List of hundreds in Dorset

This is a list of hundreds (i.e., administrative subdivisions) in the county of Dorset, England. Between the Anglo-Saxon period and the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, the county of Dorset was divided into hundreds and boroughs (and from the mediaeval period, liberties as well). The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 introduced the local government unit of the Poor Law Union, or, commonly, “Union”. The Union influenced the subsequent shape of local government divisions. While numerous minor changes took place during that period, the general pattern remained stable. The subdivisions below within hundreds and liberties are the old civil parishes, into which the tithings (the original sub-divisions of the hundreds) came to be fitted.

("Civil parish" is used here in the sense of an "area for which a poor rate is or can be assessed", a unit which has thus been in existence "de facto" from the establishment of the Elizabethan Poor Law; the term itself dates from mid 19th century legislation such as the Poor Law Amendment Act 1866.) The following are the units existing immediately prior to the Act of 1834, with some additional changes noted up to the reforms of the Local Government Act 1894 and their immediate aftermath.

Prior to the 1834 Act, the hundreds were grouped, mostly for taxation purposes, by "divisions", which were rearranged by local Act of Parliament in 1830. See List of divisions in Dorset.

Hundreds

*Badbury Hundred::Chalbury:Gussage St Michael:Hinton Martell:Hinton Parva:Horton:More Crichel:Shapwick:Tarrant Crawford:Wimborne Minster (a borough pre-Conquest):("Holt and Pamphill were created in 1894 from Wimborne Minster, and Colehill in 1896 from Holt")

*Beaminster Forum & Redhone Hundred::Beaminster:Bradpole:Chedington:Chardstock (transferred to Devon 1896):Corscombe:Mapperton:Mosterton:Netherbury:North Poorton:South Perrott:Stoke Abbott:Toller Porcorum (part):Wambrook (transferred to Somerset 1895)

*Bere Regis Hundred::Bere Regis:Winterborne Kingston:("Milborne Stileham was created from Bere Regis and Winterborne Kingston in 1866")

*Brownshall Hundred::Holwell (transferred from Somerset 1844):Lydlinch:Stalbridge:Stock Gaylard (absorbed by Lydlinch 1884):Stourton Caundle

*Buckland Newton Hundred::Buckland Newton:Glanvilles Wootton:Mappowder:Pulham (part)

*Cerne, Totcombe and Modbury Hundred::Cattistock:Cerne Abbas:Godmanstone:Hilfield:Hawkchurch (part) (transferred to Devon 1896):Nether Cerne:West Compton

*Cogdean Hundred::Canford Magna:Charlton Marshall:Corfe Mullen:Hamworthy:Lytchett Matravers:Lytchett Minster:Poole (part of Canford Magna; borough from 1248; County of Itself 1571) :Sturminster Marshall:("Kinson, Longfleet and Parkstone were created from Canford Magna 1866")

*Coombs Ditch Hundred::Anderson:Blandford Forum (borough from 1605):Blandford St Mary:Bloxworth:Winterborne Clenston:Winterborne Tomson:Winterborne Whitchurch

*Corfe Castle Hundred::Corfe Castle (borough from 1268 or 1576)

*Cranborne Hundred::Ashmore:Belchalwell (divided between Okeford Fitzpaine and Fifehead Neville 1884):Cranborne (part):East Woodyates (created 1858):Edmondsham (part):Farnham:Hampreston (part; entire from the 1860s, when the other part was transferred from Hampshire):Pentridge:Shillingstone:Tarrant Gunville:Tarrant Rushton:Tollard Royal (divided between Dorset and Wiltshire until the 1880s, when the Dorset part was transferred to Wiltshire):Turnworth:West Parley:Witchampton:("Alderholt and Verwood were created from Cranborne in 1894")

*Culliford Tree Hundred::Broadwey:Buckland Ripers:Chickerell (part):Melcombe Regis (part of Radipole; a borough from 1268):Osmington:Radipole:Upwey (part):West Knighton:West Stafford:Whitcombe:Winterborne Came (part):Winterborne Herringston:Winterborne Monkton

*Eggerton or Eggardon Hundred::Askerswell:Hooke:Long Bredy:Powerstock (part):Winterbourne Abbas:Wraxall

*Godderthorne Hundred::Allington:Shipton Gorge:Walditch

*Hasilor or Hasler Hundred::Arne:Church Knowle:East Holme:Kimmeridge:Steeple:Tyneham

*Hundredsbarrow Hundred (formerly often "Barrow Hundred"):Affpuddle:Turners Puddle

