A couple of comments[edit]

This is a very good article. When I put Buckinghamshire through FAC at the beginning of the year (it was the featured article on wikipedia on May 19 2004) one of the comments that was made was that the list of places took away from the prose of the article - that it would be better if the prose was longer than the list, rather than the other way around. So I created List of places in Buckinghamshire (which I'm proud to say is now complete!), kept the towns in the article and left the rest of the places to the list. The consensus was that this was a more acceptable article style than grouping everything together in the one article.

I have created List of places in Somerset (I did it before I saw that you had a complete list here) and I feel it'll make the article more readable and expandable if the list was there, rather than here.

Second comment: I'm pretty sure having a population over 3,000 does not automatically turn a place into a town. If this were the case most of the places in the (somewhat overpopulated) South East of England would be classed as towns, which they're not. I believe (though it'll take me a trip to the local record office to have it confirmed) that the archaic system of requiring royal charter to hold either a market or fair is still the official system for defining a town in the UK.

Other than that, well done with the article. -- Graham ☺ | Talk 18:42, 4 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Yeah, 3,000 was a arbitrary figure I've used on Somerset, Dorset and Devon as a way of indicating settlements of a significant size; perhaps the word should have been "settlements" not "towns". (Geographers tend to use 2,500 as their arbitrary figure, but I found this to be a bit inclusive) Joe D (t) 19:32, 4 Nov 2004 (UTC)
Wendover in Bucks has a population of about 10,000, and I still get browsers informaing me that it's a village... It's not by the way because it has royal charter.
I've altered the article to my suggestion above, I hope you don't mind. -- Graham ☺ | Talk 21:31, 4 Nov 2004 (UTC)

History of the name of Somerset[edit]

Isn't Somerset named after the town of Somerton just like Dorset is named after Dorchester? This article says it's named after the 'summer people'.

Presumably the town and the county are both named after the summer people. The "set" in Dorset (and probably Somerset) is "saete", meaning the dwellers of. Joe D (t) 13:50, 24 Apr 2005 (UTC)

Zummerzet?[edit]

I am from Somerset and have never heard anyone pronounce it Zummerzet. I would be happy to remove this and replace it with a better phonetic attempt to describe how the local dialect handles the pronounciation. Is this okay? Lee, Somerset, UK.

I am also from Somerset and back-up this comment, Zummerzet is a stereotypical pronunciation, and is not that accurate.

Lemmy Kilmister 11:34, 12 August 2006 (UTC)[reply]

GA nom[edit]

Whoever nominated this seems to have forgotten to put the GA nom template here ... I just rectified that.

Anyway, I have also put the nomination on hold for the usual week pending a couple of issues that could be taken care of in, perhaps, an afternoon.

That's all. See what you can do. Daniel Case 03:34, 19 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

It has been a week since I put this article on hold and none of the above changes have been made. Thus it fails. When they are made, feel free to renominate. Daniel Case 20:30, 26 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]


Image[edit]

This is probably a more general issue than just Somerset, but can't there at least be a rough sketching-in of Wales and Scotland (at partial opacity)? It looks really weird as it is. Adam Cuerden talk 14:52, 3 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]


WikiProject Somerset[edit]

I have just made a proposal for a WikiProject at Wikipedia:WikiProject Council/Proposals. Derek Andrews 11:07, 14 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

This has now been created at Wikipedia:WikiProject Somerset please join and help to improve the quality of wikipedia articles relating to Somerset.— Rod talk 08:12, 26 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Districts[edit]

The map of this has a few problems IMO:

I have two proposals, a modified version of the existing one, and a new one.

