| East Stour | |
|---|---|
 East Stour | |
  East Stour Location withinDorset | |
| Population | 573 [1] |
| OS grid reference | ST 7993 2292 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | GILLINGHAM |
| Postcode district | SP8 |
| Dialling code | 01747 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
| 51°00′19″N2°17′15″W / 51.0053°N 2.2874°W /51.0053; -2.2874 | |
East Stour is a village andcivil parish in the ceremonial county ofDorset in southern England. It lies within theDorset administrative district, about two miles (three kilometres) south of the town ofGillingham. The village is1⁄2 mile (800 metres) from the east bank of theRiver Stour in theBlackmore Vale and two miles (three kilometres) west of the broadly conical local landmarkDuncliffe Hill (with a summit elevation of 210 metres or 690 feet). Above the west bank of the river, about one mile (1.5 kilometres) away, is the village ofWest Stour. TheA30 London toPenzance road passes through the village. In the2011 census the civil parish had a population of 573.[1]
Part of the shaft of a cross, probably dating from the late 10th or early 11th century, was found in 1939 when a house in the village was demolished. The stone fragment has a cross-section a little under 30 centimetres (12 inches) square and is about70 cm (27+1⁄2 in) high; its faces are embellished with vine-scroll,interlace andpalmette ornament. It was transferred to theBritish Museum.[2]
In theDomesday Book of 1086 East Stour and West Stour together were recorded asStur orSture,[3] which had 73 households and administratively was in Gillingham Hundred.[4] A 1695 map shows the village name as Stower Estover.[5]
East Stour village was the original settlement in the parish, with study of field boundaries suggesting that encroachment on the "waste" orcommon land subsequently occurred eastwards, initially immediately east of the village, then further east in post-medieval times. The farms at New House and Cole Street in the northeast of the parish date from settlement in the late 18th century, and in the southeast the waste wasenclosed in 1804.[2]
Theparish church was rebuilt in 1841–42 near the site of its predecessor, from which theNorman stone font was retrieved.[6]
East Stour is in theelectoral ward called The Stours, which extends southeast as far asEast Orchard and in the 2011 census had a population of 1,786.[7] The ward is part of theconstituency ofNorth Dorset, and is currently represented in the UK parliament by theConservativeSimon Hoare.[8]
In local government East Stour is governed byDorset Council, which is a unitary authority. At theparish level East Stour is one of four parishes—the others beingTodber,Stour Provost andWest Stour—under the governance of The Stours Parish Council, which is a grouped parish council.[9]
The underlying geology of the parish isCorallian Limestone in the west andKimmeridge clay in the east, withgault clay around thegreensand of Duncliffe Hill.[2] The village is on the limestone.[10]
In the 2011 census East Stour civil parish had 267 dwellings,[11] 251 households and a population of 573.[1] 26.2% of residents were age 65 or over, compared to 16.4% for England as a whole.[12]
East Stour has avillage hall[13] and twopublic houses: The Crown Inn on the B3092 towards Gillingham and The Kings Arms at East Stour Common.[14][15]
The writer and magistrateHenry Fielding (1707–1754), who also founded theBow Street Runners, lived in the manor house for three years, after inheriting it. During this time he spent his fortune and consequently became a professional writer. The house, sited west of the church, was demolished in 1835, though itsmullioned windows were probably incorporated into its replacement, which previously was called Fielding's Farm but in 1919 became Church Farm.[16][17]
