Spetisbury
Encyclopedia
Spetisbury is a village in north Dorset
, England
, situated on the River Stour
and the A350 road, four miles south east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population
of 542 . It is notable for being a very linear settlement, with mostly only one line of buildings adjacent to the A350 road. Currently, a large project is underway which may lead to the construction of a new bypass of the A350, meaning that the high traffic that currently passes through would be redirected.
fortifications known as Spetisbury Rings or Crawford Castle (but not related to Crawford Castle
in Scotland), destroyed by Roman advances in the first century A.D . The earthworks, known as Spetisbury Rings, was a stronghold of Ionia before the Romans came, and Roman and Briton lie side by side in graves.
The recent history of the village originates from the 18th century St Monica's Priory, which was both a home for several different religious orders and regional aristocrats
. Although most of the original building was destroyed, some still remains and forms part of the village hall. ANother important building is Spetisbury Manor. The building, many years previously, that of a local squire is now a large retirement home.
The centre of the linear settlement is crossed by the B3075, which traverses the Stour
at Crawford Bridge, one of the river's most famous arch bridges . Built in the 15th century, it has nine arches. Other notable transport structures include a disused railway station on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
. Spetisbury station was one of four stations on the Dorset section of the line closed as an economy measure in 1956; the whole railway closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe
.
by T. H. Wyatt in 1859. The pulpit is Elizabethan, and there is an early 17th century monument to John Bowyer, who died in 1599. In the churchyard, close to the porch, is a gravestone in the form of a three-sided pyramid; a tetrahedron
.
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
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 River Stour
River Stour, Dorset
The River Stour is a 60.5 mile long river which flows through Wiltshire and Dorset in southern England, and drains into the English Channel. It is sometimes called the Dorset Stour to distinguish it from rivers of the same name...
and the A350 road, four miles south east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 542 . It is notable for being a very linear settlement, with mostly only one line of buildings adjacent to the A350 road. Currently, a large project is underway which may lead to the construction of a new bypass of the A350, meaning that the high traffic that currently passes through would be redirected.
History and Buildings
Spetisbury takes its name from speht - woodpecker, and byrig - a fort. Spetisbury is home to the Iron AgeIron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
fortifications known as Spetisbury Rings or Crawford Castle (but not related to Crawford Castle
Crawford Castle
Crawford Castle, substantially in ruins, is located on the north bank of the River Clyde, around half a mile north of Crawford, South Lanarkshire, Scotland. The ruins stand on an earlier motte and bailey earthwork. The castle was formerly known as Lindsay Tower, after its former owners, the Lindsay...
in Scotland), destroyed by Roman advances in the first century A.D . The earthworks, known as Spetisbury Rings, was a stronghold of Ionia before the Romans came, and Roman and Briton lie side by side in graves.
The recent history of the village originates from the 18th century St Monica's Priory, which was both a home for several different religious orders and regional aristocrats
Aristocracy (class)
The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...
. Although most of the original building was destroyed, some still remains and forms part of the village hall. ANother important building is Spetisbury Manor. The building, many years previously, that of a local squire is now a large retirement home.
The centre of the linear settlement is crossed by the B3075, which traverses the Stour
Stour
Stour may refer to:* HMS Stour, a Royal Navy River-class destroyer purchased in 1909.* Stour-class destroyer, the sub-class of Royal Navy destroyers of which HMS Stour was the lead ship.-See also:* East Stour...
at Crawford Bridge, one of the river's most famous arch bridges . Built in the 15th century, it has nine arches. Other notable transport structures include a disused railway station on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
. Spetisbury station was one of four stations on the Dorset section of the line closed as an economy measure in 1956; the whole railway closed in 1966 as part of the Beeching Axe
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
.
St John The Baptist
The local church of St John the Baptist dates from the late 15th century with several important architectural features, most notably the original tower. The church has been built with a mixture of building stones including carstone, greensand, limestone and chiefly with much knapped flint in the Victorian nave and chancel. It has a fairly squat 15th century tower (with six bells), but the rest of the fabric is mostly 19th century, restoredVictorian restoration
Victorian restoration is the term commonly used to refer to the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria...
by T. H. Wyatt in 1859. The pulpit is Elizabethan, and there is an early 17th century monument to John Bowyer, who died in 1599. In the churchyard, close to the porch, is a gravestone in the form of a three-sided pyramid; a tetrahedron
Tetrahedron
In geometry, a tetrahedron is a polyhedron composed of four triangular faces, three of which meet at each vertex. A regular tetrahedron is one in which the four triangles are regular, or "equilateral", and is one of the Platonic solids...
.
Sources
- John Hutchins, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., edited by William Shipp and James Whitworth Hodson, Westminster: J.B. Nichols and Sons, 1861-1873.
- John Newman and Nikolaus PevsnerNikolaus PevsnerSir Nikolaus Bernhard Leon Pevsner, CBE, FBA was a German-born British scholar of history of art and, especially, of history of architecture...
, The Buildings of England: Dorset. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972, pp. 394–395