Any other suggestions/comments would be appreciated, I don't want to change it without checking for opinions. Lethe 21:07, 14 September 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I think I prefer the modified version of the existing one - simply because it indicates (through the different colour) that these districts being unitary authorities are different from the others. If the fill colour could be used on the new one tan I would probably opt for that.— Rod talk 20:57, 16 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Page restructure in line with Guideline[edit]

I feel this page is important particularly to WikiProject Somerset and would like to suggest some major revisions to bring it into line with Wikipedia:WikiProject UK geography/How to write about counties. This would include removing the lists of settlements and places of interest to separate pages, changing the order of sections and adding sections for demographics, transport etc. I also feel that if we are to get this article to GA (and ultimately FA) it needs a great deal more reference support and thorough copy edit. I didn't want to start on this without gaining the thoughts of others.— Rod talk 21:04, 16 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Personally I feel the list of places of interest and major settlements adds value and interest to the article - whatever the guidelines might say - so I won't support removing them. Maybe the places of interest list might be a bit too big. However, a restructure and copyedit with suitable references is definitely a good idea. --Cheesy Mike 21:10, 16 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I agree that the lists should go to new articles, and be replaced with prose that briefly describes the significance to Somerset of the most important of these. Derek Andrews 23:51, 16 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks for your comments. I've made a start looking at the guidelines cited above and Dorset (which is an FA) and Hampshire & Kent (which are GA). I think we still need to:
  • Expand the lead  Done
  • Add a paragraph on demographics  Done
  • Add more prose to Settlements (? add communication/transport)  Done & Places of Interest (& ? move lists elsewhere)
  • Expand history to include more modern history  Done
  • Reference throughout (I've started adding ((fact)) tags to some of the sections, (please remove once done)) Done
  • Wikify throughout  Done
  • Expand politics and culture (possibly renaming with arts & sport)  Done
  • ? add Education in Somerset
  • ? add more/better pictures  Done
Any other thoughts on what we need to do welcome.— Rod talk 09:13, 17 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've done some major editing of this article & would appreciate others to review/copyedit before we consider nominating it for GA status. I really would like to remove the lists of settlements & visitor attraction to shorten the article (& comply with guidelines) as I now believe all of the major settlements & significant tourist attractions (which have wikipedia articles) are now mentioned in the article - if not please add them at appropriate points in the text. Are there other things which people think need to be done?— Rod talk 20:16, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I would question the use of the word 'downland' in the 2nd para of the lead. Where is this? There is no mention of it in the geology section.--Derek Andrews 00:41, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Well spotted - I've removed this.— Rod talk 09:12, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Are red links acceptable? --Derek Andrews 01:07, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
A few red links are OK, particularly at GA (up to 5 % I think). I think the major thing needed is the copyedit - User:Malleus Fatuarum is a good copyeditor & GA reviewer & has commented on talk page: "The lists will likely be a problem, the prose could stand a good copyedit, and some sections aren't adequately referenced: the Arthurian legends bit for instance. I'll help in whatever way is most likely to get this article up to GA. If you and your fellow editors are thinking of nominating it imminently, then I'll volunteer to do the GA review, and we can work on the problems together during the hold period. Otherwise, I'll chip in with the copyediting and someone else will do the GA review.". Do we think we can do a good copy edit fairly quickly?— Rod talk 09:12, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I don't have time right now to do much more than dip in and do a spot of proofreading--Derek Andrews 10:52, 22 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks for all the help with this article - are we ready to nominate it for GA? I still think the lists will cause problems but if we nominate it we can then respond to any comments which do arise.— Rod talk 09:40, 23 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You have all done a great job. I still don't think that the list of major settlements will cause a problem. I have done some copyediting and reduction in that section and I think it looks better now. I do agree that the list of places of interest is a bit large and as a minimum should have the red links removed, maybe with some other judicious pruning to make it just major tourist attractions - caves, cathedrals, big houses - that sort of thing. --Cheesy Mike 10:25, 23 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've copied the existing list to List of visitor attractions in Somerset & started to expand it - perhaps then we can link to the full list and only mention a few key ones in the text?— Rod talk 10:56, 23 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Etymology[edit]

I am not happy with the latest addition to the Etymology section, re: prehistory, last paragraph. Although it is referenced, this appears to be pure speculation and the reference is written by an astronomer, not an etymologist. My vote is for deletion. --Derek Andrews 15:21, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Just as an after thought, how come there isn't a winter-set or a summer-rise?--Derek Andrews 15:24, 21 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

GA on hold[edit]

I've opted to do the GA review of this article, because I think it's an important UK article, as I'm certain you do as well.

