Affpuddle
Encyclopedia
Affpuddle is a small village
and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset
in South West England
, 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Dorchester. The local travel links are 3 miles (4.8 km) from the village to Moreton railway station
and 20 miles (32.2 km) to Bournemouth International Airport. Part of the village street is the B3390, which divides the village into two. The parish has a population of 402 according to the 2001 Census
, whilst the linear village itself has a winter time population of about 36, which increases to as many as 70 on high days and holidays.
The village is in the Piddle valley
, just north of the Purbeck
conifer plantations and heathland, in a valley beside the villages of Tolpuddle
and Puddletown
. The village is linear and made of brick, stone and thatched cottages and has a 13th-century church dedicated to St Laurence.
as Affapidela, having a manor house
belonging to the Abbot
of Cerne
. After the Dissolution
the village became an estate of the Lawrence family, an ancestor of whom married the heiress of a branch of the Washington family, from another branch of which descended George Washington
. The Washington arms
was quartered by the Lawrences and thus appears on the north wall of the chancel
in the village church on a Lawrence monument. The church of St Laurence is noted for its elaborate pew
s, dated 1545 or 1547, and the finely carved pulpit
, undated but in a very similar style. The church dates from the 13th century but was enlarged by an aisle and a tower in the 15th century. Other features of interest are the Norman font and south doorway.
The village later belonged to the Framptons of Moreton
, noted for their involvement with the Tolpuddle Martyrs
. John Lock who gave key evidence against them also lived in the village.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and civil parish in the Purbeck district of Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
in South West England
South West England
South West England is one of the regions of England defined by the Government of the United Kingdom for statistical and other purposes. It is the largest such region in area, covering and comprising Bristol, Gloucestershire, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly. ...
, 9 miles (14.5 km) east of Dorchester. The local travel links are 3 miles (4.8 km) from the village to Moreton railway station
Moreton railway station
Moreton railway station may refer to two railway stations in England:*Moreton railway station*Moreton railway station...
and 20 miles (32.2 km) to Bournemouth International Airport. Part of the village street is the B3390, which divides the village into two. The parish has a population of 402 according to the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, whilst the linear village itself has a winter time population of about 36, which increases to as many as 70 on high days and holidays.
The village is in the Piddle valley
River Piddle
The River Piddle or Trent or North River is a small rural Dorset river which rises next to Alton Pancras church and flows south and then south-easterly more or less parallel with its bigger neighbour, the River Frome, to Wareham, where they both enter Poole Harbour via...
, just north of the Purbeck
Purbeck
Purbeck is a local government district in Dorset, England. The district is named after the Isle of Purbeck, a peninsula that forms a large proportion of the district's area. However the district extends significantly further north and west than the traditional boundary of the Isle of Purbeck along...
conifer plantations and heathland, in a valley beside the villages of Tolpuddle
Tolpuddle
Tolpuddle is a small village in the southern English county of Dorset, situated in the Piddle valley, eight miles east of Dorchester and 12 miles west of Poole. The village has a population of 331 ....
and Puddletown
Puddletown
Puddletown is a village in Dorset, England, 5 miles east of Dorchester in the River Piddle valley. The village has a population of 1,177 , of which 30.3% are retired....
. The village is linear and made of brick, stone and thatched cottages and has a 13th-century church dedicated to St Laurence.
History
The village was established during or before the Saxon era, and was mentioned in the Domesday BookDomesday Book
Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...
as Affapidela, having a manor house
Manor house
A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...
belonging to the Abbot
Abbot
The word abbot, meaning father, is a title given to the head of a monastery in various traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not actually the head of a monastery...
of Cerne
Cerne Abbas
Cerne Abbas is a village located in the valley of the River Cerne, between steep chalk downland in central Dorset, England. The village is located just to the east of the A352 road north of Dorchester. There was a population of 732 at the 2001 census, a figure which has fallen from 780 in 1998.In...
. After the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
the village became an estate of the Lawrence family, an ancestor of whom married the heiress of a branch of the Washington family, from another branch of which descended George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
. The Washington arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
was quartered by the Lawrences and thus appears on the north wall of the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
in the village church on a Lawrence monument. The church of St Laurence is noted for its elaborate pew
Pew
A pew is a long bench seat or enclosed box used for seating members of a congregation or choir in a church, or sometimes in a courtroom.-Overview:Churches were not commonly furnished with permanent pews before the Protestant Reformation...
s, dated 1545 or 1547, and the finely carved pulpit
Pulpit
Pulpit is a speakers' stand in a church. In many Christian churches, there are two speakers' stands at the front of the church. Typically, the one on the left is called the pulpit...
, undated but in a very similar style. The church dates from the 13th century but was enlarged by an aisle and a tower in the 15th century. Other features of interest are the Norman font and south doorway.
The village later belonged to the Framptons of Moreton
Moreton, Dorset
Moreton is a village in Dorset, England, situated on the River Frome eight miles east of Dorchester. The village has a population of 270 . It has a number of long distance foot paths and cycle ways passing through it: the Purbeck cycle way, Route 2 , the Frome valley trail, the Jubilee trail, and...
, noted for their involvement with the Tolpuddle Martyrs
Tolpuddle Martyrs
The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century Dorset agricultural labourers who were arrested for and convicted of swearing a secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society show it was clearly structured as a friendly society and operated as...
. John Lock who gave key evidence against them also lived in the village.