Stratton, Dorset

Stratton
War memorial & St. Mary's parish church
Stratton  Stratton shown within Dorset
Population	592 (2011 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SY651938
District	West Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dorchester
Postcode district	DT2
Dialling code	01305
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
UK Parliament	West Dorset
Website	Stratton Dorset
List of places UK England Dorset

Stratton is a civil parish in West Dorset, England, in the Frome valley about 3 miles (4.8 km) north-west of Dorchester. The parish includes the village itself and the hamlets of Grimstone, Ash Hill and Wrackleford, all of which lie on or near main road, the A37. Ash Hill is a small estate east of the village near the railway. Wrackleford is a group of houses further east and centred about Wrackleford House and including Higher Wrackleford and Lower Wrackleford. In addition there are a number of isolated farms and houses including a few in an area called Langford near the Sydling Water in the north-west part of the parish.

The name Stratton means 'Farm on the Street'. The Street referred to the Roman road from Durnovaria (Dorchester) to Lindinis (Ilchester) which passes through the village.

The parish has an area of about 1,710 acres (690 ha). Most of this is agricultural land lying north of the village where the land rises from about 250 feet (76 m) to about 620 feet (190 m). Stratton parish is bounded by the parishes of Bradford Peverell, Frampton, Sydling St. Nicholas, Godmanstone and Charminster.

Administrative areas

Stratton has its own Parish Council, it is in the Frome Valley ward of West Dorset District Council and the Three Valleys ward of Dorset County Council.^[2]

Rivers

The southern boundary of the parish between it and Bradford Peverell is generally marked by the River Frome. An area mainly north of the river is a flood plain and at the northern edge of this and close to the village is a winterbourne called the Wrackle which aids the flow of the main river. One well used footpath crosses the flood plain between the village and Bradford Peverell while another less well used one crosses between Grimstone and Muckleford.

The western boundary of the parish between it and Frampton is generally marked by Sydling Water.

Early monuments

Jackman's Cross

The principal monument in the parish is the Celtic settlement on Grimstone Down.^[3] This consists of traces of Celtic fields covering more than.100 acres (40 ha) near the centre of this area, between the field-banks, several hollowed tracks converge on a series of smaller enclosures which indicate the position of the main settlement. See an air photo of the settlement and another here

As well as the Celtic settlement there is a number of Bronze Age barrow.

Near here is the base of a mediaeval cross called Jackman's Cross. A new stone cross and bench nearby were erected to mark the Millennium.

Roads

Refer to Ronald Good's book^[4] for more details.

The village lies on or near the Roman road linking Durnovaria (Dorchester) with Lindinis (Ilchester). This road passed through Bradford Peverell and crossed the River Frome and its flood plain, passed the current village and then followed a line approximately along the track to Grimstone Dairy, then near Grimstone Viaduct and then along the line of the A37 towards Yeovil on the section known as Long Ash Lane.

By mediaeval times it seems that although the same line was used for the main road west of the village, to the east an alternative route was used. This followed the current line of the A37 to Wrackleford, then through Charminster, up East Hill and then into Dorchester through Burton.

A Turnpike trust, the Maiden Newton Trust, was established in 1777-8 and included the main road through the parish. It seems that originally the same line was used for this turnpike. A route from Frampton to the main road near Winterbourne Steepleton was included in this trust but did not pass through the Stratton parish, being on a more direct route near Muckleford. In 1797-8 a continuing act was passed for this trust. This 1797-8 act changed part of the line of the main road and part of the route from Frampton to the main road at Winterbourne Steepleton to what are now the existing roads. The part of the future A37 between Stratton village and Grimstone kept to a more level route south of the previous route and linked up to a new road near Muckleford on the route towards Winterbourne Steepleton at a point called Brewers Ash. The toll house at this corner still exists. The original route from Muckleford directly to Frampton fell into disuse. There had been a toll gate in Grimstone before this date but this must have been at a different location.

Although not in Stratton parish, it may be noted that it was not until the third continuing act of 1840 that the new road between Wrackleford and Dorchester was authorized. This left the previous route just west of Charminster and crossed the meadows to join the previous road at the Bottom of the Grove in Dorchester, the now familiar road into Dorchester.

The last major change to the route of the main road within the parish was the Stratton bypass. This was built in 1967 between the village and the railway line and necessitated the demolition of the village school which stood at the west end of the village near the railway line.

The railway

The Castle Cary-Weymouth Heart of Wessex Line passes through the parish. This was originally part of the Wiltshire, Somerset & Weymouth Railway which opened on 20 January 1857 and later became part of the Great Western Railway.

The broad gauge Wiltshire, Somerset & Weymouth Railway was incorporated in 1845. However in 1848 work on the line stopped completely. In 1850 the Great Western Railway assumed responsibility for the line but it was not until 1857 that the line opened. The line was converted to standard gauge in 1874, a change that took just five days.^[5]

The first reference to the railway in the Parish registers is on 29 August 1847 when two children were baptised whose fathers were recorded as "Miner on the Wilts & Somerset Railroad". The Parish registers also record the burials of two men connected with the railway who died before its opening. On 6 November 1854 Alfred Needs was buried. He was 16 years old and was "killed by a truck on the rail road". On 25 January 1855 George Moss, aged 46, "Railway Labourer", was buried.

