Place:


Bere Regis  Dorset

 

In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Bere Regis like this:

BERE-REGIS, a small ancient town, a parish, a subdistrict, and a hundred in Dorset. The town stands on the Bere rivulet, adjacent to a vast tract of barren heath, 1¾ mile N of the river Piddle, 5¾ miles N by W of Wool r. station, and 8 SSW of Blandford-Forum. It dates from the time of the Romans; was a residence of Queen Elfrida and of King John; and suffered severely from fire in 1634, in 1788, and in 1817. ...


It is now a poor place, consisting chiefly of thatched cottages. It has a post office‡ under Blandford, and two inns; and, till lately, was a market-town. It was constituted a free borough by Edward I., but never sent representatives to parliament. The parish church at it is a large ancient edifice, with a square tower; contains a round figured font, and numerous monuments of the Turbervilles and others; and was entirely restored and repaired in 1835. There are chapels for Independents and Methodists, a free school with £30, and other charities with £16. Remains of King John's palace are seen in a field opposite the church; and the manor-house of the Turbervilles, an ancient irregular structure, with armorial bearings, stands at the outlet toward Wool. Cardinal Morton, who figured prominently in the time of Henry VII., and Bishop Turberville of Exeter, were natives. Pop. of the town, 1,336. Houses, 278.

The parish includes also the tything of Shitterton and the hamlet of Milborne-Stileham; and is chiefly in the district of Wareham, but partly in that of Blandford. Acres, 8,894. Real property, £7,602. Pop., 1,624. Houses, 338. The property is divided among a few. Half of the manor belonged to the Turbervilles from the time of the Conquest; and the other half was given by Henry III. to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester, given again to the King's brother Edmund, and given by Henry VIII. to the Turbervilles. Woodbury-Hill, ½ a mile east of the town, was the site of a Roman camp; has still a circular entrenchment of 10 acres, formed by three ramparts and ditches; commands a very extensive view; and is the scene of an annual fair, formerly very famous, on 18 Sept. and the five following days. The surrounding tract has many barrows. The neighbouring downs are a resort of sportsmen. The living is a vicarage, united with the vicarage of Winterborne-Kingston, in the diocese of Salisbury. Value, £330.* Patron, Balliol College, Oxford.-The subdistrict is in the district of Wareham, and comprises seven parishes, besides the greater part of Bere-Regis. Acres, 33,833. Pop., 4,749. Houses, 988.-The hundred comprises only the parishes of Bere-Regis and Winterborne-Kingston; and is partly in the division of Wareham, partly in that of Blandford. Acres, 11,402. Pop., 2,213. Houses, 447.

Bere Regis through time

Bere Regis is now part of Purbeck district. Click here for graphs and data of how Purbeck has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Bere Regis itself, go to Units and Statistics.

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Bere Regis, in Purbeck and Dorset | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/13518

Date accessed: 28th March 2024


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