List of unions in Dorset
Encyclopedia
The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...

 and its administration entailed the creation of entirely new administrative areas throughout the United Kingdom: groups of parishes known as
Poor Law Unions
Poor Law
The English Poor Laws were a system of poor relief which existed in England and Wales that developed out of late-medieval and Tudor-era laws before being codified in 1587–98...

or simply Unions.

(Parish here = civil parish, defined as "area[s] for which a poor rate is or can be assessed" in mid-19th century legislation, as for example the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866; the thing is of course older than the term).

These groupings were based on geographical and demographic practicalities and took little account of most previous administrative arrangements, even cutting across county boundaries if necessary. By doing so there were created new Poor Law Counties, so called, in regard to the Poor Law itself, and other administrative functions, such as the decennial census, which used the Union boundaries. Note below, for example, Bourton
Bourton, Dorset
Bourton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated north of the A303 road on the border with Somerset and Wiltshire between Mere and Wincanton. The village has a population of 772 and marks the northernmost point in Dorset...

 and Silton
Silton
Silton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale four miles north west of Gillingham. The village has a population of 134 ....

, which although in Dorset, were for decades in the Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

 Union of Mere, and thus the Poor Law County of Wiltshire; the Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

 parishes in Sherborne Union, and thus in the Poor Law County of Dorset; and Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...

, in Axminster Union and the Poor Law County of Devon.

In Dorset, however, the 1834 Unions were closely related to the pre-existing divisions (a unit developed principally for tax purposes), updated as recently as 1830 in a local Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...

. See List of divisions in Dorset.

The Unions once established were used as the basis for subsequent administrative changes: they were taken from 1837 as the civil registration districts, and also as the basis for the sanitary district
Sanitary district
Sanitary districts were established in England and Wales in 1875 and in Ireland in 1878. The districts were of two types, based on existing structures:*Urban sanitary districts in towns with existing local government bodies...

s introduced in the 1870s (see List of sanitary districts in Dorset).

Beaminster Union

  • Dorset:
    • Beaminster
      Beaminster
      Beaminster is a small town and civil parish in the West Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, at the head of the valley of the River Brit. Beaminster is south of Bristol, west of Bournemouth, east of Exeter and northwest of the county town of Dorchester...

      , Bettiscombe
      Bettiscombe
      Bettiscombe is a hamlet in west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale four miles west of Beaminster. The village has a population of 63 according to the United Kingdom Census 2001....

      , Broadwindsor
      Broadwindsor
      Broadwindsor is a village in west Dorset, England, two miles west of Beaminster. The village has a population of 1,218 .Broadwindsor was also formerly a liberty, containing only the parish itself....

      , Burstock
      Burstock
      Burstock is a village in west Dorset, England, five miles south of Crewkerne. The village has a population of 109 .- External links :*...

    • Chedington
      Chedington
      Chedington is a hamlet in west Dorset, England, situated on the A356 road four miles south east of Crewkerne. The village has a population of 82 and is administered as part of Parrett and Axe Parish Council....

      , Corscombe
      Corscombe
      Corscombe is a small village in west Dorset, England, halfway between Yeovil and Beaminster. The village has a population of 465 .The musician Polly Jean Harvey is a former resident....

    • East Chelborough
      East Chelborough
      East Chelborough is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It is located north-east of Beaminster.On the top of the ridge at the nearby Castle Hill are the earthwork remains of a motte-and-bailey castle.-External links:...

      , Evershot
      Evershot
      Evershot is a village in west Dorset, England, south of Yeovil. It is the second highest village in the county , the centre of the village lying at 175 metres above sea-level. The village has a population of 206...

    • Halstock
      Halstock
      Halstock is a village in north west Dorset, England, five miles south of Yeovil, and lies on the route of the ancient Harrow Way. The village has a population of 470 , down from a peak of over 600 in the mid-nineteenth century.-History:...

      , Hooke
      Hooke, Dorset
      Hooke is a small village in west Dorset, England, 13 kilometers northwest of Dorchester. The village has a population of 118 . The village is situated in the valley of the short River Hooke, a tributary of the River Frome, in the Dorset Downs chalk hills...

    • Mapperton, Marshwood
      Marshwood
      Marshwood is a village in west Dorset, England, situated on the northern edge of the Marshwood Vale six miles north of Lyme Regis. The village has a population of 283 , 8.6% of dwellings are second homes....

      , Melbury Osmond
      Melbury Osmond
      Melbury Osmond is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated on the A37 road seven miles south of Yeovil. The village has a population of 190 . It is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a possession of the Arundell family, and remained so until the 19th century. The parish church, St...

      , Melbury Sampford, Mosterton
      Mosterton
      Mosterton is a village in west Dorset, England, three miles south of Crewkerne. The village has a population of 626 .Home of the Admiral Hood pub, Eeles Pottery, Parrett and Axe Primary School and St...

    • Netherbury
      Netherbury
      Netherbury is a village in west Dorset, England, with a population of 1,276 . It is situated one mile south of Beaminster and five miles north of Bridport, just off the A3066 road.Netherbury consists of a church, a village hall, and a play park....

      , North Poorton
    • Pilsdon, Powerstock
      Powerstock
      Powerstock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley on the edge of the Dorset Downs, five miles north east of the market town of Bridport. The village contains many cottages and 2 inns: The Three Horseshoes near the church and The Marquis of Lorne Inn on the other...

    • Rampisham
      Rampisham
      Rampisham is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in a steep valley ten miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 102...

    • South Perrott
      South Perrott
      South Perrott is a village in northwest Dorset, England, two miles south east of Crewkerne. The village has a population of 247 .The name Perrott comes from the River Parrett.The manor was held with North Perrott just over the border in Somerset....

      , Stoke Abbott
      Stoke Abbott
      Stoke Abbott is a village in west Dorset, England, two miles west of Beaminster. The village has a population of 209 , with 14.5% of dwellings being second homes...

    • West Chelborough, Wraxall
      Wraxall, Dorset
      Wraxall in the English county of Dorset is a civil parish consisting of two small villages - Higher Wraxall and Lower Wraxall - between Rampisham and Cattistock in West Dorset....

  • Somerset:
    • Misterton
      Misterton, Somerset
      Misterton is a village and civil parish south-east of Crewkerne, Somerset, England.-History:The village was previously known as Minsterton as a result of its links with the "mother church" in Crewkerne....

       (transferred to Chard
      Chard, Somerset
      Chard is a town and civil parish in the Somerset county of England. It lies on the A30 road near the Devon border, south west of Yeovil. The parish has a population of approximately 12,000 and, at an elevation of , it is the southernmost and highest town in Somerset...

       PLU 1896)
    • Seaborough
      Seaborough
      Seaborough is a hamlet in north west Dorset, England, situated on the River Axe two miles south of Crewkerne. The village has a population of 65 .The parish was part of the hundred of Crewkerne.-External links:*...

       (transferred to Dorset 1895)
  • Devon:
    • Thorncombe
      Thorncombe
      Thorncombe is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the borders of Somerset and Devon, five miles south east of Chard. The civil parish has a population of 714 , and 8.4% of dwellings are second homes.-Geography:...

       (transferred from Axminster
      Axminster
      Axminster is a market town and civil parish on the eastern border of Devon in England. The town is built on a hill overlooking the River Axe which heads towards the English Channel at Axmouth, and is in the East Devon local government district. It has a population of 5,626. The market is still...

       PLU 1894; transferred to Devon
      Devon
      Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

       1844 and back to Dorset 1896)

Blandford Union

    • Almer
      Almer
      Almer is a village in Dorset, England located on the A31 road near Winterborne Zelston, Huish Manor, Sturminster Marshall and opposite the Drax estate. The main features of the village are Almer Manor, Almer Parish church and the old school house...