I've only had a quick look at it so far, and I'll post my detailed comments later.

One thing I want to say straight away though is that the lists in the Settlements and communications and the Places of interest sections would be enough on their own to persuade me to fail this nomination. I would strongly encourage the editors to convert those sections to prose, by picking out a few notable examples and linking to the full list. --Malleus Fatuarum 04:24, 25 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Ok, here are my more detailed comments:

*"The railways became nationalised after World War II and continued until 1965 when many branch lines were scrapped;" What has the nationalisation of the railways got to do with Somerset?


This isn't necessarily a comprehensive list of what I think needs working on before this article can be listed as a GA, it's just what jumped out at me on my first detailed reading of the article. There are quite a few Manual of Style problems as well, mainly easy ones to fix, and the article is badly in need of a good copyedit to sharpen up the prose. I'll help with those last two issues as much as I can.

I think there's quite a bit of work needing to be done on this article, but not an impossible amount, and so I'm placing it on hold for seven days.

--Malleus Fatuarum 01:30, 26 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Response Thank you for the helpful comments - we have addressed many of them as shown above. The bit about the origin of the name is complex - a couple of the local history books I've checked say "unclear", "difficult to be certain" etc & blame the lack of detail on the "dark ages". In relation to the other unaddressed comment about "attractions", I think this is illustrating the importance of tourism & therefore does fit in Economy and Industry. I would welcome any further improvements or comments.— Rod talk 17:10, 26 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Summary

There's an awful lot of good work been done on this article in the last couple of days, well done to all the editors. In view of that I thought it would be helpful for me to go through the article again and to summarise what work I think remains to be done:

And that's probably about it. The article has improved in leaps and bounds over the last few days, and just needs that final polish before it's listed as a GA I think.

--Malleus Fatuarum 19:17, 26 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Is it possible also that the "motto" at the top right hand corner (infobox) could be moved to alongside the council coat of arms? The rationale being that the motto pertains, in the most strictest sense, to the county council, rather than the division of land. -- Jza84 · (talk) 10:02, 27 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've left a message asking about the placement of the motto & metric v imperial units on Template talk:Infobox England county as I can't work out how to change these.— Rod talk 10:39, 27 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Update 2

This is fast becoming a really good article, but the addition of so much new material is making this review more demanding than normal. One of the criteria for a GA pass is that the article is stable. So may I suggest that until the review is complete no further new material is added, unless it specifically addresses an issue raised in the review? My fear is that otherwise we'll keep going around in circles; I've already got another list of things that I think need to be addressed before I can list this article as a GA.

I suggest that you let me know when you think that you've got a stable version of this article, and we'll go from there. --Malleus Fatuarum 13:57, 27 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks Malleus Fatuarum for your advice, support and contributions to date. In resolving the problems that you have highlighted above, we are tending to look at it critically in the manner that we presume you are using. Doing that, tends to highlight missing information, poor grammar and unasked questions; which we are addressing. I agreed that this could make your review harder; however I would like to think that (almost) everything added is correctly referenced. I have a 15,000 word dissertation to produce, proof read and have bound before Christmas, so I will not adding to the article. Pyrotec 19:05, 27 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
We all have our crosses to bear. I've got a course to write and deliver before Xmas, plus one paper. So let's not make life more difficult for each other, eh? Freeze the article so that it can be properly reviewed. --Malleus Fatuarum 19:40, 27 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Final update before GA

Hopefully these are the last issues that need to be addressed before this article can be listed as a GA:

*I've tried to copyedit the last paragraph of the Human occupation section, but I had to admit defeat, as I don't entirely understand what it's trying to say, particularly about the A303. "Somerset is crossed north-south by the M5 Motorway, used by holiday traffic travelling through the county to and from Devon and Cornwall. The M4 Motorway runs east-west, beyond the northern limits of the county, and to the west by the A303 road."

