In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Milborne Port like this:
MILBORNE-PORT, a small town, a parish, and a sub-district, in Wincanton district, Somerset. The town stands at the foot of a hill, on a small affluent of the river Yeo, ¾ of a mile WNW of the boundary with Dorset, 1 SE of the Salisbury and Yeovil railway, and 2¾ NE by E of Sherborne; took its name from its situation on a mill-stream, and from the Saxon word Port signifying a borough; was a place of some consequence prior to the Norman conquest; is a borough by prescription, having still nine capital bailiffs; sent two members to parliament in the time of Edward III., and from that of Charles I., till the passing of the reform act, but then was disfranchised; was long a market-town, but has ceased to be so; possesses still the pediment and steps of an ancient market-cross; has also a curious old townhall, half a cottage, with a Norman doorway; has likewise a ball-court, erected by Sir William Medlycott for the use of its inhabitants; was occupied, for some time, by a party of Cromwell's soldiers, who provoked the town's people to rise against them, and drive them from the town; consists now chiefly of detached houses; and has a post office under Sherborne, a railway station, a good inn, a church, Independent and Wesleyan chapels, national and British schools, and charities £39. ...
The church is Norman; was recently restored; consists of nave, aisles, transept, and chancel, with a large tower; and contains monuments of the Medlycotts. Fairs are held on 5 June and 28 Oct.; a manufacture of cloth, dowlas, and stockings was formerly considerable; and glove-making, leather-dressing, and shoe-making are now carried on.—The parish contains also the tything of Kingsbury-Regis and the hamlet of Milborne-Wick. Acres, 3,277. Real property, £7,368. Pop., 1,814Houses, 351. Venn House, a red brick mansion of somewhat unique appearance, built by Inigo Jones, is the seat of Sir William Medlycott, Bart. An ancient camp is at Milborne-Wick. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Bath and Wells. Value, £233.* Patron, Sir W. Medlycott, Bart.—The sub-district contains also six other parishes. Acres, 17,606. Pop., 5,395. Houses, 1,159.
Milborne Port through time
Milborne Port is now part of South Somerset district. Click here for graphs and data of how South Somerset has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Milborne Port itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Milborne Port in South Somerset | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/13102
Date accessed: 23rd April 2024
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