       (transferred to Wimborne PLU 1894), Anderson
      Anderson, Dorset
      Anderson is a village and civil parish in the North Dorset district of Dorset, England, with a population of 72 . The village is sometimes known as Winterborne Anderson, and is near Winterborne Zelston and Winterborne Kingston. It is about twelve miles by road from Poole.To the west is...

    • Blandford Forum, Blandford St Mary
      Blandford St Mary
      Blandford St Mary is a village and civil parish in the North Dorset district of Dorset, England. The village is on the south bank of the River Stour, immediately opposite the larger town of Blandford Forum. The village grew up around the Badger Brewery, owned by Hall and Woodhouse, which is based...

      , Bryanston
      Bryanston
      Bryanston is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour one mile west of Blandford Forum. The parish has a population of 968 . The village is adjacent to the grounds of Bryanston School, an independent school.The village was named after Brian de Lisle, a...

    • Charlton Marshall
      Charlton Marshall
      Charlton Marshall is a village in north Dorset, England, situated beside the River Stour on the A350 road two miles south of the market town Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 1,150 ....

    • Durweston
      Durweston
      Durweston is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour where it flows out of the Blackmore Vale through a steep, narrow gap between the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase hills, two miles west of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 429...

    • Hilton
      Hilton, Dorset
      Hilton is a village in north Dorset, England. It lies at an altitude of 135 metres in a small valley in the eastern part of the Dorset Downs. The summit of Bulbarrow Hill is 1.5 miles north of the village. The nearest town is Blandford Forum, which lies 8 miles east-north-east...

    • Iwerne Courtney
      Iwerne Courtney
      Iwerne Courtney, also known as Shroton, is a village in north Dorset, England, north-west of Blandford Forum. It lies on the River Iwerne under Hambledon Hill to the south-west and with Cranborne Chase to the east. The village has a population of 400 .- External links :*...

      , Iwerne Stepleton
    • Langton Long Blandford
    • Milborne St Andrew
      Milborne St Andrew
      Milborne St Andrew is a village in central Dorset, England, situated in a winterbourne valley on the dip slope of the Dorset Downs, straddling the A354 road nine miles north east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 1,042...

      , Milborne Stileham, Milton Abbas
      Milton Abbas
      Milton Abbas is a village in Dorset in the south-west of England, approximately seven miles south-west of the market town of Blandford Forum and 11 miles north-east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 766...

    • Pimperne
      Pimperne
      Pimperne is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase two miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 995 ....

    • Spetisbury
      Spetisbury
      Spetisbury is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour and the A350 road, four miles south east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 542 . It is notable for being a very linear settlement, with mostly only one line of buildings adjacent to the A350 road...

      , Stourpaine
      Stourpaine
      Stourpaine is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour and A350 road in the south east corner of the Blackmore Vale, under Cranborne Chase, three miles north west of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 608 ....

    • Tarrant Crawford
      Tarrant Crawford
      Tarrant Crawford is a small village at the end of the Tarrant Valley in Dorset, England. It is mainly a farm with a few houses. OS maps show it at the position of Tarrant Abbey, an even smaller village with only three houses. Although still part of the farm, it is referred to by the locals as a...

      , Tarrant Gunville
      Tarrant Gunville
      Tarrant Gunville is a village in north Dorset, England, situated at the head of the Tarrant Valley on Cranborne Chase five miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 236 . The large parish church is dedicated to St...

      , Tarrant Hinton
      Tarrant Hinton
      Tarrant Hinton is a village in North Dorset, England, situated in the Tarrant Valley five miles north-east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 195 ....

      , Tarrant Keyneston, Tarrant Launceston
      Tarrant Launceston
      Tarrant Launceston is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Tarrant Valley five miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 414 .-External links:*...

      , Tarrant Monkton
      Tarrant Monkton
      Tarrant Monkton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Tarrant Valley five miles east of Blandford Forum. Within the parish boundary, sited 1.5 miles over hills to the west, lies Blandford Camp army base. The parish as a whole, including the army base, had a population of 2,370 as...

      , Tarrant Rawston
      Tarrant Rawston
      Tarrant Rawston is a hamlet in Dorset, England. It has a small church built of flint and stone. Surrounding the village are many pre-historic barrows. The hamlet is named after the River Tarrant which flows through the parish.-Reference:...

      , Tarrant Rushton
      Tarrant Rushton
      Tarrant Rushton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Tarrant Valley five miles east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 105 ....

      , Turnworth
      Turnworth
      Turnworth is a hamlet in north Dorset, England, situated on the Dorset Downs five miles west of Blandford Forum. The village consists of a few cottages and farmhouses scattered around a church and manor house. Nearby is Ringmoor, an ancient settlement on the top of the scarp face of the downs. ...

    • Winterborne Clenston
      Winterborne Clenston
      Winterborne Clenston is a village in Dorset, England.The first name of "Winterborne" comes from the River Winterborne, which flows from north to south through the village.The river only flows overground during the winter, hence the name....

      , Winterborne Houghton
      Winterborne Houghton
      Winterborne Houghton is a village in north Dorset, England. It is situated in a winterbourne valley on the Dorset Downs, five miles south west of Blandford Forum...

      , Winterborne Kingston
      Winterborne Kingston
      Winterborne Kingston is a village in north Dorset, England. It is situated in a winterbourne valley on the Dorset Downs, seven miles south of Blandford Forum and northeast of Bere Regis.- Overview :The village has a population of 613...

      , Winterborne Stickland
      Winterborne Stickland
      Winterborne Stickland is a village in the English county of Dorset. It is situated in the North Dorset administrative district of the county, about four miles west of the town of Blandford Forum. It is sited in a winterbourne valley in the Dorset Downs. The village has a population of 576...

      , Winterborne Tomson
      Winterborne Tomson
      Winterborne Tomson is a village in Dorset, England.- Overview :The first name of "Winterborne" comes from the River Winterborne, which flows from west to east through the village.The river only flows overground during the winter, hence the name....

      , Winterborne Whitchurch, Winterborne Zelston
      Winterborne Zelston
      Winterborne Zelston is a village in north Dorset, England. It is situated in a winterbourne valley on the A31 road eight miles south of Blandford Forum and ten miles north west of Poole...

Later Additions:
Chettle
Chettle
Chettle is a hamlet in North Dorset, in southern England, situated on Cranborne Chase on the A354 road six miles north east of Blandford Forum. Chettle has a population of 80 ....

 (transferred from Wimborne PLU 1894); Farnham
Farnham, Dorset
Farnham is a village in North Dorset, in the south of England, situated on Cranborne Chase nine miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 205 .Augustus Pitt Rivers lived nearby on the Rushmore Estate...

 (transferred from Wimborne PLU 1894)

Bridport Union

    • Allington
      Allington, Dorset
      Allington is a large village and civil parish in Dorset, England. The village has a population of 614 according to the 2001 Census.Allington Hill is an Iron Age hill fort risingto 90m above the village, now managed by the Woodland Trust...

      , Askerswell
      Askerswell
      Askerswell is a small village and civil parish in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated west of Dorchester. The local travel links are located from the village to Maiden Newton railway station and to Exeter International Airport. The main road running through the village is...

    • Bothenhampton
      Bothenhampton
      Bothenhampton is a village in south west Dorset, England, just outside the town of Bridport. It is separated from the town only by the River Asker and the A35 Bridport by-pass. The village has a population of 2,186 , of which 45.5% are retired....

      , Bradpole
      Bradpole
      Bradpole is a village in south west Dorset, England, in the Brit valley, one mile outside Bridport. The village has a population of 2,270 , 38.8% are retired.- External links :***...

      , Bridport
      Bridport
      Bridport is a market town in Dorset, England. Located near the coast at the western end of Chesil Beach at the confluence of the River Brit and its Asker and Simene tributaries, it originally thrived as a fishing port and rope-making centre...