A god explanation & perhaps could be reworded to say that - I just removed the "quote" marks.— Rod talk 22:11, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

*"... although in 2007 notice of cessation of manufacturing at the Avimo site was announced" Does that mean that the closure of the site was announced? *"Dr. Martens shoes were also made in Somerset, by the Northampton-based R. Griggs Group; this work has also been transferred to Asia." Also? What other work was transferred to Asia? *"Puriton up to the 1960s had Blue Lias stone quarries, as did several other Polden Villages; and a cement factory at Dunball adjacent to the King's Sedgemoor Drain." Is this saying that the cement factory in Dunball was in Puriton? I think that the semi-colon is confusing me.

And that's about it I think. Once those issues are addressed I'll be happy to give this article a well-deserved GA listing.

--Malleus Fatuarum 20:39, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

M5 & A303 was added to Human occupation section as a logical progression, i.e. canal, railways, motorways. Now reworked.Pyrotec 21:04, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've reworked Avimo, but we probably need a reference or two to satisfy GA. Could someone find a Western Daily Press or other media sources?Pyrotec 21:49, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
I've searched for any news reports re Avimo & can't find any - if we can't verify/source this can we just remove that sentance?— Rod talk 22:11, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Well, thats because it is under Thales Optics, in 2006, - [1] & [2]. I've just got use to using the old name.Pyrotec 22:31, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Re worked Norton Radstock by reversing the order. I believe the Stoke on Trent is a City of six towns, we have a conurbation of two - let's tell people.Pyrotec 22:20, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

You're probably beginning to hate me now, but here goes anyway: "the work was transferred to lower-wage areas, such as China and Asia. Instead, in 1993, redundant factory buildings were converted to form Clarks Village". Did Clarks really tranfer their production to the far east in 1933? I find that difficult to believe. --Malleus Fatuarum 22:22, 29 October 2007 (UTC) Sorry, I misread that, been a long day. --Malleus Fatuarum 22:23, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Here's a BBC reference for the Far East [3]. Thanks for all your editing. Must go back to my cross now only another 13,000 words to go.Pyrotec 22:47, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

I'm ready to pass this article now, just as soon as someone can explain to me what " at current basic prices" means in the table at the end of the Economy and industry section, or change it to something that anyone might understand. --Malleus Fatuarum 23:09, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

The tables of economic data were added to lots of articles by an economist (I presume) & I've not tried to work out what it mean before. The office of national statistics says "Data for the years 2005 and 2006 are being published as experimental statistics. Earlier estimates of current price GVA data are estimated by balancing Input Output supply use tables, drawing on survey data from ONS's Annual business Inquiry (ABI). The current price estimates for 2005 and 2006, which are based on short-term indicators, are less firm. Revisions to the early estimates of GVA over recent years indicate that the approach is not ideal. ONS is currently reviewing and improving the methods used to produce these estimates, and while this programme is continuing Blue Book table 2.3 has been withdrawn and current price estimates are published on the experimental area of the National Statistics website instead." on [4] but I'm really none the wiser. I was hoping to get this to GA today as it's my 3rd wikibirthday (yep I made my first edit on 29th Oct 2004) but I don't think I can get my head any further around stats & economics tonight so I will look at it again another day. Thanks for all your help so far.— Rod talk 23:33, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
That's not a sticking point for me. Overall the article looks great now I think, and it's a credit to all of the editors who have put so much effort into it. I'm more than happy to list it as a GA now. Happy wikipedia birthday. :) --Malleus Fatuarum 23:38, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]
Thanks - if it had been a problem I was going to suggest the OECD definitions document word doc as light reading. But I'd like to thank you (again) for all your help and support in getting this to GA & making it a much better article.— Rod talk 23:51, 29 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

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