Abbotsbury

Abbotsbury village is in the Dorset unitary authority administrative area, situated about {{convert|1|mi|km}} inland from the English Channel coast at Chesil Beach, an {{convert|18|mi|km|adj=on}} barrier beach which south of the village encloses The Fleet, a brackish coastal lagoon. The Dorset Downs, an area of rolling chalk hills, rise steeply to the north the village.

Measured directly, the village is about {{convert|7|mi|km}} northwest of Weymouth and {{convert|8|mi|km}} southeast of Bridport.John Bartholomew & Son Ltd (1980), 1:100,000 National Map Series, sheet 4 (Dorset), {{ISBN|0-7028-0327-8}} Abbotsbury is connected to those towns by the B3157, which is the main road running through the village. Abbotsbury is located {{convert|6|mi|km|0}} from Upwey railway station and {{convert|35|mi|km}} from Bournemouth International Airport. The coastline within Abbotsbury civil parish is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site.{{cite web|url=http://jurassiccoast.org/downloads/Getting%20around%20the%20Jurassic%20Coast/world-heritage_site_map.pdf |title=Getting around the Jurassic Coast/world-heritage_site_map |publisher=jurassiccoast.org |access-date=24 March 2015}} All of Abbotsbury parish is within the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.{{cite web |url=http://explorer.geowessex.com/?layers=4805&basemap=27&x=376944.16&y=99635.35&epsg=27700&zoom=10 |title=Dorset Explorer |publisher=Natural England |access-date=24 March 2015 |archive-date=6 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006075621/http://explorer.geowessex.com/?layers=4805&basemap=27&x=376944.16&y=99635.35&epsg=27700&zoom=10 |url-status=dead }}

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|alt = Panorama of the village of Abbotsbury as viewed from the south-west at St Catherine's Chapel

|caption = Panorama of the village of Abbotsbury as viewed from the south-west at St Catherine's Chapel

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File:Abbotsbury, Dorset - Tithe Barn.jpg

{{convert|1+1/2|mi|km|spell=In}} northwest of the village, at the top of Wears Hill, are the earthworks of Abbotsbury Castle, an Iron Age hill fort.{{cite book|title=West Dorset Holiday and Tourist Guide|publisher=West Dorset District Council|year=c. 1983|page=2}} The earthworks cover a roughly triangular area of about {{convert|10|acre|ha}}, of which about {{convert|4.5|acre|ha}} are inside the ramparts.{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=127186 |title=An Inventory of the Ancient and Historical Monuments in West Dorset. Abbotsbury |orig-year=1952 |year=2013 |work=British History Online |publisher=University of London |access-date=17 September 2013}}

In the 10th century a charter of King Edmund records a granting of land at Abbedesburi,Keynes, "The lost cartulary of Abbotsbury", p. 207. a name which indicates the land may have once belonged to an abbot. In the 11th century King Cnut granted land at nearby Portesham to the Scandinavian thegn Orc (also Urki, Urk), who took up residence in the area with his wife Tola.Keynes, "The lost cartulary of Abbotsbury", p. 208. The couple founded Abbotsbury Abbey and enriched it with a substantial amount of land.

In 1086, in the Domesday Book Abbotsbury was recorded as Abedesberie or Abodesberie;{{cite web |url=http://www.domesdaybook.co.uk/dorset1.html |title=Dorset A-G |work=The Domesday Book Online |publisher=domesdaybook.co.uk |access-date=24 March 2015}} it had 62 households, 16 ploughlands, {{convert|32|acre|ha}} of meadow and 2 mills. It was in the hundred of Uggescombe and the lords and tenants-in-chief were Abbotsbury Abbey and Hawise, wife of Hugh son of Grip.{{cite web|url=http://opendomesday.org/place/SY5785/abbotsbury/ |title=Place: Abbotsbury |publisher=opendomesday.org |work=Open Domesday |access-date=24 March 2015}}

Abbotsbury Abbey existed for 500 years, but was destroyed in the dissolution, although the abbey barn survived. Stone from the abbey was used in the construction of many buildings in the village,{{cite book|title=Portrait of Dorset|author=Ralph Wightman|author-link=Ralph Wightman|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|year=1983|edition=4|page=169|isbn=0-7090-0844-9}} including the house of Abbotsbury's new owner, Sir Giles Strangways.{{cite book|title=Dorset Villages|author=Roland Gant|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|year=1980|pages=165–7|isbn=0-7091-8135-3}}

