Purbeck District

Purbeck
Purbeck District
Non-metropolitan district

Purbeck shown within Dorset
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country England
Region South West England
Non-metropolitan county Dorset
Status Non-metropolitan district
Admin HQ Wareham
Incorporated 1 April 1974
Government
 • Type Non-metropolitan district council
 • Body Purbeck District Council
 • Leadership Leader and Cabinet (Conservative)
 • MPs Michael Tomlinson
Richard Drax
Area
 • Total 156.1 sq mi (404.4 km2)
Area rank 102nd (of 326)
Population (mid-2016 est.)
 • Total 46,300
 • Rank 322nd (of 326)
 • Density 300/sq mi (110/km2)
 • Ethnicity 98.8% White
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
 • Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
ONS code 19UG (ONS)
E07000051 (GSS)
OS grid reference SY9223587441
Website www.dorsetforyou.gov.uk

Purbeck is a local government district in Dorset, England. The district is named after the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula that forms a large proportion of the district's area. However the district extends significantly further north and west than the traditional boundary of the Isle of Purbeck along the River Frome. The district council is based in the town of Wareham, which is itself north of the River Frome.

The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974, from the former municipal borough of Wareham, Swanage urban district and Wareham and Purbeck Rural District.

Its name is recorded in 948 AD as Anglo-Saxon Purbicinga, meaning "of the people of Purbic", where Purbic may be a former Celtic name, or may contain a supposed Anglo-Saxon word *pur or "male lamb".

Settlements

Settlements with a population over 2,500 are in bold.

Places of interest

See also

Coordinates: 50°41′9.60″N 2°6′35.71″W / 50.6860000°N 2.1099194°W / 50.6860000; -2.1099194

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