Chideock

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Coordinates: 50°43′57″N 2°49′15″W / 50.7324°N 2.8208°W / 50.7324; -2.8208
Chideock

The main road in Chideock
Chideock

 Chideock shown within Dorset
Population 686 [1]
OS grid reference SY423928
District West Dorset
Shire county Dorset
Region South West
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town Bridport
Postcode district DT6
Police Dorset
Fire Dorset
Ambulance South Western
EU Parliament South West England
UK Parliament West Dorset
Website Village website
List of places
UK
England
Dorset

Chideock (/ˈtʃɪdək/ CHI-dək) is a village and civil parish in south west Dorset, England, situated close to the English Channel between Bridport and Lyme Regis. The A35 trunk road passes through the village. In the 2001 census Chideock had a population of 597. In the 2011 census the population of Chideock parish combined with the neighbouring parish of Stanton St Gabriel was 686.[1] The area's economy mostly comprises agriculture (arable and pastoral) and tourism.

History

In 1086 Chideock was recorded in the Domesday Book as 'Cidihoc'.[2] In 1379-80 John de Chideock, a manorial lord, built Chideock Castle just north of the village.[2][3][4] During the Middle Ages ownership passed to the Catholic Arundell family, who used it to provide refuge for priests and loyal followers during subsequent religious persecution.[4] During the Protestant reign of Elizabeth I the Arundell estate became Dorset's main centre of Catholicism,[5] and the locality witnessed considerable religious strife.[2] Four local Catholic men—John Cornelius, Thomas Bosgrave, John Carey and Patrick Salmon[4]—were martyred in the late 16th century; their trial took place in the main hall of what is now Chideock House Hotel and they were executed in Dorchester. The men became known as the Chideock Martyrs.[2][4] A fifth man, Hugh Green, who became Chideock's chaplain in 1612, was tried and executed in 1642. All five were beatified on 15 December 1929.[4]

During the English Civil War Chideock was a royalist stronghold,[4] and the castle changed hands more than once before it was ultimately left ruinous in 1645 by parliamentarian forces under the Governor of Lyme Regis, Colonel Ceeley.[2][3][4] Chideock House Hotel may have been the headquarters of General Fairfax as he planned the castle's overthrowing.[citation needed] Parts of the castle remained standing until at least 1733[3] but only some of the moat can be seen today; it is in a field, accessed by Ruins Lane, and marked by a crucifix as a memorial to the martyrs.[2][3]

Chideock's Roman Catholic church of Our Lady of the Martyrs and St Ignatius

In 1802 the Arundells were succeeded by the Weld family of Lulworth Castle who in 1810 built Chideock Manor.[2] The Welds were also Catholic and in 1870-2 Charles Weld designed and built the village's Roman Catholic church in an unusual Romanesque style. It is dedicated to Our Lady of the Martyrs and St Ignatius.[2]

Geography

Chideock is situated in the West Dorset administrative district approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) west of Bridport, 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Lyme Regis and 0.75 miles (1.21 km) inland from the English Channel. The parish includes the coastal hamlet of Seatown, which lies less than 1 mile (1.6 km) to the south on the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site. Seatown has a long shelving pebble beach, with views up towards the hill which forms Golden Cap, the highest cliff (191 metres) on the south coast of England. Fossilised ammonites and belemnites can often be found on the beach due to continued coastal erosion of the soft blue lias clays which make up the cliffs.

Transport

The A35 trunk road between Honiton and Southampton passes through Chideock, which was the first village in England to have two speed cameras installed in response to perceived excessive speed. The National Trust refused permission for a prospective bypass over land it owns to the north of Golden Cap, citing its importance as an area of natural beauty. On 4 May 2010 a protest against the lack of a bypass was initiated by some residents and involved constant operation of a pedestrian crossing at the centre of the village for one hour's duration every week.[6] This campaign continued for a year and may result in restrictions on heavy goods vehicles in the village.[7]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Area: Chideock (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 January 2014. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Roland Gant (1980). Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. pp. 122—3. ISBN 0 7091 8135 3. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Reginald J W Hammond (1979). Dorset Coast (4 ed.). Ward Lock Ltd. pp. 36—7. ISBN 0 7063 5494 X. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Peter Booton (May 2012). "Booton Foot Trails: Chideock, Golden Cap and Seatown". Dorset Life Magazine. Retrieved 22 January 2014. 
  5. ↑ J.H. Bettey (1974). Dorset. David & Charles. p. 99. ISBN 0 7153 6371 9. 
  6. ↑ Protest pensioner halts A35 traffic in Dorset at bbc.co.uk
  7. ↑ Light at the end of tunnel for Dorset road campaign. Retrieved 7th Feb 2012

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chideock.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.