Sixpenny Handley

Photographs Courtesy of Anne Preston ©

Handley from the Anglo Saxon chronicle  Hanlee 877 Hanlege D.B. meaning High wood clearing OE {hean+leah]. Sixpenny OE  Sexpene {hill of the Saxons {Seaxe+celtic *Penn}. 
Handley a large village in the Hundred of its name, is 4 miles from the Wiltshire border, 5 miles NW Cranborne 10 miles NE Blandford. The rectory is a perpetual curacy. The Church of St Mary is of mainly Gothic architecture with an embattled square tower and a sturdy porch built in stone and of brick interior. It has a splendid wooden beamed roof, the font is of Early English 12^th c with straight supports on each corner, the belfry contains 3 bells. It has been much added to in later years. Two Wesleyan chapels were here and a National School was erected in 1851. Many donated sums of money to the homeless totalling approx £1000 at that time.

Handley has the hamlets of Woodcutts, Newton, Deanland and Minchington with the Chapelry of Gussage St Andrew 3 miles SW now annexed from Handley. Sixpenny-Handley were anciently two separate Hundreds, revenues each year make Sixpenny the more important. It belonged with the chapel of St Andrew to the Abbess of Shaftesbury.  About 1332 Sixpenny disappeared from the records. It reappeared in the 16^th c added to Handley. After the Reformation it was sold to the Glyn family. The Ley family known as ALYE have a memorial plate in the church dating from 1625. Handley is one long street with the church at the top. Worbarrow Hill is famed for its celtic treasure here and can be seen in Farnham Museum.

Sheep farming was the main occupation but other trades were well covered. The population in 1861 was 1,203. Area covering 5,928 acres. A fire in the village in the 19th c made over 200 people homeless

The Online Parish Clerk (OPC) for Sixpenny Handley is Anne Preston

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Entrance to the parish church with the war memorial © Anne Preston

Chapel of St Andrew, courtesy of Peter Walker ©