*Knowlton Hundred::Gussage All Saints:Long Crichel:Woodlands

*Loosebarrow Hundred::Almer:Morden:Spetisbury

*Pimperne Hundred::Bryanston:Durweston:Fifehead Neville:Hammoon:Hazelbury Bryan:Iwerne Stepleton:Langton Long Blandford:Pimperne:Stourpaine:Tarrant Hinton:Tarrant Keyneston:Tarrant Launceston:Tarrant Rawston:Winterborne Houghton:Winterborne Stickland

*Puddletown Hundred::Athelhampton:Burleston:Milborne St Andrew (part):Puddletown:Tincleton:Tolpuddle

*Redlane or Redland Hundred::Buckhorn Weston:Child Okeford:East Stour:Fifehead Magdalen:Hanford (from 1858):Iwerne Courtney:Kington Magna:Manston:Silton:Sutton Waldron:Todber:West Stour

*Rowbarrow or Rowberrow Hundred::Langton Matravers:Studland:Swanage:Worth Matravers

*Rushmore Hundred::Winterborne Zelston

*St George's Hundred (later often "George Hundred")::Bradford Peverell:Broadmayne:Charminster:Frome Whitfield (absorbed by Dorchester Holy Trinity in 1610):Stinsford:Stratton:Winterborne St Martin

*Sherborne Hundred::Beer Hackett:Bishops Caundle:Bradford Abbas:Castleton:Caundle Marsh:Folke:Haydon:Holnest:Leweston (from 1858):Lillington:Longburton:Nether Compton:North Wootton:Oborne:Over Compton:Purse Caundle:Sherborne (a borough from 1227):Thornford:Up Cerne

*Sixpenny Handley Hundred::Cann:Compton Abbas:East Orchard:Fontmell Magna:Iwerne Minster:Melbury Abbas:Sixpenny Handley:West Orchard

*Sturminster Newton Hundred::Hinton St Mary:Margaret Marsh:Marnhull:Okeford Fitzpaine:Sturminster Newton

*Tollerford Hundred::Chilfrome:East Chelborough:Evershot:Frome St Quintin:Frome Vauchurch:Maiden Newton:Melbury Sampford:Rampisham:Toller Fratrum:Toller Porcorum (part):West Chelborough:Wynford Eagle

*Uggescombe Hundred::Abbotsbury:Chilcombe:Fleet:Hawkchurch (part):Kingston Russell:Langton Herring:Littlebredy:Litton Cheney:Portesham:Puncknowle:Swyre:Weymouth (part of Wyke Regis; a borough from 1252):Winterbourne Steepleton

*Up Wimborne or Monkton Up Wimborne Hundred:Chettle:Cranborne (part):Tarrant Monkton

*Whitchurch Canonicorum Hundred::Burstock:Catherston Leweston:Charmouth:Chideock:Lyme Regis:Marshwood:Pilsdon:Stanton St Gabriel:Stockland (part) (transferred to Devon 1844):Symondsbury:Thorncombe (transferred to Devon 1844 and back to Dorset 1896):Whitchurch Canonicorum:Wootton Fitzpaine

*Whiteway Hundred::Cheselbourne:Hilton:Ibberton:Melcombe Horsey:Milton Abbas:Stoke Wake:Woolland

*Wimborne St Giles Hundred::Wimborne All Saints (absorbed by Wimborne St Giles 1732)] :Wimborne St Giles:West Woodyates (created 1858)

*Winfrith Hundred::Coombe Keynes:East Lulworth:East Stoke:Moreton (part):Owermoigne (later a separate liberty):Poxwell:Warmwell:Watercombe (from 1858):Winfrith Newburgh:Woodsford

*Yetminster Hundred::Batcombe:Clifton Maybank:Melbury Bubb:Melbury Osmond:Yetminster:("Chetnole and Leigh were created from Yetminster in 1866")

Liberties

*Alton Pancras
*Bindon Liberty
*Broadwindsor
*Corfe Castle
*Dewlish Liberty
*Fordington Liberty
*Frampton Liberty
*Gillingham Liberty
*Halstock
*Loders and Bothenhampton Liberty
*Owermoigne
*Piddlehinton
*Piddletrenthide Liberty
*Portland
*Powerstock Liberty:
*Ryme Intrinseca
*Stour Provost
*Sutton Poyntz Liberty
*Sydling St Nicholas
*Waybayouse or Wabyhouse Liberty
*Wyke Regis and Elwell Liberty

For full details see List of liberties in Dorset

Boroughs, pre-Conquest

*Bridport
*Dorchester
*Shaftesbury
*Wareham
*Wimborne Minster

ee also

*List of boroughs in Dorset
*List of liberties in Dorset
*List of sanitary districts in Dorset
*List of Poor Law Unions in Dorset
*List of hundreds of England and Wales

References

*"Civil Division of the County of Dorset", 1833
*"Place Names of Dorset", vols 1-2 (EPNS)
*Hutchins, Rev J, "History of Dorset", vols 1-4 (3rd ed, reprint)