File:Musket ball holes in the pulpit, St Nicholas, Abbotsbury.jpg

In 1644, during the English Civil War, Roundheads (Parliamentarians) and Cavaliers (Royalists) clashed at Abbotsbury. Parliamentarians besieged the Royalists in the church of St. Nicholas;Treves, p242 two bullet holes from the fight remain in the Jacobean pulpit. The Strangways house which had replaced the Abbey after the dissolution was also the scene of a skirmish, as the Royalist Colonel Strangways resisted the Parliamentarians, who besieged the house and burned it. The house gunpowder store exploded in the fire and the house was destroyed, together with the old abbey records which had been stored there.{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=40138|title=Houses of Benedictine monks 1. The Abbey of Abbotsbury|year=2013|publisher=British History Online|access-date=17 September 2013}}

In the late 17th, and early 18th centuries Abbotsbury experienced several fires, resulting in the destruction of virtually all its medieval buildings. Most of the historic secular buildings in the village today were built from stone in the 17th and 18th centuries.{{cite web|url=http://www.dorsetforyou.com/media.jsp?mediaid=163421&filetype=pdf |title=Dorset Historic Towns Survey, Abbotsbury. Post-medieval Abbotsbury (1540–1849) |publisher=Dorset County Council |access-date=19 September 2013 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053516/http://www.dorsetforyou.com/media.jsp?mediaid=163421&filetype=pdf |archive-date=21 September 2013 }}

County historian John Hutchins (1698–1773) recorded that fishing was the main industry in the village, and 18th-century militia ballot lists reveal that husbandry was also particularly important. Ropemaking, basketry and the manufacture of cotton stockings were other notable trades within the village, with records indicating hemp and withies being grown in the area.

In the early 19th century, Abbotsbury's population grew steadily, from about 800 in 1801 to nearly 1,100 sixty years later.

During the Second World War, the coastal front was fortified and defended as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II.Foot, 2006, p 57–63{{cite web|title=Pillbox FW3/26 Abbotsbury|url=http://en.tracesofwar.com/article/23796/Pillbox-FW3-26-Abbotsbury.htm|work=tracesofwar.com|access-date=18 June 2013}}{{self-published source|date=January 2014}} Later, The Fleet Lagoon was used as a machine gun training range, and bouncing bombs were tested there, for Operation Chastise (the "Dambuster" sortie).

The modern village still has a long street of stone houses, many of which are thatched, with some dating from the 16th century.{{cite web|url=http://www.abbotsbury.co.uk/abbotsbury-tour.htm|title=A Tour of Abbotsbury|publisher=abbotsbury.co.uk|year=2013|access-date=19 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915053853/http://www.abbotsbury.co.uk/abbotsbury-tour.htm|archive-date=15 September 2013|url-status=dead}} The street broadens at one point into an old market square. Parts of the street have a raised pavement.{{cite book|title=The Batsford Colour Book of Dorset|author=John Hyams |publisher=B. T. Batsford Ltd|year=1975|page=20|isbn=0-7134-3006-0}} The village is surrounded by hills on all sides, except to the east; in 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described Abbotsbury as being "very pleasantly situated among the downs".Treves, p. 240 Dorset-born broadcaster and writer Ralph Wightman described the village as "possibly the most interesting in Dorset".

Abbotsbury was the location for a small Royal Observer Corps Bunker, it was located near to Abbotsbury Hill. It was opened in 1959 and closed in 1968, it remains mostly intact. {{Cite web |title=Abbotsbury ROC Post – Subterranea Britannica |url=https://www.subbrit.org.uk/sites/abbotsbury-roc-post/ |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=www.subbrit.org.uk}}

File:Chesil Beach and The Fleet - geograph.org.uk - 1059806.jpg

In the United Kingdom national parliament, Abbotsbury is in the West Dorset parliamentary constituency.

