Dorchester, Oxfordshire
Encyclopedia
Dorchester-on-Thames is a village and civil parish on the River Thame
in Oxfordshire
, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Wallingford and 8 miles (12.9 km) southeast of Oxford
. Despite its name, Dorchester is not on the River Thames
, but just above the Thame's confluence with it. Historically the Thames was only so-named downstream of the village; upstream it is named the Isis
, and Ordnance Survey
maps continue to label the river as "River Thames or Isis" until Dorchester. Practically, however, this distinction is rarely used outside of the City of Oxford
.
, a ramparted settlement was inhabited during the Bronze Age
and Iron Age
. Two of the Sinodun hills bear distinctive landmarks of mature trees called Wittenham Clumps
. Adjacent to the village are Dyke Hills which are also the remains of an Iron Age hill fort
.
Dorchester's position on the navigable Thames
and bounded on three sides by water made it strategic for both communications and defence. The Romans
built a vicus
here, with a road
linking the town to a military
camp at Alchester, 16 miles (25 km) to the north. The settlement's Roman name is unclear; back-formations from Bede
's Dorcic are unsupported.
In 634 Pope Honorius I
sent a bishop
called Birinus
to convert the Saxons
of the Thames Valley
to Christianity
. King Cynegils of Wessex
gave Dorchester to Birinus as the seat of a new Diocese of Dorchester
under a Bishop of Dorchester; the diocese was extremely large, and covered most of Wessex
and Mercia
. The settled nature of the bishopric made Dorchester in a broad sense the de facto capital of Wessex, which was later to become the dominant kingdom in England; eventually Winchester
displaced it.
In the 12th century the church was enlarged to serve a community of Augustinian
canons
. King Henry VIII
dissolved the Abbey
in 1536, leaving the small village with a huge parish church.
is both the village's Church of England parish church
and its main tourist attraction. The Abbey has a museum.
Of the ten original coaching inns, two remain - The George and The White Hart.
Nearby is Day's Lock
on the Thames
, where the annual World Poohsticks
Championship is held.
River Thame
The River Thame is a river in Southern England. It is a tributary of the larger and better-known River Thames.The general course of the River Thame is north-east to south-west and the distance from its source to the River Thames is about 40 miles...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of Wallingford and 8 miles (12.9 km) southeast of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. Despite its name, Dorchester is not on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, but just above the Thame's confluence with it. Historically the Thames was only so-named downstream of the village; upstream it is named the Isis
The Isis
The Isis is the name given to the part of the River Thames above Iffley Lock which flows through the city of Oxford. The name is especially used in the context of rowing at the University of Oxford...
, and Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
maps continue to label the river as "River Thames or Isis" until Dorchester. Practically, however, this distinction is rarely used outside of the City of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
History
The area has been inhabited since at least the Neolithic. In the north of the parish there was a Neolithic sacred site, now largely destroyed by gravel pits. On one of the Sinodun hills on the opposite side of the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, a ramparted settlement was inhabited during the Bronze Age
Bronze Age Britain
Bronze Age Britain refers to the period of British history that spanned from c. 2,500 until c. 800 BC. Lasting for approximately 1700 years, it was preceded by the era of Neolithic Britain and was in turn followed by the era of Iron Age Britain...
and Iron Age
British Iron Age
The British Iron Age is a conventional name used in the archaeology of Great Britain, referring to the prehistoric and protohistoric phases of the Iron-Age culture of the main island and the smaller islands, typically excluding prehistoric Ireland, and which had an independent Iron Age culture of...
. Two of the Sinodun hills bear distinctive landmarks of mature trees called Wittenham Clumps
Wittenham Clumps
Wittenham Clumps is the commonly used name for a set of small hills in the flat Thames Valley, in the civil parish of Little Wittenham in the English county of Oxfordshire....
. Adjacent to the village are Dyke Hills which are also the remains of an Iron Age hill fort
Hill fort
A hill fort is a type of earthworks used as a fortified refuge or defended settlement, located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typically European and of the Bronze and Iron Ages. Some were used in the post-Roman period...
.
Dorchester's position on the navigable Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
and bounded on three sides by water made it strategic for both communications and defence. The Romans
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
built a vicus
Vicus
Vicus may refer to:*Vicus , plural vici, a neighborhood or local administrative unit of ancient Rome**Vicus Tuscus in Rome**Vicus Jugarius, leading into the Roman Forum** Gensis in Moesia Superior...
here, with a road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
linking the town to a military
Military history of ancient Rome
From its origin as a city-state in Italy in the 8th century BC, to its rise as an empire covering much of Southern Europe, Western Europe, Near East and North Africa and fall in the 5th century AD, the political history of Ancient Rome was typically closely entwined with its military history...
camp at Alchester, 16 miles (25 km) to the north. The settlement's Roman name is unclear; back-formations from Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
's Dorcic are unsupported.