      , Burton Bradstock
      Burton Bradstock
      Burton Bradstock is a village in south west Dorset, England. The village has a population of 979 . Situated on the Chesil Beach, east of Bridport the village nestles around the church of St...

    • Catherston Leweston, Chideock
      Chideock
      Chideock is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated on the A35 trunk road between Bridport and Lyme Regis. The village has a population of 597 based on the 2001 census....

      , Chilcombe
    • Litton Cheney
      Litton Cheney
      Litton Cheney is a village in south west Dorset, England, nine miles west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 348, according to the United Kingdom Census 2001....

      , Loders
      Loders
      Loders is a village in south west Dorset, England, two miles north east of Bridport. The village has a population of 502 . It is a linear village, sitting in a long valley between Waddon Hill and Boarsbarrow Hill, following the road between Bradpole and Askerswell, with another road parallel to...

    • Puncknowle
      Puncknowle
      Puncknowle is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated at in a steep valley beside Chesil Beach five miles east of Bridport. The village has a population of 429 . There is a single public house in the village called The Crown Inn, and many holiday properties.-External links:* *...

    • Shipton Gorge
      Shipton Gorge
      Shipton Gorge is a village in south west Dorset, England, three miles east of Bridport. The village has a population of 319 , 11% of dwellings are second home....

      , Stanton St Gabriel
      Stanton St Gabriel
      Stanton St Gabriel is a hamlet and civil parish in west Dorset, England, with a population of 89 . The population in 1991 was 93, and in 1921 was 54....

      , Swyre
      Swyre
      Swyre is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in a valley beside Chesil Beach six miles south east of Bridport. The village has a population of 109 ....

      , Symondsbury
      Symondsbury
      Symondsbury is a village in south west Dorset, England, west of Bridport and west of Dorchester. The village is located just to the north of the A35 trunk road, which runs between Southampton and Honiton. The village has a pub , a pottery and a primary school...

    • Walditch
      Walditch
      Walditch is a small village in West Dorset, England. It is by the east of Bridport, a market town.Walditch has a Real tennis court, the site of which Henry VII of England played during his visits to the area....

      , Whitchurch Canonicorum
      Whitchurch Canonicorum
      Whitchurch Canonicorum or Whitechurch Canonicorum is a village in south-west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale five miles northwest of Bridport.The village has a population of 647 ; 10.1% of dwellings are second homes...

      , Wootton Fitzpaine
      Wootton Fitzpaine
      Wootton Fitzpaine is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in the Marshwood Vale three miles north east of Lyme Regis. The village has a population of 347 , 16.3% of dwellings are second homes.-External links:*...

Later Additions:
Charmouth
Charmouth
Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England, with a population of 1,687 according to the 2001 census.-The village:...

 (transferred from Axminster PLU 1896)

Cerne Union

    • Alton Pancras
      Alton Pancras
      Alton Pancras is a small village in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England. It is sited at an altitude of 125 metres in the valley of the River Piddle, which has its source just north of the village. The surrounding chalk hills rise to between 230 and 260 metres...

    • Batcombe
      Batcombe, Dorset
      Batcombe is a small straggling village in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated north-west of Dorchester under the northern slope of the Dorset Downs. The local travel links are located from the village to Chetnole railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. The...

      , Buckland Newton
      Buckland Newton
      Buckland Newton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated under the scarp of the Dorset Downs, six miles south of Sherborne. The village has a population of 618 . People have worshipped at the Church of the Holy Rood in Buckland Newton since the 13th century.The village lies within the...

    • Cattistock
      Cattistock
      Cattistock is a village in west Dorset, England, sited in the upper reaches of the Frome Valley eight miles north west of Dorchester. The Dorset poet William Barnes called it "elbow-streeted Cattstock", a comment on the less-than-linear village street...

      , Cerne Abbas
      Cerne Abbas
      Cerne Abbas is a village located in the valley of the River Cerne, between steep chalk downland in central Dorset, England. The village is located just to the east of the A352 road north of Dorchester. There was a population of 732 at the 2001 census, a figure which has fallen from 780 in 1998.In...

      , Cheselbourne
      Cheselbourne
      Cheselbourne is a village in Dorset, England, situated in the Dorset Downs, seven miles north east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 301 . The village also benefits from a local public house called the Rivers Arms.- External links :*...

      , West Compton
      West Compton, Dorset
      West Compton is a hamlet in the county of Dorset, England. It lies in the West Dorset administrative district of the county, about 7 miles to the east of the town of Bridport. The county town of Dorchester lies about 9 miles eastsoutheast...

    • Frome St Quintin
      Frome St Quintin
      Frome St Quintin is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley seven miles north of Dorchester. The village has a population of 157 . There are naturally occurring springs and the first habitation is likely to have been during the Roman era.- External links :*...

    • Glanvilles Wootton
      Glanvilles Wootton
      Glanvilles Wootton, or Wootton Glanville, is a village in North Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp of the Dorset Downs, five miles south of Sherborne. The village has a population of 201 . One mile south east of the village is the hill fort Dungeon Hill.- External...

      , Godmanstone
      Godmanstone
      Godmanstone is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Cerne Valley four miles north of Dorchester and south of Cerne Abbas. The village has a population of 144 in about 60 homes....

      , Gorewood
    • Hermitage
      Hermitage, Dorset
      Hermitage is a hamlet in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp of the Dorset Downs, six miles south of Sherborne. The village has a population of 101 .-External links:*...

      , Hilfield
      Hilfield
      Hilfield is a hamlet in west Dorset, England, situated under the scarp face of the Dorset Downs seven miles south of Sherborne. The village had a population of 52 at the time of the 2001 Census, mostly residents of the Friary of Saint Francis....

    • Mappowder
      Mappowder
      Mappowder is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale nine miles south east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 137 . The name of the village comes from mapuldor, Old English for 'maple tree'...

      , Melbury Bubb
      Melbury Bubb
      Melbury Bubb is a hamlet in north west Dorset, England, situated on a chalk hill seven miles south of Sherborne. It is just off the road between Dorchester and Yeovil in Somerset. The village has a population of 78 .-External links:*...

      , Melcombe Horsey
      Melcombe Horsey
      Melcombe Horsey is a village in west Dorset, England. The village has a population of 141 .Bingham's Melcombe is a medieval house nearby. It takes its name from Robert Bingham who acquired the property through marriage in the 13th Century. It remained in the Bingham family until 1895.The house...

      , Minterne Magna
      Minterne Magna
      Minterne Magna is a village in west Dorset, England, situated at the source of the River Cerne in the Dorset Downs, on the A352 main road half way between Dorchester and Sherborne. The village has a population of 188 .-Minterne House:...

    • Nether Cerne
    • Piddletrenthide
      Piddletrenthide
      Piddletrenthide is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Piddle valley on the dip slope of the Dorset Downs, eight miles north of Dorchester. The village has a population of 691...

      , Pulham
      Pulham
      Pulham is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale seven miles south east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 211 .-External links:*...

    • Sydling St Nicholas
      Sydling St Nicholas
      Sydling St Nicholas is a village in the county of Dorset in southwest England. It is situated in the West Dorset district of the county, about nine miles northwest of the county town of Dorchester. It is sited on Sydling Water, a tributary of the River Frome. Sydling Water divides upon entering the...

    • Up Cerne





Cranborne, see Wimborne




Dorchester Union

    • Athelhampton
      Athelhampton
      Athelhampton is a Grade I listed 15th-century manor house in England. It is a privately owned country house on 160 acres of parkland, located five miles east of Dorchester, Dorset...

    • Bradford Peverell
      Bradford Peverell
      Bradford Peverell is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley two miles north west of Dorchester on the A37 road. The village has a population of 344 .- External links :*...

      , Broadmayne
      Broadmayne
      Broadmayne is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the West Dorset administrative district of the county, two miles south-east of the county town of Dorchester. The village has a population of 1,864 . Village facilities and services include a Post Office, a clinic and a public...

