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Dorset is arural county in south westEngland. Itsarchaeology documents much of the history of southern England, from the earliest Mesolithic settlements and through theRoman,Saxon, andMedieval periods to the present.
The first known settlement of Dorset was byMesolithic hunters, who returned to Britain at a time when it was still attached to Europe by a land-bridge, around 12,500 BC. The population was very small, maybe only a few thousand across the whole of Britain, and concentrated along the coast: in Dorset, such places as theIsle of Purbeck,Weymouth,Chesil Beach andHengistbury Head, and along theStour valley. These populations used stone tools and fire to clear some of the nativeoakforest for herding prey. Genetic experiments carried out on a Mesolithic skeleton fromCheddar Gorge (in the neighbouring county ofSomerset) have shown that a significant part of the contemporary population of Dorset is descended from these original inhabitants of the British Isles.[3][4]
This suggests that when a wave of immigrant farmers arrived from the continent in theNeolithic, the indigenous hunter-gatherers were not wiped out, but instead most likely adopted agricultural practices. Further woodland clearances took place at this stage, and also in theBronze Age, to make way foragriculture andanimal husbandry,[5] although where the soils were poor and made permanent cultivation difficult, clearance led instead to the creation ofheathland.[6]Neolithic andBronze Ageburial mounds are particularly numerous throughout much of the county.
Dorset's high chalk hills have provided a location for defensive settlements for millennia, with a large number of late Bronze Age but mostlyIron Agehill forts, such asMaiden Castle,Hod Hill,Badbury Rings andHambledon Hill. The chalk downs were largely deforested during these times, making way for field and pasture. Some of the steeper slopes and hill tops are inaccessible or impractical for arable farming, and there thearchaeology is relatively well preserved; the valley floors and broader hills have usually been ploughed, and hence do not have a good record of pre-Roman archaeology, although this does not mean that Iron Age peoples didn't settle there. Indeed, many contemporary theories postulate that hillforts may not have been the main focus of settlement, but served more as a marketplace-cum-stronghold in times of danger, and in fact most of the time, the population was concentrated in the valleys. By the Late Iron Age, the inhabitants of Dorset were minting their owncoinage and thriving on trade with Northern Gaul (Armorica, now known asBrittany). However, after Armorica was conquered by Julius Caesar in 56 BC, the trade dried up; the Romans re-arranged trade with Britain to the profit of their allies, theTrinovantes, inEssex. The next century or so until the Roman conquest saw a long drawn-out period of economic retrenchment in Dorset, in parallel with a rising population and a decline insoil quality (much of it had been in cultivation for 4,000 years). By the time of the Roman Conquest, it is likely that a combination of overpopulation and impoverishment of the soil left many people starving, to which bone analysis of skeletons from Bere Regis bears witness; several of the skeletons present ample evidence of numerous distinct episodes of severe malnourishment during childhood.[7]
The Romans record the name of the native British tribe that lived in Dorset as theDurotriges, who were also the tribe of much ofSomerset and possibly theNew Forest. Sometimes translated as "water dwellers", this name could mean that they were seafarers, but is more likely a reference to the marshy valley of theRiver Frome which they would have farmed. However, this etymology is unsound, based on the Welsh worddwr meaning water; however the earlier form of the word wasdwfr, which suggests an Ancient British ancestor-word *dubro-, not *duro- (this form of the word is preserved in the place-nameDover). Another alternative is "fort-dwellers"; it is known that the Durotriges were still occupying their hillforts at the time of the Roman invasion in 43 AD, whereas in most other parts of Britain they had been abandoned around 100 BC. There is also a Cornish worddur meaning "land" or "earth"; hence the Durotriges might also be "land-dwellers", referring to their already important farming tradition: it is known that they were exporting grain to theRoman Empire in large quantities already by the first century BC. The etymology of the first element is thus far from certain, although the second element definitely means "dwellers" (Cornishtre, "town",tregez "have lived"; Welshtref "town").
The Romans landed in Dorset atPoole Harbour andthe Fleet and moved inland, while other groups travelled west fromOld Sarum andWinchester. AtAbbotsbury on the Fleet the Romans quickly took the hill fort,Abbotsbury Castle, bloodlessly before moving on to Maiden Castle. There is some evidence of a struggle at Maiden Castle and Badbury Rings but current opinion amongst archaeologists is that these, andHod Hill, also fell with ease. There is, however, a find of 130 skeletons atSpetisbury which show that the invasion was not entirely peaceful.
Dorset has many notable Roman artefacts,[10] particularly around the Roman townDorchester, where Maiden Castle was taken early in the Roman occupation. In the grounds of the County Council offices is a Roman house with well preservedmosaic floors and anaqueduct fed by waters of a tributary of theFrome impounded behind an earthen dam, with a covered timber-lined channel of some nine km; the dam gave way and the aqueduct was abandoned unexpectedly early, in the mid-2nd century.[11] Roman roads radiated from Dorchester, following the tops of the chalk ridges north west toIlchester nearYeovil, and east to Badbury Rings where it forked toWinchester,Bath and a particularly well-preserved route running north east toOld Sarum nearSalisbury, as well as tracks to the many small Roman villages around the county. In the Roman era settlements moved from the hill tops to the valleys, with Roman finds, such as the famousHinton St Mary mosaic, being found in thevales. In the Isle of Purbeck a long-settled Iron Age site at Worth Matravers was reorganised late in the Roman period to grow grain for the legion, with a grain-parching granary floor heated with ahypocaust.[12] By the 4th century the hilltops had been abandoned.
