the Somerton and Frome county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election. Economy Local businesses include arts and crafts (stonemasonry, woodworking, silversmithing) a reclamation yard, and a fish and chip shop. Historically a market town, these days a monthly