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Maiden Newton

Coordinates:50°46′39″N2°34′22″W/ 50.7775°N 2.5728°W/50.7775; -2.5728
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Maiden Newton
Maiden Newton parish church of St Mary
Maiden Newton is located in Dorset
Maiden Newton
Maiden Newton
Location withinDorset
Population1,119[1]
OS grid referenceSY597977
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDorchester
Postcode districtDT2
Dialling code01300
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°46′39″N2°34′22″W/ 50.7775°N 2.5728°W/50.7775; -2.5728

Maiden Newtonis a village andcivil parishin thecountyofDorsetin south-west England. It lies within theDorset Counciladministrative area, about 9 miles (14 km) north-west of the county town,Dorchester.

Geography

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The village is sited onUpper Greensandat the confluence of theRiver Fromewith its tributary of equivalent size, theHooke.[2]Both these rivers have cut valleys into the surroundingchalkhills of theDorset Downs.TheA356main road passes through the village. In the2011 censusthe parish—which does not include the adjacent settlements ofFrome Vauchurchand Tollerford— had a population of 1,119.[1]

History

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In 1086 in theDomesday Book,Maiden Newton was recorded asNewetone;[3]it had 26 households, 7ploughlands,18 acres (7.3 ha) of meadow and 2 mills. It was inTollerford Hundredand the lord andtenant-in-chiefwasWaleran the Hunter.[4]

Centre of the village of Maiden Newton with the village cross in foreground
Centre of the village of Maiden Newton with the village cross in foreground

Maiden Newton was the basis for the village of Chalk-Newton,South Wessex,in many of the works ofThomas Hardy.In the vicinity of the village is evidence of Roman occupation and early British settlements.[5]The parish church of St Mary contains muchNormanwork, with additions from the 14th and 15th centuries.[5]The shaft of the Village Cross is 15th century and is Grade II*listed.[6]There is also the shaft of a Medieval cross in the churchyard which is a scheduled monument.[7]Maiden Newton is also home to one of the country's oldestfire engines,restored and in full working order,[8]the fire engine house built for it in 1842-3 is a grade II listed building.[9]

Maiden Newton is in anelectoral wardwith the same name, which also contains much of the surrounding countryside including the villages ofWest Compton,Toller Fratrum,Toller PorcorumandHooke.The population of this ward was 2,081 at the 2011 census.[10]

Transport

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The village is served byMaiden Newton railway stationon theHeart of Wessex Line.There was also a railway line from Maiden Newton toBridportwhich opened in 1857 and was extended toWest Bayin 1884. The Bridport branch line was recommended for closure in theBeeching Reportof 1963. By the time the line closed in 1975 it was the last remaining branch line in Dorset. Work is underway to turn the line into a footpath and cycle track.[11]

TheA356passes through the village[12]as doesNational Cycle NetworkRoute 26.[13][14]

Three long distance footpaths theMacmillan Way[15]and theWessex Ridgeway[16]pass through the Village as does the shorterFrome Valley Trail.[17]

References

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  1. ^ab"Area: Maiden Newton (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Retrieved3 March2014.
  2. ^Ralph Wightman(1983).Portrait of Dorset(4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 90.ISBN0-7090-0844-9.
  3. ^"Dorset H-R".The Domesday Book Online.domesdaybook.co.uk.Retrieved2 March2015.
  4. ^"Place: [Maiden] Newton".Open Domesday.domesdaymap.co.uk. Archived fromthe originalon 2 April 2015.Retrieved2 March2015.
  5. ^abWest Dorset District Council,Holiday and Tourist Guide,c.1983, p13
  6. ^Historic England(26 January 1956)."Village Cross (Grade <II*>) (1216391)".National Heritage List for England.
  7. ^"Medieval standing cross 11m south east of the south porch of St Mary's Church, Maiden Newton - 1015044 | Historic England".historicengland.org.uk.Retrieved16 November2021.
  8. ^"Maiden Newton - Visit Dorset".visit-dorset.Retrieved16 November2021.
  9. ^"FIRE ENGINE HOUSE, Maiden Newton - 1088098 | Historic England".historicengland.org.uk.Retrieved16 November2021.
  10. ^"Maiden Newton".ukcensusdata.Retrieved26 February2015.
  11. ^"Bridport, Dorset, UK. Jurassic Coast Golden Gateway".westbay.co.uk.Retrieved16 November2021.
  12. ^ROAD ATLAS GREAT BRITAIN 2022.[S.l.]: AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION. 2021.ISBN978-0-7495-8270-8.OCLC1237397200.
  13. ^"Route 26".Sustrans.Retrieved17 November2021.
  14. ^"National Cycle Network Route 26 - Visit Dorset".visit-dorset.Retrieved22 November2021.
  15. ^"Long Distance Walkers Association".ldwa.org.uk.Retrieved17 November2021.
  16. ^"Long Distance Walkers Association".ldwa.org.uk.Retrieved17 November2021.
  17. ^"Long Distance Walkers Association".ldwa.org.uk.Retrieved17 November2021.

Further reading

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  • From the Ash Tree, Materials for a History of Maiden Newton and Frome Vauchurch, 1997, Edited by H E Wells-Furby, CSC Design & Reprographic
  • Maiden Newton & Frome Vauchurch, A Short Walk and Guide, 2009, Judith Smith
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