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Although there were Jutish and later Saxon people in the Southampton area from the 5th century, the Britons seem to have successfully resisted their expansion into future Dorset for a long period. One of the key battles (Mount Badon) between the Britons and Saxons may have been fought at Badbury Rings, though this is disputed. There may have been a Saxon raid atBindon in 614, though the location is not certain.
A large defensive ditch onCranborne Chase in the north east of the county,Bokerley Dyke, dated to 367, appears to have been fortified and - along with the blocking of the Roman Road atAckling Dyke, to have delayed theSaxon conquest of Dorset, with the Romano-British remaining in Dorset for 200 years after the withdrawal of the Roman legions. Evidence suggests that Dorset had been largely conquered by theWest Saxons by the beginning of the reign ofCaedwalla in 685.[13] The inhospitablecoastline prevented an invasion from the sea. When theRoman road across Cranborne Chase was rebuilt in the 6th century the Saxons advanced into Dorset. The Romano-British retreated, constructing another defence,Combs Ditch, which also fell within a century. It is thought that the Saxons captured east Dorset in the mid-7th century and west Dorset shortly afterwards, but the details are not known.[14][15]
Dorset was initially part of Saxon Wessex, with the first record of Dorset being in 841.Coenred, the sub-king of Dorset at the end of the 7th century, was father ofKing Ine. St Martin's church atWareham is reputedly the oldest in Dorset but there were many other Saxon foundations includingShaftesbury Abbey andSherborne Monastery. KingEthelred I (866–871) is buried atWimborne, while St Cuthberga, abbess of Wimborne, died in 725.Gillingham is first mentioned in a 10th-century charter.
Aldhelm was the first bishop of the Diocese of Sherborne, created in 705 AD. This covered the part of Wessex "west of Selwood".
In 876 KingAlfred the Great trapped a Danish fleet atArne then drove it out, 120 ships being wrecked atStudland.Corfe Castle in 978 saw the murder of KingEdward the Martyr, whose body was taken first to Wareham and then to Shaftesbury.
TheDomesday Book documents many Saxon settlements corresponding to modern towns and villages, mostly in the valleys, and there have been few changes to the parishes since.[14][16] Over the next few centuries the settlers established the pattern of farmland which prevailed into the nineteenth century.[17][18] Many monasteries were also established, which were important landowners and centres of power.[19]
A number of military events took place in Dorset duringThe Anarchy of the 12th century, and this gave rise to the defensive castles atCorfe Castle,Powerstock,Wareham andShaftesbury. In 1348 theBlack Death came toEngland, probably landing inports along the south coast, includingMelcombe Regis now part ofWeymouth. The then busy port was one of the first towns to experience the epidemic which went on to wipe out a third of the population of the country.[20] In the 14th and 15th centuries the hilltop villages shrank further, and many disappeared altogether. Throughout the Medieval period, Dorset was popular amongst thenobility, including a number of kings, for itshunting estates, such asGillingham andSherborne. A number ofdeer parks still remain in the county.[21][22]
The 12th and 13th centuries saw much prosperity in Dorset and the population grew substantially as a result.[23] In order to provide the extra food required, additional land was enclosed for farming during this time.[23] The quarrying ofPurbeck Marble, alimestone that can be polished, brought wealth into the county and provided employment for stonecutters and masons. Large amounts of the stone were used in the construction ofSalisbury Cathedral.[24] The trade continues today but has declined since the 15th century whenalabaster fromDerbyshire became popular.[24]
Another mediaeval industry, which continues today, was the manufacture of rope.[24]Bridport was particularly famous for its rope, so much so that the phrase 'stabbed with the Bridport dagger' was commonly used to describe someone who had died at the hands of the hangman. Bridport rope was also purchased in large quantities by theRoyal Navy. In the 15th century, Henry VII decreed that all hemp within a 5-mile radius of the town was to be reserved for the navy.[25]
From theTudor toGeorgian periods farming specialised and the monastic estates broke up, leading to an increase in population and settlement size. TheDissolution of the Monasteries closed the abbeys atSherborne,Shaftesbury,Milton Abbas,Abbotsbury andCerne Abbas, though both Sherborne and Milton abbeys were saved from destruction. In 1588, eight ships from Dorset assisted in the destruction of theSpanish Armada.[26] The flagshipSan Salvador still lies at the bottom ofStudland bay.[26]Sir Walter Raleigh later settled in Sherborne and served as MP for Dorset.[27]
