Child Okeford

Last updated

Child Okeford
Child Okeford, Dorset - geograph.org.uk - 1616511.jpg
Child Okeford village centre
Dorset UK location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Child Okeford
Location within Dorset
Population1,170 (2021)
OS grid reference ST834127
Civil parish
  • Child Okeford [1]
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town BLANDFORD FORUM
Postcode district DT11
Dialling code 01258
Police Dorset
Fire Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance South Western
UK Parliament
Website Village community website
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°54′47″N2°14′13″W / 50.913°N 2.237°W / 50.913; -2.237
Child Okeford village and Hambledon Hill viewed from watermeadows by the River Stour Child Okeford and Hambledon Hill 20070207.jpg
Child Okeford village and Hambledon Hill viewed from watermeadows by the River Stour

Child Okeford (sometimes written Childe Okeford) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, 3 miles (5 kilometres) east of the small town of Sturminster Newton in the North Dorset administrative district. Child Okeford lies downstream from Sturminster, along the River Stour, which passes half a mile west of the village. In the 2021 census the civil parish had a population of 1,170.

Contents

History

On Hambledon Hill to the east of the village are a Neolithic ceremonial burial site and an Iron Age hill fort. The latter has multiple ramparts enclosing 31 acres (13 hectares) and is rich in occupation remains. It occupies the entire northern spur of the hill above 140 metres (460 feet) and has been described as "one of the most impressive earthworks in southern England". [2]

In the Domesday Book of 1086 Child Okeford was recorded as Acford [3] and appears in two entries. It had 39 households and a total taxable value of 10 geld units. [4] By 1227 the village was known as Childacford. The village's name derives from the Old English cild, meaning a noble-born son, plus ac and ford, also Old English, meaning an oak-tree ford. The noble-born son likely referred to an early owner. [5]

In 1645 Hambledon Hill was the site of a battle in the English Civil War; a group of locals, who were antagonistic to the war and called themselves "the Clubmen", attacked both Royalist and Parliamentarian forces and petitioned them to end the war. Under the leadership of the rector of nearby Compton Abbas, 2,000 of them assembled on the hill and defied Oliver Cromwell's requests to lay down their arms. Cromwell sent in troops and defeated them, then locked up 300 prisoners in the church at Iwerne Courtney and extracted promises of good behaviour. Cromwell wrote of them as being "poor silly creatures" who "promise to be very dutiful for time to come". [6] A century later General James Wolfe used the hill's steeper sides to prepare his troops; they later surprised the French at Quebec by scaling the Plains of Abraham under cover of darkness.

A World War I war memorial in the form of a stone cross stands at the road junction known in the village as The Cross.

The Somerset and Dorset Railway ran to the west of the village, through neighbouring Shillingstone, until the line closed in 1966 under the Beeching cuts. The Shillingstone Station, however, is being refurbished under the Shillingstone Station Project.

Geography

Child Okeford parish covers 1,570 acres (640 hectares) [2] at an elevation of about 40 to 190 metres (130 to 620 feet), [7] though the major part is below about 90 metres (300 feet). [2] The underlying geology is Kimmeridge clay, upper and lower greensand, gault, some chalk in the east and river gravels by the River Stour. [2]

Demography

Census population of Child Okeford parish
CensusPopulationHouseholds
1921 [8] 651
1931 [8] 605
1951 [8] 637
1961 [8] 667
1971 [8] 830
1981 [8] 930
1991 [8] 980
2001 [8] 1,060482
2011 [9] 1,114503
2021 [10] 1,170547

Amenities

Child Okeford has a village hall, [11] community centre, [12] playing field (including a football pitch and cricket pitch), [13] doctor's surgery, [14] post office and general store, [15] Church of England primary school, [16] and a nursery or educational support centre for children age 0–11 years. [17]

Notable residents

In 1561 William Kethe was appointed vicar of the parish. He remained in the village until his death in 1594. Kethe wrote the hymns O worship the King, all glorious above and All people that on earth do dwell, [18] the latter adapted from Psalm 100 and set to the tune of The Old Hundredth. [19] Other well known people who live or lived in the village include the composer Sir John Tavener, who lived in the village until his death in 2013, TV presenter Harry Corbett, originator of Sooty and Sweep, who lived here until his death in 1989, TV presenter Mick Robertson, known for Magpie , and politician David James, who lived in the village whilst Conservative MP for North Dorset.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Stour, Dorset</span> Human settlement in England

East Stour is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. It lies within the Dorset administrative district, about two miles south of the town of Gillingham. The village is 1⁄2 mile from the east bank of the River Stour in the Blackmore Vale and two miles west of the broadly conical local landmark Duncliffe Hill. Above the west bank of the river, about one mile away, is the village of West Stour. The A30 London to Penzance road passes through the village. In the 2011 census the civil parish had a population of 573.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackmore Vale</span> Geographical area in north Dorset