      , Burleston
      Burleston
      Burleston is a village in Dorset, England....

    • Charminster
      Charminster
      Charminster is a village in west Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road one mile north of Dorchester. The village has a population of 1,940 . The village has a small church of St. Mary. These two things give the village its name, Cerneminster , which eventually evolved into...

      , Chilfrome
      Chilfrome
      Chilfrome is a hamlet in the county of Dorset in England. It is situated in the West Dorset administrative district of the county, about 9 miles northwest of the county town of Dorchester. It lies between the villages of Cattistock and Maiden Newton in the upper reaches of the Frome Valley in the...

      , Compton Valence
      Compton Valence
      Compton Valence is a hamlet in west Dorset, England, six miles west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 63 .- External links :*...

    • Dewlish
      Dewlish
      Dewlish is a village in the English county of Dorset. It is situated in the West Dorset administrative district of the county, about seven miles north-east of the county town of Dorchester. It is sited in the valley of the small Devil's Brook, amongst the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The...

      , Dorchester (All Saints, Holy Trinity, St Peter)
    • Fordington
      Fordington, Dorset
      Fordington is a part of the town of Dorchester, Dorset; originally a separate village, it has now become a suburb. Taking its name from a ford across the River Frome, it grew up around the church of St. George , though the parish was much larger and surrounded Dorchester on three sides...

      , Frampton
      Frampton, Dorset
      Frampton is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley three miles north west of Dorchester at . The village has a population of 456 , 6.9% of dwellings are second homes ....

      , Frome Vauchurch
      Frome Vauchurch
      Frome Vauchurch is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley just outside Maiden Newton, seven miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 154 .It was the home of Sylvia Townsend Warner and Valentine Ackland....

    • Kingston Russell
      Kingston Russell
      Kingston Russell is a large mansion house and manor near Long Bredy in Dorset, England, west of Dorchester. The present house dates from the late 17th century but in 1730 was clad in a white Georgian stone facade. The house was restored in 1913, and at the same time the gardens were laid out...

    • Littlebredy
      Littlebredy
      Littlebredy is a village in south west Dorset, England, seven miles west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 85 .-External links:* **...

      , Long Bredy
      Long Bredy
      Long Bredy is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in a small valley seven miles west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 202 . The village has some notable history, being located near the strategic chalk hills it has some Iron Age and Roman history, including a stone circle,...

    • Maiden Newton
      Maiden Newton
      Maiden Newton is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, north of Dorchester. Located on the River Frome, the village has a population of 952 , of whom 29.7% are retired. Maiden Newton railway station, which serves the village, is situated on the Heart of Wessex Line...

    • Piddlehinton
      Piddlehinton
      Piddlehinton is a village in west Dorset, England situated in the Piddle valley five miles north of Dorchester. The village has a population of around 600 .Piddlehinton formerly constituted a liberty containing only the parish itself....

      , Puddletown
      Puddletown
      Puddletown is a village in Dorset, England, 5 miles east of Dorchester in the River Piddle valley. The village has a population of 1,177 , of which 30.3% are retired....

    • Stinsford
      Stinsford
      Stinsford is a village in south west Dorset, England, one mile east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 346 , 13.5% of dwellings are second homes ....

      , Stratton
      Stratton, Dorset
      Stratton is a civil parish in West Dorset, England, in the Frome valley about north-west of Dorchester. The parish includes the village itself and the hamlets of Grimstone, Ash Hill and Wrackleford, all of which lie on or near main road, the A37. Ash Hill is a small estate east of the village near...

    • Tincleton
      Tincleton
      Tincleton is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome five miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 142 . The name "Tincleton" has nothing to do with the names of nearby villages, such as Puddletown, Piddletrenthide and Piddlehinton. The name actually...

      , Toller Fratrum, Toller Porcorum
      Toller Porcorum
      Toller Porcorum is a village and civil parish in West Dorset, England, situated in the Toller valley ten miles north west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 292 ....

      , Tolpuddle
      Tolpuddle
      Tolpuddle is a small village in the southern English county of Dorset, situated in the Piddle valley, eight miles east of Dorchester and 12 miles west of Poole. The village has a population of 331 ....

    • Warmwell
      Warmwell
      Warmwell is a hamlet in south west Dorset, England, situated five miles south east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 97 .Warmwell contains several historic buildings and was the home of Dorset RAF Warmwell Air Station, dating back to the late 1930's...

      , West Knighton
      West Knighton, Dorset
      West Knighton is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated three miles south west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 415 .This small village as such features as an 11th century church and a village pub and also a disused farm house....

      , West Stafford
      West Stafford
      West Stafford is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley two miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 270 . It contains 'The Wise Man Inn', which is the village pub, and St Andrew's Church. The river Winterbourne runs beside the village and 2 miles...

      , Whitcombe, Winterborne Came
      Winterborne Came
      Winterborne Came is a parish and small dispersed settlement in the county of Dorset in England. It lies in the West Dorset administrative district, about a mile south-east of the county town of Dorchester. The settlement derives its name from the seasonal stream by which it is sited, and from the...

      , Winterborne Herringston, Winterborne Monkton
      Winterborne Monkton
      Winterborne Monkton is a hamlet and civil parish in the south-west of the English county of Dorset.It is just off the A354 road, three miles south of Dorchester. The village has a population of 84 , and consists of a few houses and a church. The great hill fort of Maiden Castle stands within the...

      , Winterborne St Martin, Winterbourne Abbas
      Winterbourne Abbas
      Winterborne Abbas is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in a valley on the A35 road west of Dorchester. The village has a population of 295 .The Nine Stones stone circle lies just to the west of the village just to the south of the A35 road....

      , Winterbourne Steepleton
      Winterbourne Steepleton
      Winterbourne Steepleton is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated in a winterbourne valley five miles west of Dorchester, next to the village of Winterbourne Abbas. The village has a population of 295 , and derives its name from having one of only three stone church steeples in the...

      , Woodsford
      Woodsford
      Woodsford is a hamlet in south west Dorset, England, situated in the Frome valley five miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 67 ....

      , Wynford Eagle
Later Additions:
Watercombe (from 1862)

Poole Union

    • Canford Magna
      Canford Magna
      Canford Magna is a village in Dorset, England. The village is situated just south of the River Stour and lies in between the towns of Wimborne Minster and Poole. The village is the site of the large boarding school - Canford School. The school was previously the mansion and estate of Lord Wimborne....

    • Hamworthy
      Hamworthy
      Hamworthy is a parish and inner suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. Hamworthy lies on a peninsula of approximately and is bounded by Upton to the north, Poole Harbour to the west and Holes Bay to the east. Poole Bridge, the southern terminus of the A350 road, connects the suburb with the town centre...

    • Kinson
      Kinson
      Kinson is a former village which has been absorbed by the town of Bournemouth in the county of Dorset in England. The area became part of Bournemouth on 1 April 1931....

    • Longfleet
      Longfleet
      Longfleet is a small district of Poole, Dorset centred on Longfleet Road. It is situated directly north of the town centre and lies to the east of Oakdale and to the south and west of Parkstone.-History:...

      , Lytchett Matravers
      Lytchett Matravers
      Lytchett Matravers is a large village and civil parish in the District of Purbeck within Dorset, England. The village has a population of 3,309.-Location:...

      , Lytchett Minster
      Lytchett Minster
      Lytchett Minster is a small village in the English county of Dorset. Lytchett Minster is on the A35 road, the main route between the towns of Poole and Dorchester...

    • Parkstone
      Parkstone
      Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of the lower-lying area of Lower Parkstone - "The Village" -...

      , Poole
      Poole
      Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...

       (Poole St James)
Later Additions:
Branksome
Branksome, Dorset
Branksome is a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. The area consists of mainly residential properties but also has a small commercial area. It borders Parkstone, another small Poole suburb, to the west and north, Branksome Park to the south and Westbourne to the east.Until the early part of the...