From the north-west the railway enters the parish soon after leaving the Frampton Tunnel. The railway then passes over Grimstone Viaduct, under which passes Sydling Water and the road from Sydling St. Nicholas. The railway then passes Grimstone and Frampton railway station before entering a cutting. It then passes north of Stratton village, past Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt, over the A37 and then over the River Frome as it leaves the parish towards Dorchester. Three footpaths near the village cross the railway line.

Grimstone and Frampton railway station is in the hamlet of Grimstone at the western edge of the parish and was part of the original railway. Bradford Peverell & Stratton Halt was opened in 1933. British Railways closed both stations in 1966.

Church and chapel

The Church of England parish church of Saint Mary is at the centre of the village. The walls are of local rubble stone with dressings of the same material. The roofs are tiled, lead and stone slates.^[3]

The West Tower is 14th or 15th century and has a ring of five bells. The church bells have recently been renovated and many photos can be seen on the village web site. The tower has a 16th-century five-sided enclosed oak staircase. It is supported by a moulded post and is believed to be of unique design.^{[citation needed]}

The remainder of the parish church was largely rebuilt in 1891.

The Nave has a number of 15th century windows with traces of mediaeval glass. The early south doorway is now blocked. The north porch is modern.

For a long period up to the rebuilding the Church had no Chancel, the chancel arch having been bricked up. In 1891 a new chancel and chancel arch were built, and the original chancel arch was incorporated into the west wall of the new chancel.

The Parish registers date from Christmas Day 1561, the first entry recording the burial of a John Lymington on that day.

St Mary's parish is part of the United Benefice of Bradford Peverell, Stratton, Frampton and Sydling St. Nicholas, known unofficially as the "Chalk Stream Churches".

The Friends of St Mary's Church is a voluntary body that holds regular fundraising events to help defray the costs of maintaining the fabric of the church and churchyard.

A Methodist chapel was built in the village in 1912 and closed in 1971. It was sold in 1975 and is now a private home.

War Memorial

The village War memorial is just outside the churchyard. It records the names of ten men who died in the Great War and three who died in The Second World War. It was dedicated on 30 November 1919.

The four officers mentioned on the Great War section are Alexander, Percy and Charles Pope, sons of Alfred and Elizabeth Mary Pope of Wrackleford and Alan Roderick Haig-Brown who was their brother-in-law, having married Violet Mary Pope, a daughter of Alfred and Elizabeth Mary. A plaque in the church gives more details of these four men.

Lists of men of the parish who served in the Great War and The Second World War are in the church.

Amenities

The village has a public house, The Saxon Arms, a new Village Hall, a village green with a play area and a sports field.

Villagers

The footballer Trevor Senior was born in the parish in 1961.

Population

The table below shows the population of the parish since the first UK census of 1801.

In 1989 a local landowner sold some land to developers. The major residential development on this land accounts for most of the increase in population between the 1991 and 2011 censuses.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Stratton, Dorset.

• Stratton OPC page

v t e Towns, villages and hamlets in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England Abbotsbury Allington Alton Pancras Askerswell Batcombe Beaminster Beer Hackett Bettiscombe Bincombe Bishop's Caundle Bothenhampton Bradford Abbas Bradford Peverell Bradpole Bridport Broadwindsor Buckland Newton Burstock Burton Bradstock Castleton Catherston Leweston Cattistock Caundle Marsh Cerne Abbas Charminster Charmouth Chedington Cheselbourne Chetnole Chickerell Chideock Chilfrome Clifton Maybank Compton Valence Corscombe Crossways Dewlish Dorchester Drimpton East Chelborough Evershot Eype Fleet Folke Frampton Frome St Quintin Frome Vauchurch Godmanstone Halstock Hermitage Hilfield Holnest Holwell Hooke Langton Herring Leigh Lillington Littlebredy Litton Cheney Loders Long Bredy Longburton Lyme Regis Maiden Newton Mapperton Marshwood Melbury Bubb Melbury Osmond Melcombe Horsey Minterne Magna Mosterton Netherbury Nether Cerne Nether Compton North Wootton Oborne Osmington Osmington Mills Over Compton Owermoigne Piddlehinton Piddletrenthide Plush Portesham Poundbury Powerstock Poyntington Puddletown Puncknowle Purse Caundle Rampisham Ryall Ryme Intrinseca Sandford Orcas Seaborough Seatown Sherborne Shipton Gorge South Perrott Stanton St Gabriel Stinsford Stoke Abbott Stratton Swyre Sydling St Nicholas Symondsbury Thorncombe Thornford Tincleton Toller Fratrum Toller Porcorum Toller Whelme Tolpuddle Trent Uploders Walditch Warmwell West Bay West Bexington West Knighton West Milton West Stafford Whitchurch Canonicorum Whitcombe Winterborne Came Winterborne Monkton Winterborne St Martin Winterbourne Abbas Winterbourne Steepleton Woodsford Wootton Fitzpaine Wraxall Wynford Eagle Yetminster