The Blackmore Vale is a vale, or wide valley, in north Dorset, and to a lesser extent south Somerset and southwest Wiltshire in southern England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturminster Newton</span> Human settlement in England

Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish situated on the River Stour in the north of Dorset, England. The town is at the centre of the Blackmore Vale, a large dairy agriculture region around which the town's economy is built, and is known as 'the heart of the Blackmore vale'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dorset</span> Former non-metropolitan district in England

North Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England, between 1974 and 2019. Its area was largely rural, but included the towns of Blandford Forum, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Stalbridge and Sturminster Newton. Much of North Dorset was in the River Stour valley, known as the Blackmore Vale. The economy of North Dorset was largely based on dairy agriculture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iwerne Minster</span> Human settlement in England

Iwerne Minster is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It lies on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, approximately midway between the towns of Shaftesbury and Blandford Forum. The A350 main road between those towns passes through the edge of the village, just to the west. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had a population of 978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marnhull</span> Human settlement in England

Marnhull is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, three miles north of Sturminster Newton. The resort towns of Bournemouth and Weymouth are approximately 30 miles south. Marnhull is sited on a low ridge of Corallian limestone above the valley of the River Stour, which forms the northern and western boundaries of the parish. In the 2011 census the parish had 962 dwellings, 905 households and a population of 1,998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shillingstone</span> Human settlement in England

Shillingstone is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had 479 households and a population of 1,170.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Durweston</span> Human settlement in England

Durweston is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It lies two miles northwest of the town of Blandford Forum. It is sited by the River Stour at the point where it flows out of the Blackmore Vale through a steep, narrow gap between the Dorset Downs and Cranborne Chase. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 398.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifehead Neville</span> Human settlement in England

Fifehead Neville is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the Blackmore Vale about two miles southwest of the town of Sturminster Newton. In the 2011 census the population of the parish was 147.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fontmell Magna</span> Human settlement in England

Fontmell Magna is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale, close to the chalk hills of Cranborne Chase, on the A350 road five miles south of Shaftesbury and eight miles north of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 734.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okeford Fitzpaine</span> Village and civil parish in Dorset, England

Okeford Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated in the Blackmore Vale three miles south of the town of Sturminster Newton. It is sited on a thin strip of greensand under the scarp face of the Dorset Downs. In the 2011 census the civil parish—which includes the village of Belchalwell to the west and most of the hamlet of Fiddleford to the north—had 404 dwellings, 380 households and a population of 913.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spetisbury</span> Village in Dorset, England

Spetisbury is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour and the A350, four miles southeast of Blandford Forum.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stour Valley Way</span> Footpath in southern England

The Stour Valley Way is a 64-mile (103 km) long-distance footpath in southern England. From Stourton, Wiltshire, the path travels southeast through Dorset to Hengistbury Head near Christchurch.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hammoon</span> Village in Dorset, England

Hammoon is a small village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, sited on a river terrace of alluvial silt by the River Stour, about two miles east of the small town of Sturminster Newton. Its name is derived from the Old English ham, meaning dwelling, and the surname of the Norman lord of the manor. In 2001 the parish had 19 households and a population of 49. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 40.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bell Hill, Dorset</span> Hill in Dorset, England

At 258 metres, Bell Hill is one of the highest hills in the county of Dorset, England and a high point on the Wessex Ridgeway.

References

  1. ↑ "Child Okeford – Village Website".
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'Child Okeford', An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 3: Central (1970), pp. 79–83". British History Online. University of London & History of Parliament Trust. November 2013. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  3. ↑ "Dorset A–G". The Domesday Book Online. domesdaybook.co.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Place: [Child] Okeford". Open Domesday. domesdaymap.co.uk. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
  5. ↑ David Mills, ed. (2011). A Dictionary of British Place Names. Oxford University Press. p. 354. ISBN   978-0-19-960908-6.
  6. ↑ Roland Gant (1980). Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. pp. 46–50. ISBN   0-7091-8135-3.
  7. ↑ Ordnance Survey 1:25,000 Pathfinder map, sheet 1281 (Shillingstone and Tollard Royal), published 1987
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Parishes (A-L), 1921-2001- Census Years". Dorset County Council. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  9. ↑ "Area: Child Okeford (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 29 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Parish Profiles". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  11. ↑ "Child Okeford Village Hall". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  12. ↑ "Child Okeford Community Centre". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Queen Elizabeth II Playing Field". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  14. ↑ "Child Okeford Surgery". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  15. ↑ "Child Okeford Post Office and Cross Stores". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  16. ↑ "St Nicholas CE VA Primary School, Child Okeford". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  17. ↑ "The Ark, Child Okeford". Child Okeford Village Website. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  18. ↑ North Dorset District Council (c. 1982). North Dorset District Official Guide. Home Publishing Co. Ltd. p. 32.
  19. ↑ Richard Niell Donovan (2008). "All People That on Earth Do Dwell". Hymn Story. lectionary.org. Retrieved 30 June 2014.

Further reading

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Child Okeford at Wikimedia Commons

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.