 (from 1894)





Purbeck, see Wareham




Shaftesbury Union

    • Ashmore
      Ashmore
      Ashmore is a small village in the North Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated south-west of Salisbury. The local travel links are located from the village to Tisbury railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. The main road running through the village is North Road...

    • Cann, Compton Abbas
      Compton Abbas
      Compton Abbas is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale next to Cranborne Chase, on the A350 road three miles south of Shaftesbury. The village has a population of 200 . The village gives its name to a nearby airfield on the downs...

    • East Orchard
      East Orchard
      East Orchard is a small village in the rural Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, adjacent to West Orchard, from which it is separated by a stream, and half way between Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 127 ....

      , East Stour
    • Fontmell Magna
      Fontmell Magna
      Fontmell Magna is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under Cranborne Chase on the A350 road five miles south of Shaftesbury and eight miles north of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 671...

    • Gillingham
      Gillingham, Dorset
      Gillingham is a town in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. The town is the most northerly in the county. It is 3 miles south of the A303 lying on the B3092 and B3081. It is near to the town of Shaftesbury which lies 7 miles to the south east. Neighbouring hamlets included Peacemarsh, Bay...

    • Iwerne Minster
      Iwerne Minster
      Iwerne Minster is a village in North Dorset, England, situated under Cranborne Chase in the Blackmore Vale just off the A350. The village has a population of 889 . A cheese shop employs 57 persons...

    • Margaret Marsh, Melbury Abbas
      Melbury Abbas
      Melbury Abbas is a village in north Dorset, England, situated between Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum on Cranborne Chase. The village has a population of 301 , 34.4% are retired. 6.1% of dwellings are second homes....

      , Motcombe
      Motcombe
      Motcombe is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale half way between the market towns of Gillingham and Shaftesbury. The village has a population of 1,404 ....

    • Shaftesbury
      Shaftesbury
      Shaftesbury is a town in Dorset, England, situated on the A30 road near the Wiltshire border 20 miles west of Salisbury. The town is built 718 feet above sea level on the side of a chalk and greensand hill, which is part of Cranborne Chase, the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset...

       (Holy Trinity, St James, St Peter), Stour Provost
      Stour Provost
      Stour Provost is a village in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Gillingham. The village has a population of 560 . 5.6% of dwellings are second homes....

      , Sutton Waldron
      Sutton Waldron
      Sutton Waldron is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on the A350 road between Iwerne Minster and Fontmell Magna, in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp of Cranborne Chase, eight miles north of Blandford Forum and five miles south of Shaftesbury. The village has a population of 192 . It...

    • Todber
      Todber
      Todber is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale five miles south west of Shaftesbury. The village has a population of 124 .-External links:*...

    • West Orchard
      West Orchard
      West Orchard is a small village in the rural Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, adjacent to East Orchard, from which it is separated by a stream, and situated half way between Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 77 .- External links :*...

      , West Stour
Later Additions (all in 1894):
Alcester
Alcester, Dorset
Alcester is a village in Dorset, England....

 (created from Shaftesbury); Bourton
Bourton, Dorset
Bourton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated north of the A303 road on the border with Somerset and Wiltshire between Mere and Wincanton. The village has a population of 772 and marks the northernmost point in Dorset...

 and Silton
Silton
Silton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale four miles north west of Gillingham. The village has a population of 134 ....

 (transferred from Mere
Mere, Wiltshire
Mere is a small town in Wiltshire, England. It lies at the extreme southwestern tip of Salisbury Plain close to the borders of Somerset and Dorset....

 PLU); Buckhorn Weston
Buckhorn Weston
Buckhorn Weston is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the North Dorset administrative district of the county, and is situated three miles west of the town of Gillingham in the Blackmore Vale...

 and Kington Magna
Kington Magna
Kington Magna is a village in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England with a population of 376 . It is west of Shaftesbury, north of Sturminster Newton and east of Sherborne. The village was founded in the twelfth century, but most of the current buildings are no older than the seventeenth...

 (transferred from Wincanton
Wincanton
Wincanton is a small town in south Somerset, southwest England. The town lies on the A303 road, the main route between London and South West England, and has some light industry...

 PLU)

Sherborne Union

  • Dorset:
    • Beer Hackett
      Beer Hackett
      Beer Hackett is a hamlet in west Dorset, England, three miles south west of Sherborne and five miles south east of Yeovil. The village has a population of 86 .- External links :*...

      , Bishops Caundle, Bradford Abbas
      Bradford Abbas
      Bradford Abbas is a village in north west Dorset, England, three miles south east of Yeovil and five miles south west of Sherborne. The village has a population of 936...

    • Castleton
      Castleton, Dorset
      Castleton is a village in west Dorset, England. The village had a population of 130 in 2001. Castleton is in the group parish of Yeo Head together with the three village parishes of Poyntington, Goathill and Oborne. This parish is within the district of West Dorset....

      , Caundle Marsh
      Caundle Marsh
      Caundle Marsh is a hamlet in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale, four miles south east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 58 .- External links :*...

      , Chetnole
      Chetnole
      Chetnole is a village in west Dorset, England, seven miles south of Sherborne. There are around 128 houses in the village. It has a public house in the heart of the village called The Chetnole Inn which is in the Michelin Guide, and was named The Best Freehouse in the UK by the Great British Pub...

      , Clifton Maybank
      Clifton Maybank
      Clifton Maybank is a hamlet in west Dorset, England. It is perhaps best known for Clifton Maybank House, a country house with surviving Tudor fabric.-Clifton Maybank settlement:...

    • Folke
      Folke
      Folke is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale south-east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 309 and an area of . Folke Wood is nearby.- External links :* *...

    • Haydon, Holnest
      Holnest
      Holnest is a village in west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale four miles south of Sherborne. The village has a population of 174 .-External links:*...

    • Leigh
      Leigh, Dorset
      Leigh is a village in northwest Dorset, England, six miles southwest of Sherborne. The village has a population of 509 . In a field just south of the village lie the remains of the "Miz Maze", an earthwork of uncertain origin that, centuries ago, folklore attributes to having connections with...

      , Leweston, Lillington
      Lillington, Dorset
      Lillington is a hamlet in north west Dorset, England, three miles south of Sherborne. The village has a population of 82 .-External links:*...

      , Longburton
      Longburton
      Longburton is a village in west Dorset, England, three miles south of Sherborne. The village has a population of 435 .-Geography:...

    • Nether Compton
      Nether Compton
      Nether Compton is a small village in north west Dorset, England, situated 3 miles west of Sherborne and 3 miles east of Yeovil.The village has an estimated population of 300 .-History: Nether Compton was burnt in 1066 by William, Duke of Normandy....

      , North Wootton
      North Wootton, Dorset
      North Wootton is a village in Dorset, England....

    • Oborne
      Oborne
      Oborne is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale close to the border with Somerset, on the A30 road adjacent to the town of Sherborne. The village has a population of 115 . Oborne is in the group parish of Yeo Head together with the three villages of Castleton,...

      , Over Compton
      Over Compton
      Over Compton is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Yeo valley 2 miles east of Yeovil. The village has a population of 158 ....

    • Purse Caundle
      Purse Caundle
      Purse Caundle is a village in north west Dorset, England, about 5 miles east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 107 . The village is based around the large fifteenth-century Manor house.- External links :*...

    • Ryme Intrinseca
      Ryme Intrinseca
      Ryme Intrinseca is a village in north west Dorset, England, four miles south of Yeovil, and a mile west of Yetminster. The village has a population of 130 . The name means the inner, or home, part of the Ryme manor as opposed to the outer parts, once called Ryme Extrinseca.The church at Ryme...

    • Sherborne
      Sherborne
      Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...