In local government, Abbotsbury is in the Dorset unitary authority area at the highest tier, and Chesil Bank civil parish (which also includes Portesham, Fleet and Langton Herring) at the lowest tier.{{cite web |url=https://www.dorsetforyou.com/359708 |title=Chesil Bank Group Parish Council |publisher=Dorset County Council |work=dorsetforyou.com |date=8 December 2014 |access-date=22 March 2015}} Abbotsbury elects four of the 15 councillors on Chesil Bank Parish Council.{{cite web | url=https://www.chesilbankparishcouncil.gov.uk/the-council/councillors-representatives/ | title=Chesil Bank Parish Council | Councillors }} For elections to Dorset Council, it is part of Chesil Bank electoral ward.{{Cite web |title=Area profile for Chesil Bank - Dorset Council |url=https://gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/insights/AreaProfiles/Ward/chesil-bank |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk}}

Historically, Abbotsbury was in Weymouth Rural District from 1894 to 1933,{{Cite web |title=Place:Weymouth Rural, Dorset, England - Genealogy |url=https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Place:Weymouth_Rural,_Dorset,_England |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=www.werelate.org}} Dorchester Rural District from 1933 to 1974,{{Cite web |title=Place:Dorchester Rural, Dorset, England - Genealogy |url=https://www.werelate.org/wiki/Place:Dorchester_Rural,_Dorset,_England |access-date=2024-07-26 |website=www.werelate.org}} and the West Dorset district from 1974 to 2019.

In the 2011 census, the civil parish—which includes the hamlet of Rodden to the east—had 256 dwellings,{{cite web|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11119769&c=Abbotsbury&d=16&e=62&g=6418379&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1379536297802&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2481|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=18 September 2013|title=Neighbourhood Statistics. Area: Abbotsbury (Parish). Dwellings, Household Spaces and Accommodation Type, 2011 (KS401EW)|date=30 January 2013}} 219 households and a population of 481. 23.3% of residents were age 65 or over, compared to 16.4% for England as a whole.{{cite web |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11119769&c=Abbotsbury&d=16&e=62&g=6418379&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1427017097484&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2474 |title=Area: Abbotsbury (Parish). Age Structure, 2011 (KS102EW) |publisher=Office for National Statistics |work=Neighbourhood Statistics |access-date=22 March 2015}}

Scientist James Lovelock, best known for proposing the Gaia hypothesis, lived in Abbotsbury in his later years.{{Cite web|date=2022-07-27|title=James Lovelock obituary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/27/james-lovelock-obituary|access-date=2022-07-27|website=The Guardian|language=en}}

Judge Sir David Neuberger took as his Life Peerage title Baron Neuberger of Abbotsbury in 2007.[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200607/minutes/070116/ldordpap.htm#minproc Minutes of Proceedings of Monday 15 January 2007]; Publications.parliament.uk, retrieved 27 July 2009.

The B3157, known locally as "the coast road", between Abbotsbury and Burton Bradstock is noted for its fine coastal views and often promoted as a scenic route for tourists.{{cite web | url=https://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/17340982.coast-road-west-bay-weymouth-makes-list-uks-50-greatest-drives/ | title=This sensational scenic route is one of the UK's 50 Greatest Drives (And rightly so) | date=8 January 2019 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.dorset.live/news/dorset-news/scenic-dorset-route-offers-stunning-6637800 | title=Scenic road that feels like you're riding a rollercoaster | date=7 April 2023 }} To the west of the village, the road climbs Abbotsbury Hill, a {{convert|200|m|ft}} climb with up to 20% gradient that is noted as a popular challenge for cyclists.{{cite web | url=https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/britains-toughest-roads-cyclists-guide-377658 | title=Britain's toughest roads: A cyclist's guide | date=15 November 2018 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/dorset-jurassic-cycling | title=UK Ride: The Jurassic world in Dorset | date=10 August 2015 }}

Abbotsbury is served by the First Hampshire & Dorset Jurassic Coaster branded bus services X52 (summer only) and X53 which provide connections to Axminster, Lyme Regis, Bridport, Weymouth, Lulworth Cove and Wool.{{cite web|url=https://www.firstbus.co.uk/uploads/node_images/jurassic%20coaster.pdf|title=Jurassic Coaster Network Map|work=First Wessex|access-date=12 July 2022}}

