Somerset is in South West England sandwiched between Devon to the south west and Gloucestershire and Wiltshire to the east and Dorset to the south east. The Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel form the border to the north.
It is a county with many sets of hills for example the Mendips and Quantocks, between which is the flat wetland of the Somerset Levels. The Levels traditionally grew willow which was then cut for basket weaving. This is where our paternal family Gillard, Male, Doble and Russell lived and their occupations reflect the local environment.
Gillard / Wood Family History 