History
The iron age fort of Dowsborough lies about one and a half miles west of the village. In the Domesday Book of 1086 it was recorded as Stawei, the name coming from the Old English stan weg, or paved road.
The parish of Nether Stowey was part of the Williton and Freemanners Hundred.
Nether Stowey may have been a borough as early as 1157 or 1158 but by 1225 it is officially recorded as such. The economy of the medieval town was based on textiles and pottery, and it had both a weekly market and a yearly fair after 1304.
During the "Bloody Assizes" in the autumn of 1685, in the aftermath of Duke of Monmouth's Rebellion men from Nether Stowey who were caught up in the rebellion are said to have been hanged, drawn and quartered in the village after they were sentenced to death by Judge Jeffries. Their body parts were then displayed around the village to discourage others from rebellion against the King. Many villages throughout the South West were witness to the same bloody retribution.
Read more about this topic: Nether Stowey
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