Melbury Bubb, Dorset
Historical Description
Melbury Bubb, a parish in Dorsetshire, under Bubb-Down, 1½ mile N by E of Evershot station on the G.W.R.,. and 5½ miles NW of Cerne Abbas. It contains the tithing of Woolcombe. Post town, Dorchester. Acreage, 1243;. population of the civil parish, 120; of the ecclesiastical, 624. Bubb Down is a conspicuous landmark, was formerly a beacon station, and commands a very extensive and beautiful view. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Salisbury, with the rectory of Frome St Quintin and the chapelry of Evershot annexed; joint value, £450 with residence. Patron,. The Earl of Ilchester. The church was rebuilt in 1854, and retains the tower of a previous edifice; there is a quantity of very beautiful glass work in the building.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
Ancient County | Dorsetshire | |
Diocese | Bristol | 1542 - 1836 |
Diocese | Salisbury | 1836 - |
Ecclesiastical parish | Melbury-Bubb St. Mary | |
Hundred | Yetminster | |
Poor Law union | Cerne | 1835 - |
Registration district | Dorchester | |
Registration sub-district | Cerne |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The register dates from the year 1750. The original register books are now deposited with the Dorset Archives Service, but have been digitised by Ancestry.co.uk and made available on their site (subscription required).
Churches
Church of England
St. Mary (parish church)
The parish church of St. Mary, rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, in 1854, is a small building of stone in the Gothic style, consisting of chancel, nave and embattled southern tower containing 4 bells: the windows retain pre-Reformation glass of the time of Edward IV. partly restored in 1887 by the Earl of Ilchester and in 1888 by Dr. and Mrs. Buckler: a memorial window was placed in 1888 to the late Rev. Barfoot Saunt: there are 100 sittings. A cross of Portland stone, 15 feet in height, was erected in the churchyard about 1903.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Melbury Bubb was in Cerne Registration District from 1837 to 1838, Dorchester Registration District from 1838 to 1937, and Sturminster Registration District from 1937 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Melbury Bubb from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Melbury-Bubb (St. Mary))
- Hunt & Co.'s Directory of Dorsetshire, Hampshire, & Wiltshire 1851
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Dorset is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Melbury Bubb are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the Dorset County Chronicle and the Sherborne Mercury online.
Visitations Heraldic
The Visitation of Dorset, 1623 is available on the Heraldry page.