In 634 Pope Honorius I
Pope Honorius I
Pope Honorius I was pope from 625 to 638.Honorius, according to the Liber Pontificalis, came from Campania and was the son of the consul Petronius. He became pope on October 27, 625, two days after the death of his predecessor, Boniface V...
sent a bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
called Birinus
Birinus
Birinus , venerated as a saint, was the first Bishop of Dorchester, and the "Apostle to the West Saxons".-Life and ministry:After Augustine of Canterbury performed initial conversions in England, Birinus, a Frank, came to the kingdoms of Wessex in 634, landing at the port of "Hamwic", now in the...
to convert the Saxons
Saxons
The Saxons were a confederation of Germanic tribes originating on the North German plain. The Saxons earliest known area of settlement is Northern Albingia, an area approximately that of modern Holstein...
of the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. King Cynegils of Wessex
Cynegils of Wessex
Cynegils was King of Wessex from c. 611 to c. 643.Cynegils is traditionally considered to have been King of Wessex, but the familiar kingdoms of the so-called Heptarchy had not yet formed from the patchwork of smaller kingdoms in his lifetime...
gave Dorchester to Birinus as the seat of a new Diocese of Dorchester
Diocese of Dorchester
The Diocese of Dorchester was an Anglo-Saxon Roman Catholic diocese in southern and eastern England.The Bishop of Dorchester had his seat, or cathedra, at Dorchester Abbey in Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire. The Wessex diocese covered most of Hampshire, Berkshire, parts of Oxfordshire and...
under a Bishop of Dorchester; the diocese was extremely large, and covered most of Wessex
Wessex
The Kingdom of Wessex or Kingdom of the West Saxons was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the West Saxons, in South West England, from the 6th century, until the emergence of a united English state in the 10th century, under the Wessex dynasty. It was to be an earldom after Canute the Great's conquest...
and Mercia
Mercia
Mercia was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. It was centred on the valley of the River Trent and its tributaries in the region now known as the English Midlands...
. The settled nature of the bishopric made Dorchester in a broad sense the de facto capital of Wessex, which was later to become the dominant kingdom in England; eventually Winchester
Winchester
Winchester is a historic cathedral city and former capital city of England. It is the county town of Hampshire, in South East England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government district, and is located at the western end of the South Downs, along the course of...
displaced it.
In the 12th century the church was enlarged to serve a community of Augustinian
Augustinians
The term Augustinians, named after Saint Augustine of Hippo , applies to two separate and unrelated types of Catholic religious orders:...
canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
. King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
dissolved the Abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
in 1536, leaving the small village with a huge parish church.
Amenities
Dorchester AbbeyDorchester Abbey
Dorchester Abbey is a Church of England parish church in Dorchester on Thames, Oxfordshire, about southeast of Oxford. It was formerly a Norman abbey church and was built on the site of a Saxon cathedral.-History:...
is both the village's Church of England parish church
Church of England parish church
A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative region, known as a parish.-Parishes in England:...
and its main tourist attraction. The Abbey has a museum.
Of the ten original coaching inns, two remain - The George and The White Hart.
Festivals and events
Dorchester on Thames is the home of a number of annual events:Nearby is Day's Lock
Day's Lock
Day's Lock is a lock on the River Thames near Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England on the Dorchester side of the river.The pound lock was built in 1789 by the Thames Navigation Commissioner...
on the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, where the annual World Poohsticks
Poohsticks
Poohsticks is a game first mentioned in The House at Pooh Corner, a Winnie-the-Pooh book by A. A. Milne. It is a simple game which may be played on any bridge over running water; each player drops a stick on the upstream side of a bridge and the one whose stick first appears on the downstream side...
Championship is held.
Notable people from Dorchester
- Jonty HearndenJonty HearndenJonty Hearnden is an English antiques expert and television presenter. Though born in London Road, Brentwood , he was raised in Dorchester-on-Thames in Oxfordshire.-Education:Hearnden was educated at Shiplake College, an independent...
- antiques expert and television presenter - Mark Wright - footballer and former England captain
- Tom PennyTom PennyTom Penny is a professional skateboarder from Dorchester-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England. He is well known in the skateboarding community for his calm style and natural abilities and as a master of frontside flips and many kickflip variations...
- professional skateboarder