Transcriber’s Notes Obvious typographical errors have been silently corrected. Variations in hyphenation and accents have been standardised but all other spelling and punctuation remains unchanged. Italics are represented thus _italic_, bold thus =bold= and superscripts thus y^{en}. The repetition of the title immediately before the title page has been removed. The footnotes are at the end of the book. [Illustration: Ringstead and Holworth. “Where one may walk along the undulating downs that skirt the Channel, held in place by parapets of cliff that break down straight into the sea; where one may walk mile after mile on natural lawn and not meet a soul—just one’s self, the birds, the glorious scenery, and God.” (_See page 109._) _From a water-colour sketch by Mr. William Pye._] MEMORIALS OF THE COUNTIES OF ENGLAND General Editor: REV. P. H. DITCHFIELD, M.A., F.S.A. MEMORIALS OF OLD DORSET EDITED BY THOMAS PERKINS, M.A. LATE RECTOR OF TURNWORTH, DORSET AUTHOR OF “_Wimborne Minster and Christchurch Priory_” “_Bath and Malmesbury Abbeys_” “_Romsey Abbey_” _&c._ AND HERBERT PENTIN, M.A. VICAR OF MILTON ABBEY, DORSET VICE-PRESIDENT, HON. SECRETARY, AND EDITOR OF THE DORSET NATURAL HISTORY AND ANTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB WITH MANY ILLUSTRATIONS LONDON BEMROSE & SONS LIMITED, 4 SNOW HILL, E.C. AND DERBY 1907 [_All Rights Reserved_] TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE LORD EUSTACE CECIL, F.R.G.S. PAST PRESIDENT OF THE DORSET NATURAL HISTORY AND ANTIQUARIAN FIELD CLUB THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED BY HIS LORDSHIP’S KIND PERMISSION PREFACE The editing of this Dorset volume was originally undertaken by the Rev. Thomas Perkins, the scholarly Rector of Turnworth. But he, having formulated its plan and written four papers therefor, besides gathering material for most of the other chapters, was laid aside by a very painful illness, which culminated in his unexpected death. This is a great loss to his many friends, to the present volume, and to the county of Dorset as a whole; for Mr. Perkins knew the county as few men know it, his literary ability was of no mean order, and his kindness to all with whom he was brought in contact was proverbial.