Melcombe Regis
Encyclopedia
Melcombe Regis is an area of Weymouth in Dorset, England
.
Situated on the north shore of Weymouth Harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole
, it seems only to have developed as a significant settlement and seaport in the 13th century. It received a charter
as a borough
in 1268.
Melcombe was one of the first points of entry of the Black Death
into England in the summer of 1348. (The disease was possibly carried there by infected soldiers and sailors returning from the Hundred Years' War
, or from a visiting spice ship. There is no way of knowing for certain.)
The two boroughs, Melcombe on the north shore and Weymouth on the south, were joined as a double borough in 1571, after which time the name Weymouth came to serve for them both.
After two centuries of decline, the town's fortunes were dramatically revived by the patronage of the Duke of Gloucester
, brother of King George III
, in the 1780s, and then of the King himself, who regularly used the town as a holiday resort between 1789 and 1811. He is commemorated by a prominent statue on the Esplanade, or sea-front, recording the gratitude of the inhabitants, and by the locally well-known White Horse of Osmington
, which by a regrettable oversight showed the King riding out of the town, not into it, which is said to have angered him so much that he never returned. The well-known terraces of large late Georgian
town houses on the Esplanade date from this period, with additional building later in the 19th century.
The town was well established as a successful resort by the time that George's visits ceased, and has continued as such to the present day.
Weymouth & Melcombe Regis was used as a base for Allied troops in the D-Day landings of World War II
, and has since operated on and off as a cross-channel ferry terminus.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Situated on the north shore of Weymouth Harbour and originally part of the waste of Radipole
Radipole
Radipole is a part of the district of Weymouth and Portland in the county of Dorset, England. It was formerly an independent parish, until abolished as a separate local government unit in 1933. It remains a separate ecclesiastical parish...
, it seems only to have developed as a significant settlement and seaport in the 13th century. It received a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
as a borough
Borough
A borough is an administrative division in various countries. In principle, the term borough designates a self-governing township although, in practice, official use of the term varies widely....
in 1268.
Melcombe was one of the first points of entry of the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
into England in the summer of 1348. (The disease was possibly carried there by infected soldiers and sailors returning from the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, or from a visiting spice ship. There is no way of knowing for certain.)
The two boroughs, Melcombe on the north shore and Weymouth on the south, were joined as a double borough in 1571, after which time the name Weymouth came to serve for them both.
After two centuries of decline, the town's fortunes were dramatically revived by the patronage of the Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester
Duke of Gloucester is a British royal title , often conferred on one of the sons of the reigning monarch. The first four creations were in the Peerage of England, the next in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the last in the Peerage of the United Kingdom; this current creation carries with it the...
, brother of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
, in the 1780s, and then of the King himself, who regularly used the town as a holiday resort between 1789 and 1811. He is commemorated by a prominent statue on the Esplanade, or sea-front, recording the gratitude of the inhabitants, and by the locally well-known White Horse of Osmington
Osmington
Osmington is a village and civil parish in the District of West Dorset within Dorset, England, situated on the Jurassic Coast northeast of Weymouth. The village has a population of 609.To the east is Osmington Hill.-History:...
, which by a regrettable oversight showed the King riding out of the town, not into it, which is said to have angered him so much that he never returned. The well-known terraces of large late Georgian
Georgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
town houses on the Esplanade date from this period, with additional building later in the 19th century.
The town was well established as a successful resort by the time that George's visits ceased, and has continued as such to the present day.
Weymouth & Melcombe Regis was used as a base for Allied troops in the D-Day landings of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and has since operated on and off as a cross-channel ferry terminus.
See also
- Regis (Place)Regis (Place)Regis, Latin for "of the king", occurs in numerous English place names. The name usually recalls the historical ownership of lands or manors by the Crown. - in other places it honours Royal associations rather than ownership...
- List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom
- PortlandIsle of PortlandThe Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
- List of boroughs in Dorset