HALIMOTTS is a blog our move to Lottisham and our life in Somerset.

The word “Halimott” is an old word for the court of a guild (an association of tradesmen) or of a manor house. Halimotts were used to resolve disputes between members of the guild or tenants of the manor.

The word Halimott is spelt in a variety of ways including Halimote, Hallmote, etc. and dates back at least to Saxon times if not before.

So why did we choose Hallimots? There were two reasons:

• At the time we moved I was working as an expert witness in a patent trial at the Royal Court of Justice, London
• It is also a simple anagram of the village name “Lottisham”

It also seemed appropriate when you consider the Saxon history of Glastonbury, our nearest town.