Melbury Osmond
| Melbury Osmond | |
 Parish church of St Osmund |
|
  Melbury Osmond Melbury Osmond shown within Dorset | |
| Population | 199 |
|---|---|
| District | West Dorset |
| Shire county | Dorset |
| Region | South West |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
Melbury Osmond is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the West Dorset administrative district, about 7 miles (11 km) south of the Somerset town of Yeovil. It is sited on Cornbrash limestone soil, with adjacent Oxford clay.[1] Within the clay can be found deposits of stone which can take on a very high polish, earning them the name "Melbury marble".[2] The village is mentioned in the Domesday Book as a possession of the Arundell family, and remained so until the 19th century. The parish church, St. Osmund's, was totally rebuilt in 1745[3] and restored in 1888, although it has registers dating back to 1550. In the 2011 Census the parish recorded a population of 199.[4]
The major part of Melbury Osmond village lies on a cul-de-sac lane which from the church descends past cottages to a stream and ford. The attractive appearance of the village has been noted by commentators: it has been described as "a calendarsmith's dream of thatched cottages"[5] and in 1905 Sir Frederick Treves wrote that it was "the most charming village in these Western backwoods".[3]
In its history the village has been involved in the trade of plated buckles and horn buttons, and the manufacture of dowlas.[3]
There are 34 listed buildings and structures within the parish, including the Grade II* Old Rectory and the Grade I parish church.[6]
Thomas Hardy's mother lived in Melbury Osmond as a child, and she was married in the church.[7] The village appears as "Little Hintock" in Hardy's novel The Woodlanders, in which the heroine's name is "Grace Melbury". Hardy also incorporated a legend about the Duke of Monmouth taking refuge in one of the village's cottages into his short story "The Duke's Reappearance".[7]
References
- ↑ Ralph Wightman (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 18. ISBN 0 7090 0844 9.
- ↑ West Dorset District Council, Holiday and Tourist Guide, c.1983, p13
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Treves, Sir F., Highways and Byways in Dorset, Macmillan, 1905, pp322-323
- ↑ "Neighbourhood Statistics. Area: Melbury Osmond (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
- ↑ Roland Gant (1980). Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. p. 104. ISBN 0 7091 8135 3.
- ↑ "Listed Buildings in Melbury Osmond, Dorset, England". British Listed Buildings. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Ken Ayres (October 2007). "Melbury Osmond". Dorset Life. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Melbury Osmond. |
