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. 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, and was part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament prior to Britain leaving the European Union in January 2020, which elected seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation. Church The Church of St Mary, which was erected in 1751, is dedicated to St Mary, and includes a recently restored organ. It is a Grade II* listed building. Berkley House Also Grade II* listed, Berkley House is immediately south of the church. A three-storey domestic range to the rear may be 17th-century, while the two-storey front was built as a country house in the mid 18th century. The house was owned by the Prowse family, including Thomas Prowse who sat in Parliament for Somerset between 1740 and 1767; his grandfather had come into the Berkley estate by marriage. School Berkley Church of England First School is a small village school catering for 4-to-9-year-olds. Notable residents Alexander Barclay, author of The Ship of Fools, was a native of this village. He died in 1552. References External links Villages in Mendip District Civil parishes in Somerset