      , Stockwood
      Stockwood
      Stockwood is a residential area and council ward in south Bristol, between Whitchurch and Brislington.It is served by bus routes, 54, 54A, 57 and A4....

    • Thornford
      Thornford
      Thornford is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Yeo valley four miles south west of Sherborne. Thornford is in Thornhackett Parish, a combined parish comprising the villages of Thornford and Beer Hackett....

    • Yetminster
      Yetminster
      Yetminster is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the West Dorset administrative district of the county, about five miles south-west of the town of Sherborne. It is sited on the River Wriggle, a tributary of the River Yeo, and is built almost entirely of honey-coloured...

  • Somerset:
    • Holwell
      Holwell, Dorset
      Holwell is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale five miles south east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 380 . Until 1844, Holwell was an exclave of Somerset.-External links:*...

       (transferred to Dorset 1844)
    • Goathill
      Goathill
      Goathill is a hamlet in the county of Dorset in England. It is situated a couple of miles east of the town of Sherborne in the West Dorset administrative district of the county...

      , Poyntington
      Poyntington
      Poyntington is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale two miles north of Sherborne. The village has a population of 135.The parish was part of the hundred of Horethorne....

      , Sandford Orcas
      Sandford Orcas
      Sandford Orcas is a village and parish in north west Dorset, England, three miles north of Sherborne The village has a population of 195 . Just to the east of the village itself is the hamlet of Holway...

      , Trent
      Trent, Dorset
      Trent is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Yeo valley four miles north west of Sherborne and four miles north east of Yeovil. It was formerly in Somerset...

       (all transferred to Dorset 1895)
    • Marston Magna
      Marston Magna
      Marston Magna is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated north of Yeovil in the South Somerset district...

       (transferred to Yeovil
      Yeovil
      Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...

       PLU 1894)
    • Rimpton
      Rimpton
      Rimpton is a village and civil parish north-west of Sherborne, and north-east of Yeovil on a tributary of the River Parret in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England.-History:The parish of Rimpton was part of the Taunton Deane Hundred...

       (transferred to Yeovil PLU 1896)

Sturminster Union

    • Belchalwell
      Belchalwell
      Belchalwell is a village in the civil parish of Okeford Fitzpaine in the Blackmore Vale, North Dorset, and lies two and a half miles south of Sturminster Newton and six miles north-west of Blandford....

       (divided between Fifehead Neville and Okeford Fitzpaine 1884)
    • Child Okeford
      Child Okeford
      Child Okeford is a quiet village in north Dorset, England, situated four miles east of Sturminster Newton and downstream from it along the River Stour which passes half a mile west of the village...

    • Fifehead Magdalen
      Fifehead Magdalen
      Fifehead Magdalen is a hamlet and civil parish in the north of Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour in the Blackmore Vale three miles south of Gillingham and five miles west of Shaftesbury. The village has a population of 88 ....

      , Fifehead Neville
      Fifehead Neville
      Fifehead Neville is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale two miles south west of Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 127. The village is situated next to the stream of the Divelish which runs down from the high hill of Bulbarrow Hill...

    • Hammoon
      Hammoon
      Hammoon is a hamlet and parish in the county of Dorset in south-west England. It lies within the North Dorset administrative district of the county. It is sited on alluvial silt by the River Stour, approximately 2 miles east of the town of Sturminster Newton...

      , Hazelbury Bryan
      Hazelbury Bryan
      Hazelbury Bryan is a village in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale five miles south west of Sturminster Newton. At the Census 2001 the parish had a population of 800. It includes the hamlets of Droop, Kingston, Parkgate, Pidney, Pleck, Wonston and Woodrow.-External links:* *...

      , Hinton St Mary
      Hinton St Mary
      Hinton St Mary is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on a low limestone ridge beside the River Stour, one mile north of the market town Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 221...

    • Ibberton
      Ibberton
      Ibberton is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp face of the Dorset Downs hills, five miles south of Sturminster Newton and seven miles west of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 134 ....

    • Lydlinch
      Lydlinch
      Lydlinch is a village in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Lydden in the Blackmore Vale, three miles west of Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 431 . Poet William Barnes was born in the village and wrote about the five bells which hang on the tower of the 13th-century...

    • Manston
      Manston, Dorset
      Manston is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale two miles east of Sturminster Newton. The village has a population of 135 .-External links:*...

      , Marnhull
      Marnhull
      Marnhull is a village in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England. It is north of Sturminster Newton, between Shaftesbury and Sherborne and about north of Bournemouth and Weymouth...

    • Okeford Fitzpaine
    • Shillingstone
      Shillingstone
      Shillingstone is a village in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum...

      , Stalbridge
      Stalbridge
      Stalbridge is a small town and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale area of North Dorset district, near the border with Somerset. In 2001 the town had a population of 2,579, and is still growing. 30.8% of the inhabitants are retired...

      , Stock Gaylard, Stoke Wake
      Stoke Wake
      Stoke Wake is a very small hamlet, originally part of the Whiteway hundred in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under Bulbarrow Hill west of Blandford Forum....

      , Stourton Caundle
      Stourton Caundle
      Stourton Caundle is a village in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, about 5 miles east of Sherborne. The village has a population of 408 .The village was a venue for stave dances.-External links:*...

      , Sturminster Newton
      Sturminster Newton
      Sturminster Newton, known to locals as Stur, is a town in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which the town's economy is built...

    • Woolland
      Woolland
      Woolland is a village in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale under Bulbarrow Hill seven miles west of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 76 . The village is first mentioned in Cartularium saxonicum from the year 939 Wonlond, the Domesday Book from the year 1086...

Later Addition:
Hanford (from 1858)

Wareham & Purbeck Union

Separate Poor Law Unions for Wareham and for Purbeck were formed 25 March 1836, but were merged into a single Wareham & Purbeck Union in September 1836.

  • The original Wareham Union
    • Affpuddle
      Affpuddle
      Affpuddle is a small village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset in South West England, east of Dorchester. The local travel links are from the village to Moreton railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. Part of the village street is the B3390, which divides the...

      , Arne
      Arne, Dorset
      Arne is a large village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England; situated east of Wareham. The local travel links are located from the village to Holton Heath railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. The main road through the village is Arne Road connecting...

    • Bere Regis
      Bere Regis
      Bere Regis is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated north-west of Wareham.The village has one shop, a post office and two pubs, The Royal Oak and The Drax Arms. The parish church is St. John the Baptist Church...

      , Bloxworth
      Bloxworth
      Bloxworth is a village and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated in Wareham Forest on the A35 road west of Poole. The village has a population of 187 . Bloxworth Heath is part of Wareham Forest....

    • Chaldon Herring
      Chaldon Herring
      Chaldon Herring or East Chaldon is a village in the Purbeck district of the county of the English county of Dorset. It is situated two miles from the coast and eight miles south east of Dorchester...

      , Coombe Keynes
      Coombe Keynes
      Coombe Keynes is a hamlet and former parish in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some five miles west-south-west of Wareham. The parish has a population of 79 . There are 22 houses in the hamlet itself and 37 properties across the parish as a whole.Coombe Keynes...

    • East Holme
      East Holme
      East Holme is a small village which is situated about half way between Wool and Wareham in Dorset, England. The village is sprawled around a large house called Holme Priory....

      , East Lulworth
      East Lulworth
      East Lulworth is a hamlet nine miles east of Dorchester, near Lulworth Cove, in the Purbeck district of Dorset, South West England. It consists of 17th century thatched cottages...

      , East Stoke
      East Stoke, Dorset
      East Stoke is a village in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some three miles west of Wareham. The village has a population of 439...

    • Morden
      Morden, Dorset
      Morden is a village and civil parish in south Dorset, England, forming part of the Purbeck district.Morden is north west of Poole. The village has a population of 325 ....

