Fortuneswell, Dorset
Historical Description
Fortuneswell, a village in Portland parish, Dorsetshire, 1 mile from Portland station on the G.W.R., and 1½ miles S of Weymouth. It stands connected with Chesilton, occupies higher ground, has a post, money order, and telegraph office, and a good inn, and takes its name from a spring on a height behind the inn, 200 feet above sea-level. This height rises altogether to an altitude of 490 feet, and commands a splendid panoramic view inclusive of the Chesil Bank.
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 - |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The register of St. John the Baptist dates from the year 1839. 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. John the Baptist (parish church)
The church of St. John the Baptist, was erected in 1839, and a district was assigned to it in 1840: it is an edifice of Portland stone, in the Norman style, and consists of chancel, nave, aisles and an embattled western tower, containing a clock and 2 bells: there are 500 sittings.
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Dorset is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Fortuneswell 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)