Between 1885 and 1952, Abbotsbury was served by the Abbotsbury Railway, a {{convert|6|mi|km|0}} branch from the main line to Weymouth. It was primarily designed for freight, in anticipation of the development of oil shale deposits and stone at Portesham, as well as iron ore at Abbotsbury which would be shipped to South Wales for processing. The Abbotsbury terminus of the line was sited to the east of the village because the railway could not buy the land needed to build the station closer to the centre of the village.{{cite web|title=Abbotsbury|url=http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/a/abbotsbury/index.shtml|publisher=Disused Stations: Closed Railway Stations in the UK|access-date=23 December 2012}}{{self-published source|date=January 2014}}

Nearly a hundred structures within the parish are listed by English Heritage for their historic or architectural interest. These include six structures listed as Grade I and six listed as Grade II*.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/england/dorset/abbotsbury|publisher=British Listed Buildings|title=Listed Buildings in Abbotsbury, Dorset, England|access-date=19 September 2013}}

File:StCatherinesChapelAbbotsbury.jpg

To the south of the village, on a bare hill about {{convert|80|m|ft}} high, stands St Catherine's Chapel, a small 14th-century pilgrimage chapel used by the monks of the abbey as a place for private prayer.{{cite web|url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/abbotsbury-st-catherines-chapel/history-and-research/|title=History and research: Abbotsbury St Catherine's Chapel|publisher=English Heritage|access-date=15 September 2013}} It is built entirely of stone, including the roof and even the panelled ceiling. The walls are {{convert|1.2|m|ft|abbr=off}} thick and buttressed. The chapel overlooks the English Channel, and may have served as a beacon for sailors, warning of the nearby Isle of Portland. The chapel is listed as Grade I.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-105189-chapel-of-st-catherine-abbotsbury-dorset |title=Chapel of St Catherine - Abbotsbury - Dorset - England |publisher=British Listed Buildings |access-date=1 June 2014}}

The Parish Church of St Nicholas dates from the 14th century but has had various revisions over the centuries. The tower contains three bells dating from 1773 and made by Thomas Castleman Bilbie of the Bilbie family in Cullompton.{{cite book |last=Moore |first=James |author2=Roy Rice |author3=Ernest Hucker |title=Bilbie and the Chew Valley clock makers |year=1995 |publisher=The authors |isbn=0-9526702-0-8 }}{{self-published source|date=January 2014}} The chancel was classicised in the 18th century and still has its plastered barrel roof and fine altarpiece. There are also some 15th-century painted glass, a stone effigy of one of the abbots and a Jacobean canopied pulpit.Betjeman, John, ed. (1968) Collins Pocket Guide to English Parish Churches; the South. London: Collins; p. 171 The church is listed as Grade I.{{cite web | title=Parish Church of St Nicholas | work=historicengland.org.uk | url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1305224 | access-date=5 October 2007}}

Abbotsbury Abbey tithe barn was built around 1400. It measures {{convert|83|by|9.5|m|ft}} and is the world's largest thatched tithe barn.{{cite web|url=http://jurassiccoast.org/visiting-the-coast/gateway-towns/445-abbotsbury|title=Abbotsbury|publisher=jurassiccoast.org|year=2012|access-date=14 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921060718/http://jurassiccoast.org/visiting-the-coast/gateway-towns/445-abbotsbury|archive-date=21 September 2013|url-status=dead}} It has 23 bays, 11 of which have been unroofed since the 17th century. The 12 roofed bays are covered with thatch, though previously stone slabs were used. Part of the north wall has been destroyed. The barn is listed as Grade I.{{cite web|url=http://www.britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/en-105139-tithe-barn-abbotsbury-dorset |title=Tithe Barn, Abbotsbury |publisher=britishlistedbuildings.co.uk |work=British Listed Buildings |access-date=24 March 2015}}

An estate of some {{convert|15000|acre|km2|order=flip}} in Dorset covering Chesil Beach and Abbotsbury is held by the Ilchester Estate, owned by Mrs Charlotte Townshend, the daughter of Viscount Galway, a descendant of the first Countess of Ilchester and owner of the Melbury Estate.

