Todber, Dorset
Historical Description
Todbere, a small parish in Dorsetshire, 4 miles from Sturminster Newton station on the Somerset and Dorset railway, 4½ of Gillingham station on the L. & S.W.R., and 4 W of Shaftesbury. Post town, Blandford; telegraph office, Marnhull. Acreage, 386; population, 138. With the exception of 21 acres of glebe, the land belongs to Lord Stalbridge. The living is attached to Stour Provost, and is in the gift of King's College, Cambridge. The old parish church, except the quaint little tower, was rebuilt in 1879 by the late Marchioness of Westminster.
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 | Redlane | |
| Poor Law union | Shaftesbury | 1836 - |
| Registration district | Shaftesbury | |
| Registration sub-district | Gillingham |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Census Records
We have transcribed the 1901 census for Todber
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1653. 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
dedication unknown (parish church)
The parish church, dedication unknown, was rebuilt, with the exception of the tower, in 1879, by Elizabeth Marchioness of Westminster, on the old site, in the Early English and Perpendicular styles: it consists of chancel, nave, vestry, and a tower containing 2 bells, dated 1736-7, one of which was recast in 1879: there is a memorial window to the Rev. Richard Pratt M.A. for 17 years curate of this church and Stour Provost, d. 1878: the communion table is formed of the ancient altar stone, supported on massive pedestals of oak: the oak pulpit is a simple but elegant work of the Caroline period: the octagonal font is surmounted by a carved oak cover.
Civil Registration
For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.
Todber was in Shaftesbury Registration District from 1837 to 1937 and Sturminster Registration District from 1937 to 1974
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Todber from the following:
Land and Property
The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Dorset is available to browse.
Maps
Online maps of Todber 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.