150 years ago - December 23rd 1871

* Miles, the harbourer of red deer at Haddon, together with Brown, a keeper for Lord Carnarvon, came upon six natives poaching in a plantation. Each collared a man and stuck to him until he was safely in police custody. The men were jailed for two months with hard labour. The other culprits escaped.

* The livings of Carhampton (worth £250 a year) and Dunster (£200) were vacant through the death of the Rev T F Luttrell.

* Through the liberality of Mr T Ponsford, a substantial supper was prepared at Mr R Tucker’s Cutthorne Farm, Cutcombe, for the 30 employed at Pinn Farm in the parish of Winsford.

* Mr W Langdon, of Long Street, Williton, arranged in a wooden structure by the side of his shop, lighted with gas, 200 head of turkeys, geese, ducks and fowls, five fat pigs and several loaves of bread decorated with holly.

100 years ago - December 24th 1921

* There was a great harvest of sprats at Watchet, but an enormous number of gulls descended on the fishermen’s nets and had a gargantuan feast.

* In their first match, the newly formed Williton Hockey Club beat Allerford 3-0 with goals by W Barnes, R Tarr and A Chibbett.

* The death occurred in Watchet of Mr Philip Norris, 91, of Wristland Terrace, a veteran of the Crimean War and the last survivor of his regiment, the 23rd Foot. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the West Somerset Mineral Railway.

* Minehead had had a week of pantomime, Babes in the Wood. Boxing Day would see the start of a week of vaudeville, with Bettini Capelli, the celebrated Italian tenor, at the top of the bill.

50 years ago - December 25th 1971

* Williton UDC were annoyed that, without consulting them, MP Tom King had acted upon a complaint about the need for warning signs at Combe Hill. The county surveyor inspected the scene within days – but councillors said there had been a sign there for years and the road was no more dangerous than before.

* It was hoped Meals on Wheels would be operated in the Kilve area in the new year. The local WI volunteered to organise a scheme and containers were ordered from the county council.

* It was Christmas on the dole for 372 people in West Somerset – 285 men, 71 women, nine boys and seven girls.