Cranborne

Extract from Kelly's Directory 1915

Transcribed for the OPC Project by Valerie Robbins

CRANBORNE is a village and large parish, comprising the village and three hamlets, on the borders of Wiltshire and Hampshire; it is on the road from Wimborne to Salisbury, 4 miles north from Verwood and 4 north-west from Daggons Road station on the Salisbury and Dorset branch line of the London and South Western railway, 10 north-west from Ringwood, 10 north from Wimborne, and 100 from London, in the Northern division of the county, petty sessional division and county court district of Wimborne, hundred of its name, Wimborne and Cranborne union, rural deanery of Wimborne, archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury.

The Chase, formerly belonging to Lord Rivers, was disfranchised in 1830, the River Crane flows through the parish. The village is lighted with oil lamps by the parish council. The church of SS. Mary and Bartholomew (once attached to a monastery, founded about the year 980), rebuilt in 1252 in the Perpendicular and Early English styles, the fine specimen of a Norman doorway in the north porch being the only bit of the previous church incorporated in the present building, consists of chancel (rebuilt in 1875), nave, aisles of six bays, north porch and an embattled western tower containing a clock and 8 bells, 2 of which were added in 1890: the church has a very fine wagon roof, and the pulpit is a good specimen of rude oak carving reputed to be the work of Abbot Parker (ob. 1421). The whole of the oak screen, with the figures and all the other carving in the church, except the pulpit, was done by the late Rev. F,H. Fisher, vicar here from 1888 to 1910, to whose memory a window was placed near the side altar in the year 1910; the west window is a memorial to Edward Stillingfleet, bishop of Worcester 1689-1700, who was born here in 1635, and there are other memorial windows to the late John Tregonwell Esq. d. Oct. 12th 1885, and the late Henry Francis Brouncker Esq. 1897; and in the north aisle is a fine monument (repaired by the Earl of Malmesbury in 1817) to Sir Edward Hooper and family; three frescoes were discovered in the church in 1898; the church has been restored at a cost of £700, and affords 350 sittings. The register dates from the year 1602. the living is a vicarage, with the chapelry of Boveridge annexed, net yearly value £217, with residence, in the gift of the Marquess of Salisbury K.G., P.C., G.C,V.O., C.B and held since 1914 by the Rev. Gerald Monteath Tompson M.A. of New College, Oxford.

St. Aldhelm’s chapel of ease and BOVERIDGE is a plain building of stone, restored and reseated in 1897, and consists of chancel, nave and a turret containing one bell; there are 70 sittings.

There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels. This parish formerly the largest in the county, was divided in 1854 into three separate parishes, respectively Cranborne, Alderholt and Verwood; Cranborne now includes Boveridge, Holwell and Blagdon, mostly scattered places, and although styled hamlets, have no distinctive character such as to entitle them to this appellation. Salisbury Hall, opened in 1894, which will seat about 300 persons, is used for meetings, concerts &c. Petty sessions for the Cranborne sub-division of Wimborne are held at the Constitutional Club Cranborne, once a month. For list of magistrates and places in the division, see Wimborne. A fair used to be held annually on the 6th of December, for pleasure. Hutchin’s charity provides greatcoats, in December, for a number of poor men; another charity, founded in 1831 by John Miles, affords 3s. each weekly to four poor men and four poor women in the area covered by the old parish. At Boveridge are almshouses for five aged persons, who have each a weekly allowance of 5s. Rigby’s charity of £10 is given in doles of 10s.; there is also a sum of £5 12s. given in bread on St. Thomas; Day.

On the Castle Hill, a little south of the town, is a circular fortification, with a well near it, both supposed to be of Saxon origin. The family of Cecil Marquesses of Salisbury, take their second title of Viscounts Cranborne from this place. The Manor House, the seat of the Marquess of Salisbury K.G., G.C,V.O., C.G. is an ancient building, supposed to have been erected about the 12th century, but considerable additions and alterations were made in the reign of Henry V11. The property was given to the Cecils by James 1, or Charles 1, is believed to have been designed by Inigo Jones. The principal landowners are the Marquess of Salisbury K.G., P.C., G.C.V.O., C.B. who is lord of the manor, and C.W. Gordon Esq.

The area is 4,421 acres; rateable value, £3,535; the population in 1911 was 702 in the civil and 801 in the ecclesiastical parish. Oakley and Monkton were, by Local Government Board Order, transferred to Wimborne St. Giles in 1886.

Parish Clerk, Chandos George Adams.

Post, MO & T Office   Edwin James Adams, sub postmaster.  Letters are delivered from Salisbury Wall Letter Box, Boveridge

PUBLIC OFFICERS

Assistant Overseer and Clerk to Parish Council, Francis Watts, Cranborne

Certifying Factory Surgeon, Charles J. Girling M.R.C.S. Eng

Collector of King’s Taxes for Cranborne, Alderholt, Verwood, Edmondsham, Pentridge, Woodlands & East and West Woodyates, George F.C. Davidge.

Coroner for Cranborne District, F.A. Johns, Ringwood, Hants.

Medical Officer and Public Vaccinator, No.3 District, Wimborne and Cranborne Union, Charles J. Girling M.R.C.S.Eng

Relieving Officer, Vaccination Officer and Registrar of Births & Deaths, Cranborne District, Wimborne & Cranborne Union, George F.C. Davidge.

SCHOOLS

Elementary (mixed), built by the Marquess of Salisbury, a master’s residence was added in 1897 fir 150 children;  Henry Vivian Pearce, master.

County Police Station, Frank Willis, sergeant.

Carriers to & from Salisbury – James Colborne, every Tuesday & Saturday; to Wimborne, Aaron Hibberd, Friday.

PRIVATE RESIDENTS

Salisbury the Marquess of K.G. P.C., G.C.V.O., C.B..  
T.D. Manor & Carlton, 
Athenaenin & Travellers’ clubs S W 1, London
Berkely Rev. George J. Manor View
Eden Cecil H. Tregonwell Lodge
Girling Charles John M.B.
Gordon Chas. Wilfred, Boveridge Park.
Thompson Rev. Gerald Monteath M.A. (vicar), Vicarage
Wavell Major-Gen. Archibald Graham C.B., J.P.  The Lodge

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