Frome Vauchurch, Dorset
Historical Description
Frome Vauchurch, a parish in Dorsetshire, on the river Frome, 1 mile from Maiden Newton station on the G.W.R., and 5½ miles WNW of Cerne Abbas. Post town, Dorchester. Acreage, 488; population of the civil parish, 142; of the ecclesiastical, 265. The living is a rectory, united with the rectory of Batcombe, in the diocese of Salisbury; value, £250 with residence. Patron, the Earl of Sandwich. The church is very small, and was repaired in 1879.
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 - |
| Hundred | Tollerford | |
| 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 1642. 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).
The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Frome Vauchurch, 1667-1812 is online.
Churches
Church of England
dedication unknown (parish church)
The parish church, name unknown, is a small but ancient edifice of flint and rubble, in the Early English style, comprising chancel, nave, south porch, and a western turret containing one bell: the communion plate includes a chalice and cover, dated 1574: the church was repaired in 1879 and affords 60 sittings.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Frome Vauchurch 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 Frome Vauchurch from the following:
- Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Froome-Vauchurch)
- Kelly's Directory of Dorset, 1889
- 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 Frome Vauchurch 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.