      , Moreton
      Moreton, Dorset
      Moreton is a village in Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome eight miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 270 . It has a number of long distance foot paths and cycle ways passing through it: the Purbeck cycle way, Route 2 , the Frome valley trail, the Jubilee trail, and...

    • Turners Puddle
      Turners Puddle
      Turners Puddle is a hamlet in Dorset, England, situated on the River Piddle in the Purbeck district, seven miles north west of Wareham. The village has a population of 60 .-External links:*...

    • Wareham
      Wareham, Dorset
      Wareham is an historic market town and, under the name Wareham Town, a civil parish, in the English county of Dorset. The town is situated on the River Frome eight miles southwest of Poole.-Situation and geography:...

       (Holy Trinity, Lady St Mary, St Martin), West Lulworth
      West Lulworth
      West Lulworth is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the English Channel coast beside Lulworth Cove. The village has a population of 766 , 9.3% of dwellings are second homes...

      , Winfrith Newburgh
      Winfrith Newburgh
      Winfrith Newburgh is a village in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some eight miles west of Wareham and ten miles east of Dorchester. It was historically part of the Winfrith hundred...

      , Wool
      Wool, Dorset
      Wool is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England. The village has a population of 4,118 , though the population has fluctuated over the past 15 years, due to the proximity of military institutions, reaching a high of 4,300 in 1992. The village lies at a historic bridging point on the...



  • The original Purbeck Union
    • Church Knowle
      Church Knowle
      Church Knowle is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset, in the south of England.Church Knowle is situated about one mile west of Corfe Castle, four miles south of Wareham and about six miles west of Swanage. The village has a population of 303 , 9.7% of dwellings are...

      , Corfe Castle
    • Kimmeridge
      Kimmeridge
      Kimmeridge is a small village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, situated on the English Channel coast. Kimmeridge is about south of Wareham and about west of Swanage and is on the Isle of Purbeck...

    • Langton Matravers
      Langton Matravers
      Langton Matravers is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck, in the county of Dorset in the south of England.Langton Matravers is part of the Purbeck local government district and is within the South Dorset constituency of the House of Commons and the South West England constituency of the European...

    • Steeple
      Steeple, Dorset
      Steeple is a hamlet in the Purbeck district of the English county of Dorset. It is situated some eight miles west of Swanage. The village has a population of 94 ....

      , Studland
      Studland
      Studland is a small village on the Isle of Purbeck in the English county of Dorset. It is famous for its beaches and nature reserve. In 2001 Studland had a population of 480, the lowest in 50 years...

      , Swanage
      Swanage
      Swanage is a coastal town and civil parish in the south east of Dorset, England. It is situated at the eastern end of the Isle of Purbeck, approximately 10 km south of Poole and 40 km east of Dorchester. The parish has a population of 10,124 . Nearby are Ballard Down and Old Harry Rocks,...

    • Tyneham
      Tyneham
      Tyneham is a ghost village in south Dorset, England, near Lulworth on the Isle of Purbeck. It remains a civil parish.-Location:The village is situated northeast of Worbarrow Bay on the Jurassic Coast, about south of Wareham and about west of Swanage. It is part of the Lulworth Estate. Tyneham is...

    • Worth Matravers
      Worth Matravers
      Worth Matravers is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. The village is situated on the cliffs west of Swanage. It comprises limestone cottages and farm houses and is built around a pond, which is a regular feature on postcards of the Isle of Purbeck.The civil parish stretches...


Weymouth Union

    • Abbotsbury
      Abbotsbury
      Abbotsbury is a large village and civil parish in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated north-west of Weymouth. It is located from Upwey railway station and from Bournemouth International Airport. The main road running through the village is the B3157, connecting Abbotsbury to...

    • Bincombe
      Bincombe
      Bincombe is a large village in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated north of Weymouth. The local travel links are located from the village to Upwey railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. The main road running through the village is Icen Lane...

      , Broadwey
      Broadwey
      Broadwey is a former village in the northern suburbs of Weymouth, Dorset, England, on the A354 road. Broadwey and Upwey ward had a population of 4,349 in 2001.- External links :* *...

      , Buckland Ripers
      Buckland Ripers
      Buckland Ripers is a hamlet in Dorset, England, situated two miles north west of Weymouth.-External links:*...

    • Fleet
      Fleet, Dorset
      Fleet is a hamlet and parish in south Dorset, England, situated two miles west of Weymouth. The village is named for The Fleet, the nearby lagoon behind Chesil Beach. J. Meade Falkner's smuggling novel, Moonfleet is set in the village. On 24 November 1824 strong winds and a storm surge caused...

    • Langton Herring
      Langton Herring
      Langton Herring is a village in west Dorset, England, situated beside The Fleet Lagoon , four miles north east of the town of Weymouth....

    • Melcombe Regis
      Melcombe Regis
      Melcombe Regis is an area of Weymouth in Dorset, England.Situated on the north shore of Weymouth Harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole, it seems only to have developed as a significant settlement and seaport in the 13th century...

    • Osmington
      Osmington
      Osmington is a village and civil parish in the District of West Dorset within Dorset, England, situated on the Jurassic Coast northeast of Weymouth. The village has a population of 609.To the east is Osmington Hill.-History:...

      , Owermoigne
      Owermoigne
      Owermoigne is a village in south west Dorset, England, situated six miles south east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 450 .The parish was formerly part of hundred of Winfrith, and subsequently constituted a liberty by itself.-External links:...

    • Portesham
      Portesham
      Portesham is a village in the English county of Dorset, situated close to the south coast, between the towns of Weymouth and Dorchester. The village has a population of 708...

      , Portland
      Isle of Portland
      The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...

      , Preston
      Preston, Dorset
      Preston is a coastal village and suburb of Weymouth in south Dorset, England. It is approximately north-east of Weymouth town centre and west of the village of Osmington....

      , Poxwell
      Poxwell
      Poxwell , is a hamlet in South Dorset located approximately 6 miles east of Weymouth. The current population of the village is around 50. The name originates from the ‘Pokes well’ – a well dating from the period when occupied by the Romans in the 1st century which is located on a hillside in the...

    • Radipole
      Radipole
      Radipole is a part of the district of Weymouth and Portland in the county of Dorset, England. It was formerly an independent parish, until abolished as a separate local government unit in 1933. It remains a separate ecclesiastical parish...

    • Upwey
      Upwey, Dorset
      Upwey is a village in south Dorset, England. The village is situated on the A354 road in the Wey valley and has been absorbed into the Weymouth built-up area and is four miles north of the town centre in the outer suburbs...

    • West Chickerell
      Chickerell
      Chickerell is a small town and parish in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England. The parish has a population of 5,282 .-History:Although Roman remains have been found, indicating that there has been settlement in the area for many years, as a modern town, Chickerell is recent and one of...

      , Weymouth, Wyke Regis
      Wyke Regis
      Wyke Regis is a village in south Dorset, England. The village is part of the south western suburbs of Weymouth, on the northern shore of Portland Harbour and the south-eastern end of Chesil Beach. Wyke is south of the county town, Dorchester...


Wimborne & Cranborne Union

Separate Poor Law Unions for Wimborne and for Cranborne were formed on 28 September and 30 September 1835 respectively, but were merged into a single Wimborne & Cranborne Union in October 1836.

  • The original Wimborne Union
    • Chalbury
      Chalbury
      Chalbury is a village in east Dorset, England, four miles north of Wimborne Minster and four miles west of Verwood. The village has a population of 140 .-Fiction:...

      , Corfe Mullen
      Corfe Mullen
      Corfe Mullen is a village in Dorset, England, on the north-western urban fringe of the South East Dorset conurbation and is part of the rural district of East Dorset. The population is 10,147 ....

    • Hampreston
      Hampreston
      Hampreston is a small village in the civil parish of Ferndown in East Dorset, southern England. Before 1972, the whole parish took the name of Hampreston, with its population rising from 1,860 in 1921 to 11,750 in 1971....

