Bruton is a town, electoral ward, and civil parish in Somerset, England, on the River Brue and on the A359 between Frome and Yeovil. It is 7 miles (11 km) south-east of Shepton Mallet, just south of Snakelake Hill and Coombe Hill, 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Gillingham and 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Frome in South Somerset district. The town and ward have a population of 2,907. The parish includes the hamlets of Wyke Champflower and Redlynch. Bruton has a museum of items from its past from the Jurassic onwards. It includes a table used by the author John Steinbeck on a six-month stay. The River Brue has a history of flooding. In 1768 it destroyed a stone bridge. On 28 June 1917, 242.8 mm of rain fell in 24 hours, leaving a watermark on a pub 20 feet above mean level. In 1984 a protective dam was built 1 km upstream.
