The Thomas estate was owned by Walter de Rodney in 1328.The St Thomas cricket estate, originally a manor, included most of the northern part of Winsham parish and for generations many people from Winsham have lived and worked on the farm. Some 300 acres have now been included in the stewardship plan and are grazed by sheep in an effort to stop declining farm returns. The cricket house and Wildlife Park were sold to Warner Holidays in 1998 after the family managed them for nearly 30 years. After a £20 million development, it now houses a 220-bed hotel and adults-only leisure spa and is 95% full year round, bringing much-needed commerce to the local economy and other area leisure businesses.
He also led an expedition, in 1595, against the Spanish Main and launched a naval incursion into Jamaica. In those days, the estate of Cricket St. Thomas employed the whole town. In the house itself there were more than thirty servants.
Cricket St Thomas is a parish in Somerset, England, located in a valley between Chard and Crewkerne within the administrative district of South Somerset. In 1467, Stephen Preston, after purchasing Cricket manor, obtained a confirmation of the fair and extended it for another two days after Pentecost.