      , Hinton Martell
      Hinton Martell
      Hinton Martell is a village in east Dorset, England, three miles north of Wimborne Minster. The village has a population of 368 ....

      , Hinton Parva
      Hinton Parva
      Hinton Parva is a hamlet and civil parish in east Dorset, England, three miles north of Wimborne Minster. The village has a population of 56 . The settlement includes the nearby village of Stanbridge.-External links:*...

    • Shapwick
      Shapwick, Dorset
      Shapwick is a village and civil parish in east Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour five miles south east of Blandford Forum and eight miles north of Poole...

      , Sturminster Marshall
      Sturminster Marshall
      Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in east Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish has a population of 1,895 , and includes the village of Almer west of Sturminster Marshall, near Winterborne Zelston and the hamlet of Henbury to...

    • West Parley
      West Parley
      West Parley is a village and civil parish in south east Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Bournemouth and Ferndown. The village has a population of 3,532 . West Parley is looked upon as a wealthy region, boasting a good first school, fields and sports club.-External links:* * * *...

      , Wimborne Minster
      Wimborne Minster
      Wimborne Minster is a market town in the East Dorset district of Dorset in South West England, and the name of the Church of England church in that town...

      , Witchampton
      Witchampton
      Witchampton is a village in East Dorset, England, situated on the River Allen north of Wimborne Minster. The village has a population of 377 ....



  • The original Cranborne Union
    • Chettle
      Chettle
      Chettle is a hamlet in North Dorset, in southern England, situated on Cranborne Chase on the A354 road six miles north east of Blandford Forum. Chettle has a population of 80 ....

       (moved to Blandford PLU 1894), Cranborne
      Cranborne
      Cranborne is a village in East Dorset, England. In 2001 the village had a population of 779 people. The town is situated on chalk downland called Cranborne Chase, part of a large expanse of chalk in southern England which includes the nearby Salisbury Plain and Dorset Downs.-History:The village...

    • Edmondsham
      Edmondsham
      Edmondsham is a village in Dorset, England, two miles north west of Verwood and ten miles north of Bournemouth. The village has a population of 200 . It also has Edmonsham House and Gardens which is a popular tourist place.- External links :* *...

    • Farnham
      Farnham, Dorset
      Farnham is a village in North Dorset, in the south of England, situated on Cranborne Chase nine miles north east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 205 .Augustus Pitt Rivers lived nearby on the Rushmore Estate...

       (moved to Blandford PLU 1894)
    • Gussage All Saints
      Gussage All Saints
      Gussage All Saints is a village in Dorset, England situated 8 miles north east of Blandford.The Ecclesiastical Parish of Gussage All Saints since 2001, is one of ten Ecclesiastical Parishes which form ‘The Chase Benefice’ under its first incumbent the Reverend Dr Michael Foster...

      , Gussage St Michael
      Gussage
      Gussage is a series of three villages in north Dorset, England, situated along a tributary of the River Allen on Cranborne Chase, eight miles north east of Blandford Forum and 10 miles north of Wimborne. The stream runs through all three parishes: Gussage All Saints, population 192, Gussage St...

    • Horton
      Horton, Dorset
      Horton is a village in East Dorset, England, situated on the boundary between the chalk downland of Cranborne Chase and the heathland of the New Forest, ten miles north of Poole...

    • Long Crichel
      Long Crichel
      Long Crichel is a hamlet in east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase five miles north east of Blandford Forum. The hamlet has a population of 81 ....

    • Moor Crichel
      Moor Crichel
      Moor Crichel is a village and civil parish in East Dorset, England situated on Cranborne Chase five miles east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 181 ....

    • Pentridge
      Pentridge
      Pentridge is a village in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase on the A354 road ten miles north east of Blandford Forum and twelve miles south west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 215...

    • Sixpenny Handley
      Sixpenny Handley
      Sixpenny Handley is a village and civil parish in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase ten miles north east of Blandford Forum...

    • Tollard Royal
      Tollard Royal
      Tollard Royal is a village and civil parish on Cranborne Chase, Wiltshire, England. The parish is on Wiltshire's southern boundary with Dorset and the village is southeast of the Dorset town of Shaftesbury....

    • Wimborne St Giles
      Wimborne St Giles
      Wimborne St Giles is a village in east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase seven miles north of Wimborne Minster which is north of Poole. The village has a population of 366 ....

      , Woodlands
      Woodlands, Dorset
      Woodlands is a village and civil parish in south east Dorset, England, five miles north of Wimborne Minster. In 2001, the village had a population of 544.The parish is home to Knowlton Church and Earthworks.-External links:*...

Later additions:
East Woodyates and West Woodyates (created 1858)
Almer
Almer
Almer is a village in Dorset, England located on the A31 road near Winterborne Zelston, Huish Manor, Sturminster Marshall and opposite the Drax estate. The main features of the village are Almer Manor, Almer Parish church and the old school house...

 (transferred from Blandford PLU 1894)
Alderholt
Alderholt
Alderholt is a large village and civil parish in the East Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated west of Fordingbridge. The local travel links are located from the village to Salisbury railway station and to Bournemouth International Airport. The main road running through the village is...

 and Verwood
Verwood
Verwood is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. The town lies north of Bournemouth and north of Poole. The town has a population of 14,820 according to latest figures from Dorset County Council, making it the largest town in Dorset without an upper school in terms of population.-Early...

 (created from Cranborne 1894)
Holt
Holt, Dorset
Holt is a village in east Dorset, England, two miles north of Wimborne Minster. The village has a population of 1,265 . The village has a football team called Holt United who play in the Dorset Premier League....

 and Pamphill
Pamphill
Pamphill is a village in south-east Dorset, England, just outside Wimborne Minster, four miles north of Poole. The village has a population of 704 .-St Stephen's:...

 (created from Wimborne Minster from 1894)
Colehill
Colehill
Colehill is a parish, neighbouring Wimborne Minster, in Dorset, England, with a population of 7,000 .-History:The name Colehill originated in 1431 as Colhulle, becoming Colhill in 1518 and Collehill in 1547, but the origins of Colehill as a settlement predate this by a long way.Six round barrows,...

 (created from Holt 1896)

Axminster Union

(in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...

)
    • Chardstock
      Chardstock
      Chardstock is a village and civil parish located on the eastern border of Devon, England off the A358 road between Chard and Axminster.The attractive village is surrounded by farmland and woodland and is within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The village church dates from...

    • Charmouth
      Charmouth
      Charmouth is a village at the mouth of the River Char in West Dorset, England, with a population of 1,687 according to the 2001 census.-The village:...

       (1836-94)
    • Hawkchurch
      Hawkchurch
      Hawkchurch is village in East Devon England, 3 miles north east of Axminster on the border of Devon and Dorset, and about 6 miles south of Somerset.It is 4 miles north of the tourist and fishing village of Lyme Regis...

    • Lyme Regis
      Lyme Regis
      Lyme Regis is a coastal town in West Dorset, England, situated 25 miles west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. The town lies in Lyme Bay, on the English Channel coast at the Dorset-Devon border...

    • Thorncombe
      Thorncombe
      Thorncombe is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the borders of Somerset and Devon, five miles south east of Chard. The civil parish has a population of 714 , and 8.4% of dwellings are second homes.-Geography:...

       (1836-94)

Wincanton Union

(in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...

)
    • Buckhorn Weston
      Buckhorn Weston
      Buckhorn Weston is a village in the English county of Dorset. It lies within the North Dorset administrative district of the county, and is situated three miles west of the town of Gillingham in the Blackmore Vale...

       (1835-94)
    • Kington Magna
      Kington Magna
      Kington Magna is a village in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England with a population of 376 . It is west of Shaftesbury, north of Sturminster Newton and east of Sherborne. The village was founded in the twelfth century, but most of the current buildings are no older than the seventeenth...

      (1835-94)

External links

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