Upwey, Dorset
Encyclopedia
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 suburb
s. During the Census 2001
the combined population of Upwey and neighbouring Broadwey
was 4,349.
Upwey lends its name to Upwey, Victoria
in Melbourne
, Australia
, near Belgrave, Victoria
.
The River Wey rises at the foot of the chalk
ridge of the South Dorset Downs
, which rise above Upwey to the north, and flows through the village. The source is known as the Upwey Wishing Well
and was a tourist attraction as far back as the Victorian era
. There is now a tea room at the site, complete with mature water garden
s. In the 18th century a water mill was built on the river, rebuilt in 1802; it featured in Thomas Hardy
's The Trumpet Major; he also wrote a poem "At the Railway Station, Upway", which most likely relates to Upwey station.
A disc barrow
is located above the village on the Ridgeway at map reference .
The village has a 13th century parish church, dedicated to Saint Lawrence
, and a manor house
, Upwey Manor, which was owned by the Gould family.
Another famous name associated with Upwey is that of Lucille Ball
the American actress, comedian who was proud of her family and heritage. Her genealogy can be traced back to the earliest settlers in the colonies. One direct ancestor, William Sprague (1609–1675)
, left England on the ship Lyon's Whelp
for Plymouth/Salem
, Massachusetts
. They were from Upwey, Dorset, England. Along with his two brothers, William helped to found the city of Charlestown, Massachusetts
. Other Sprague relatives became soldiers in the US Revolutionary War and two of them became governors of the state of Rhode Island
.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The village is situated on the A354 road
A354 road
The A354 is a primary route in England which runs from Salisbury in Wiltshire to Easton on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, a total distance of . From Salisbury the road crosses Cranborne Chase and briefly merges with the A350 at the Blandford Forum bypass before crossing the Dorset Downs and...
in the Wey valley
River Wey, Dorset
The River Wey of Dorset, south west England, is a short river 9 kilometres long. The river rises in Upwey, where the spring forms in Upwey Wishing Well, at the foot of the South Dorset Downs, a ridge of chalk hills that separate Weymouth from Dorchester...
and has been absorbed into the Weymouth built-up area and is four miles north of the town centre in the outer suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. During the Census 2001
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
the combined population of Upwey and neighbouring 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 :* *...
was 4,349.
Upwey lends its name to Upwey, Victoria
Upwey, Victoria
Upwey is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges and City of Knox. At the 2006 Census, Upwey had a population of 6,760.-History:...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, near Belgrave, Victoria
Belgrave, Victoria
Belgrave is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 35 km east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the Shire of Yarra Ranges. At the 2006 Census, Belgrave had a population of 4094...
.
The River Wey rises at the foot of the chalk
Chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous sedimentary rock, a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite. Calcite is calcium carbonate or CaCO3. It forms under reasonably deep marine conditions from the gradual accumulation of minute calcite plates shed from micro-organisms called coccolithophores....
ridge of the South Dorset Downs
Dorset Downs
The Dorset Downs are an area of Chalk downland in the centre of the county Dorset in south west England. The downs are the most western part of a larger Chalk Formation which also includes Cranborne Chase, Salisbury Plain, Hampshire Downs, Chiltern Hills, North Downs and South Downs.The Dorset...
, which rise above Upwey to the north, and flows through the village. The source is known as the Upwey Wishing Well
Wishing well
A wishing well is a term from European folklore to describe wells where it was thought that any spoken wish would be granted. The idea that a wish would be granted came from the idea that water housed deities or had been placed there as a gift from the gods, since water was a source of life and...
and was a tourist attraction as far back as the Victorian era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
. There is now a tea room at the site, complete with mature water garden
Water garden
Water gardens, also known as aquatic gardens, are a type of man-made water feature. A water garden is defined as any interior or exterior landscape or architectural element whose primarily purpose is to house, display, or propagate a particular species or variety of aquatic plant...
s. In the 18th century a water mill was built on the river, rebuilt in 1802; it featured in Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy
Thomas Hardy, OM was an English novelist and poet. While his works typically belong to the Naturalism movement, several poems display elements of the previous Romantic and Enlightenment periods of literature, such as his fascination with the supernatural.While he regarded himself primarily as a...
's The Trumpet Major; he also wrote a poem "At the Railway Station, Upway", which most likely relates to Upwey station.
A disc barrow
Disc barrow
A disc barrow is a type of tumulus or round barrow, a variety of fancy barrow identified in English Heritage's Monument Class Descriptions.A disc barrow comprises a circular or oval-shaped flat platform, defined by a continuous earthen bank and inner ditch; sometimes the platform is raised above...
is located above the village on the Ridgeway at map reference .
The village has a 13th century parish church, dedicated to Saint Lawrence
Saint Lawrence
Lawrence of Rome was one of the seven deacons of ancient Rome who were martyred during the persecution of Valerian in 258.- Holy Chalice :...
, and a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
, Upwey Manor, which was owned by the Gould family.
Another famous name associated with Upwey is that of Lucille Ball
Lucille Ball
Lucille Désirée Ball was an American comedian, film, television, stage and radio actress, model, film and television executive, and star of the sitcoms I Love Lucy, The Lucy–Desi Comedy Hour, The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy and Life With Lucy...
the American actress, comedian who was proud of her family and heritage. Her genealogy can be traced back to the earliest settlers in the colonies. One direct ancestor, William Sprague (1609–1675)
William Sprague (1609–1675)
William Sprague left England on the ship Lyon's Whelp for Plymouth/Salem Massachusetts. He was originally from Upwey, near Weymouth, Dorset, England....
, left England on the ship Lyon's Whelp
Lyon's Whelp
In 1628, the very wealthy Duke of Buckingham built a private fleet of 10 three masted, armed pinnaces each of which carried the name Lion's Whelp. At least one Lion's Whelp participated in the English attempt to relieve the Huguenot citadel of La Rochelle during the Anglo-French War...
for Plymouth/Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. They were from Upwey, Dorset, England. Along with his two brothers, William helped to found the city of Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. Other Sprague relatives became soldiers in the US Revolutionary War and two of them became governors of the state of Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
.