Sandford Orcas
Encyclopedia
Sandford Orcas is a village and parish
in north west Dorset
, England
, three miles north of Sherborne
The village has a population
of 195 . Just to the east of the village itself is the hamlet of Holway. The village lies in hill country on the Dorset/Somerset county border, and was in fact part of Somerset
until 1896, with the land connected to the Abbot of Glastonbury.
The poetic-sounding village name has a more prosaic explanation. Three streams rise in the parish and in Saxon
times, the water was forded over a sandy bottom from which the name Sand
Ford
derives. The 'Orcas' descends from the Norman Orescuilz family, who came to own the village manor in the century after the Battle of Hastings
. The village was known as Sanford in 1086 (Domesday Book), Sandford in 1243, Sandford Horscoys in 1372, and Samford Orescoys in 1427. The present manor house
goes back five hundred years to the Tudors
and although built at the time Christopher Columbus
was sailing west on his famous expedition, it has changed little since.
The parish was part of the hundred of Horethorne
.
Next door to the manor house is the Perpendicular
church of Saint Nicholas
, which has an interesting 13th-century font
, shaped like an upturned Canterbury
bell. In the south chapel is a strange wall monument of carved and painted alabaster
, showing a knight in armour kneeling between his two wives and eleven children. Seven children kneel, in black gowns and the others are in swaddling clothes of red and lying in a heap behind their mother. The knight, who rests below the memorial is William Knoyle who died a few years before Shakespeare. The reading on the stone gives us more information on this strange tomb, dated 1607. It seems he married 'fillip, daughter of Robert Morgane by whom hee had yssve 4 children and bee dead'. The knight's second wife was Grace Clavel, by whom he had three sons and four daughters, who survived him.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in north west 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...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, three miles north of Sherborne
Sherborne
Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...
The village has a population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 195 . Just to the east of the village itself is the hamlet of Holway. The village lies in hill country on the Dorset/Somerset county border, and was in fact part of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
until 1896, with the land connected to the Abbot of Glastonbury.
The poetic-sounding village name has a more prosaic explanation. Three streams rise in the parish and in Saxon
Anglo-Saxons
Anglo-Saxon is a term used by historians to designate the Germanic tribes who invaded and settled the south and east of Great Britain beginning in the early 5th century AD, and the period from their creation of the English nation to the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxon Era denotes the period of...
times, the water was forded over a sandy bottom from which the name Sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
Ford
Ford (crossing)
A ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
derives. The 'Orcas' descends from the Norman Orescuilz family, who came to own the village manor in the century after the Battle of Hastings
Battle of Hastings
The Battle of Hastings occurred on 14 October 1066 during the Norman conquest of England, between the Norman-French army of Duke William II of Normandy and the English army under King Harold II...
. The village was known as Sanford in 1086 (Domesday Book), Sandford in 1243, Sandford Horscoys in 1372, and Samford Orescoys in 1427. The present 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...
goes back five hundred years to the Tudors
Tudor dynasty
The Tudor dynasty or House of Tudor was a European royal house of Welsh origin that ruled the Kingdom of England and its realms, including the Lordship of Ireland, later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1485 until 1603. Its first monarch was Henry Tudor, a descendant through his mother of a legitimised...
and although built at the time Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus was an explorer, colonizer, and navigator, born in the Republic of Genoa, in northwestern Italy. Under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, he completed four voyages across the Atlantic Ocean that led to general European awareness of the American continents in the...
was sailing west on his famous expedition, it has changed little since.
The parish was part of the hundred of Horethorne
Horethorne (hundred)
The Hundred of Horethorne is one of the 40 historical Hundreds in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, dating from before the Norman conquest during the Anglo-Saxon era although exact dates are unknown. Each hundred had a 'fyrd', which acted as the local defence force and a court which was...
.
Next door to the manor house is the Perpendicular
Perpendicular
In geometry, two lines or planes are considered perpendicular to each other if they form congruent adjacent angles . The term may be used as a noun or adjective...
church of Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas
Saint Nicholas , also called Nikolaos of Myra, was a historic 4th-century saint and Greek Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nikolaos the Wonderworker...
, which has an interesting 13th-century font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, shaped like an upturned Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
bell. In the south chapel is a strange wall monument of carved and painted alabaster
Alabaster
Alabaster is a name applied to varieties of two distinct minerals, when used as a material: gypsum and calcite . The former is the alabaster of the present day; generally, the latter is the alabaster of the ancients...
, showing a knight in armour kneeling between his two wives and eleven children. Seven children kneel, in black gowns and the others are in swaddling clothes of red and lying in a heap behind their mother. The knight, who rests below the memorial is William Knoyle who died a few years before Shakespeare. The reading on the stone gives us more information on this strange tomb, dated 1607. It seems he married 'fillip, daughter of Robert Morgane by whom hee had yssve 4 children and bee dead'. The knight's second wife was Grace Clavel, by whom he had three sons and four daughters, who survived him.