In the 17th-centuryEnglish Civil War Dorset had a number ofroyalist strongholds, such asSherborne Castle and Corfe Castle, which were ruined in the war. The 1642Battle of Babylon Hill was indecisive. Corfe had already been successfully defended against an attack in 1643 but an act of betrayal during a second siege in 1646 led to its capture and subsequent slighting.[28] The residents ofLyme Regis were staunch Parliamentarians who, in 1644,repelled three attacks by a Royalist army under King Charle's nephew,Prince Maurice. Maurice lost 2,000 men in the assaults and his reputation was severely damaged as a result.[29] The largest civil war battle in Dorset was not fought between Cavaliers and Roundheads however. The Dorset clubmen, a group of angry civilians who were annoyed by the disruption caused by the war, had no allegiance to either side. In 1645 some 5,000 of them gathered at Shaftesbury to do battle with Parliamentarian troops. Armed only with clubs and a variety of farming implements, they were easily dispersed. A smaller force of 2,000 or so regrouped onHambledon Hill and were again routed. Many were taken prisoner and this was effectively the end for the organisation. The
In 1685,James Scott Monmouth, the illegitimate son of Charles II, and 150 supporters landed at Lyme Regis.[30] After the failedMonmouth Rebellion, the 'Bloody Assizes' took place inDorchester where over a five-day period,Judge Jeffreys presided over 312 cases. 74 were executed; 29 werehanged, drawn and quartered; 175 were deported and many were publicly whipped.[31] In 1686, atCharborough Park, a meeting took place to plot the downfall ofJames II of England. This meeting was effectively the start of theGlorious Revolution.[32]
During the 18th century the Dorset coast saw much smuggling activity; its coves, caves and sandy beaches provided ample opportunities to slip smuggled goods ashore.[33] In 1747 anotorious gang of armed smugglers broke into the customs house in Poole to reclaim their captured contraband.[34][35] The production of cloth was a profitable business in Dorset during the 17th and 18th centuries.[36] Blandford became famous for its bonelace and Stalbridge for its stockings. Shaftsbury, Sturminster Marshall, Beamister, Burton Bradstock, Gillingham, Cerne Abbas and Winterbourne Stickland produced a wide variety of materials between them, including sailcloth, linen and even silk.[36] The absence of coal however meant that during theIndustrial Revolution Dorset was unable to compete with the large mechanised mills of Lancashire and so remained largely rural.[37][38][39] TheTolpuddle Martyrs lived in Dorset, and the farming economy of Dorset was central in the formation of thetrade union movement.[40]
TheIndustrial Revolution largely by-passed Dorset, which has remained largely rural. The farming economy, however, provided the spark for theTrade Union movement when, in the 1820s a group of farm labourers formed one of the first unions. In 1832 unions were outlawed and the six men, now known as theTolpuddle Martyrs, weretransported, becoming national heroes to theworking classes.[41]
In the 19th century the railways bought increased mobility and communications to the British people. Lines through Dorset include theSouth West Main Line, fromLondon toBournemouth,Poole,Dorchester andWeymouth; theHeart of Wessex Line fromBristol toSherborne, Dorchester and Weymouth; theWest of England Main Line from London toExeter, with stations at Sherborne andGillingham; and the now dismantledSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway fromBath to Bournemouth. There were also a number of small branchlines, closed in theBeeching axe, such as those toBridport andSwanage. TheSwanage Railway has been reopened as aheritage railway.
DuringWorld War I andII Dorset, located on theEnglish Channel, was both a target and important to theRoyal Navy. The largePortland Harbour, built at the end of the 19th century and protected byNothe Fort and theVerne Citadel, was for many years, including during the wars, one of the largest Royal Navy bases.British,American andCanadian ships gathered in the harbour and nearby inWeymouth bay before theD-Day landings. Training for the landings also took place in Dorset, at the long sandy beach atStudland. Portland Harbour continued to be used as a Royal Navy and NATO training base until the 1990s. It is now a civilian port and recreation area which was used for the sailing events in the 2012 Olympic Games.
Since the early 19th century, whenGeorge III took holidays in Weymouth while ill, Dorset'stourism industry has grown, with the seaside resorts ofBournemouth and Weymouth, theJurassic Coast and the county's sparsely populated rural areas attracting millions of visitors each year. With farming declining across the country tourism now rivals agriculture as the main economy of the county.
In 1974 the political boundaries of Dorset were modified, incorporating a small area of south westHampshire which included the towns ofBournemouth andChristchurch. In 1996 Bournemouth and Poole became administratively independent from the county.
In the2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, Dorset voted in favour ofBrexit.
In the2019 structural changes to local government in England, the ceremonial county ofDorset was changed from consisting of a non-metropolitan county (itself divided into six non-metropolitan districts) and twounitary authorities, into consisting of two unitary authorities. The new unitary authorities in Dorset became;Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, consisting of the old unitary authorities ofBournemouth andPoole as well as the non-metropolitan district ofChristchurch; andDorset Council, which merged the five remaining non-metropolitan districts ofEast Dorset,North Dorset,Purbeck,West Dorset, andWeymouth and Portland, as well as the former county council[42]
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