The name Tracey comes from the 'de Tracey' family – from Tracy-sur-Mer near Bayeux – which settled in the area after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The face of a de Tracey knight is carved over the south entrance to the church at Nymet Tracey. The knight may be a representation of William de Tracy, who is said to have who founded the church in penance for the murder of Thomas Becket, although there is no independent evidence for this beyond local tradition. The church is dedicated to St Bartholomew, and has been since at least 1742. It may have previously been dedicated to St Mary, or St Martin.