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Belchalwell, Dorset

Historical Description

Bellchalwell, a parish in Dorsetshire, 3 miles from Shillingstone railway station on the Somerset and Dorset railway. Post town, Blandford; money order office, Okeford Fitzpaine; telegraph office, Shillingstone. Population of the ecclesiastical parish, with Ibberton, 298. The living is a rectory, united with that of Ibberton, in the diocese of Salisbury; net value, about £320. The church has a Norman porch and a square tower, and is very good; it was reseated in 1872. The chancel was restored in 1893. The handsome new open roof is a copy of the old one, of which one truss with its mouldings was discovered out of its place within the roof over the nave. The church, like that at Ibberton, is built at one end of the parish on a hill.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyDorsetshire 
DioceseBristol1542 - 1836
DioceseSalisbury1836 -
HundredCranborne 
Poor Law unionSturminster1835 -
Registration districtSturminster 
Registration sub-districtSturminster 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Church Records

The parish register of baptisms, marriages and burials begins in 1842, the earlier registers having been destroyed by fire. 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).

We have transcribed the Marriages at Belchalwell, 1843-1922


Churches

Church of England

St. Aldhelm (parish church)

The parish church of St. Aldhelm is a plain building of stone, consisting of chancel, nave of three bays, north aisle, and has a fine Norman south porch and a square embattled tower on the south side, containing one bell; it was reseated in 1872, and has subsequently been restored: there are 100 sittings.

Belchalwell parish church
Belchalwell parish church
Belchalwell parish church
Belchalwell parish church


Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Bellchalwell was in Sturminster Registration District from 1837 to 1884


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Belchalwell from the following:


Land and Property

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Dorset is available to browse.


Maps

Online maps of Belchalwell are available from a number of sites:


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.

DistrictNorth Dorset
CountyDorset
RegionSouth West
CountryEngland
Postal districtDT11
Post TownBlandford Forum

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