Compton Valence, Dorset
Historical Description
Compton-Vallence or East Compton, a parish in Dorsetshire, 3½ miles from Maiden Newton station on the G.W.R., and 8 WNW of Dorchester. It has a post office, of the name of Compton-Vallence, under Dorchester; money order and telegraph office, Maiden Newton. Acreage, 1322; population, 115. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Salisbury; value, £263 with residence. The church was rebuilt, except the tower, which is ancient, in 1840, in the Later English style, after designs by Ferrey.
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 - |
| Liberty | Frampton | |
| Poor Law union | Dorchester | 1836 - |
| Registration district | Dorchester | |
| Registration sub-district | Maiden Newton |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register of baptisms, marriages and burials begins in 1655. 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. Thomas of Canterbury (parish church)
The parish church of St. Thomas of Canterbury is a building of stone, in the Gothic style of the 15th century, consisting of chancel, nave, north aisle, south porch and an embattled western tower, containing a clock and 4 bells: the church, with the exception of the tower, was rebuilt and a north aisle added in 1839: there are 150 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Compton Valence was in Dorchester Registration District from 1837 to 1949 and Weymouth Registration District from 1949 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Compton Valence from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Compton-Vallence (St. Thomas à Becket))
- 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 Compton Valence 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.