File:Abbotsbury Swannery - geograph.org.uk - 860961.jpg

Situated south of the village on the shore of the Fleet lagoon, Abbotsbury Swannery is over 600 years old, having previously been owned by the abbot and managed, using decoys, to provide meat for the abbey. When the abbey was destroyed the swannery passed to the earls of Ilchester, and today the decoys are used for monitoring and recording purposes. The swannery has a large colony of mute swans, as well as other waterfowl, and is open to the public. The site is an important nesting and breeding ground for the swans and, from May through the summer, cygnets can be seen at close quarters.

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens were founded in 1765 by the Countess of Ilchester, as a kitchen garden for the nearby castle.{{cite news|last=Cumming|first=Ed|title=Subtropical garden wins the HHA/Christie's award|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/ed-cumming/9160415/Subtropical-garden-wins-the-HHAChristies-award.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120330041528/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/journalists/ed-cumming/9160415/Subtropical-garden-wins-the-HHAChristies-award.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=30 March 2012|access-date=26 May 2013|newspaper=The Telegraph|date=23 March 2012}} Since then, the gardens have developed into a 20-acre (81,000 m²) site filled with exotic plants, many of which were newly discovered species when they were first introduced. There are formal and informal gardens, with woodland walks and walled gardens. In 1990 violent storms damaged many of the rare specimens, which have since been replaced by younger plants.{{cite web|title=Chainsaw art at Abbotsbury Sub-tropical Gardens|date=10 April 2010 |url=http://www.dorsetecho.co.uk/news/8091295.Chainsaw_art_at_Abbotsbury_Sub_tropical_Gardens/|publisher=Dorset Echo|access-date=15 September 2013}}

File:Strangways Hall, Abbotsbury - geograph.org.uk - 1233381.jpg

Abbotsbury has a village hall, called the Strangways Village Hall; it is run by the Strangways Hall Committee and is a registered charity and available for hire.{{cite web |url=http://www.abbotsbury.co.uk/strangways_hall_leaflet_1.pdf |title=Strangways Village Hall, Abbotsbury |publisher=abbotsbury.co.uk |access-date=24 March 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071001/http://www.abbotsbury.co.uk/strangways_hall_leaflet_1.pdf |archive-date=4 March 2016 |url-status=dead }} The village has two public houses, The Ilchester Arms{{cite web |url=http://www.theilchester.co.uk/ |title=The Ilchester Arms Hotel |publisher=theilchester.co.uk |access-date=24 March 2015}} and The Swan Inn, and several tearooms, small shops and businesses. The village also has a cricket ground.{{cite web |url=http://abbotsbury.play-cricket.com/website/web_pages/176437 |title=Abbotsbury CC |publisher=abbotsbury.play-cricket.com |access-date=24 March 2015}}

Held on 13 May each year,{{Cite web |date=22 September 2008 |title=Abbotsbury Garland Day |url=http://www.mysteriousbritain.co.uk/england/dorset/festivals/may/abbotsbury-garland-day.html |access-date=16 February 2012 |website=Mysterious Britain and Ireland}} Abbotsbury Garland Day has been celebrated since about the early 19th century. The custom was first described in John Hutchins' History of Dorset in 1867. Originally, the children of the local fishermen made garlands which were blessed in a church service and some were then rowed out to sea to be tossed into the water. The children would then spend the rest of the day playing on the beach.

After World War I, the custom evolved and children of non-fishermen started to take part, probably due to the decline of the local fishing industry. The village school gave the children a day's holiday and they would construct two garlands, one of wild flowers and the other of garden flowers. These were held aloft on poles and paraded from house to house in the village with the intention of collecting money which the children would keep. Later in the day, older children who had been at school in Weymouth would arrive home and make a more elaborate garland which would also be taken around the houses. Two garlands would be placed on the war memorial.

Abbotsbury village school closed in 1981 and the children no longer get a holiday, so the celebrations now usually take place in the evening or on the nearest Saturday.{{Cite encyclopedia |year=2000 |title=Abbotsbury garland day |encyclopedia=A Dictionary of English Folklore |publisher=Oxford University Press |url=http://m.friendfeed-media.com/c73559a665caa8fa15329b659da8c0d6e7af015b |last=Simpson |first=Jacqueline |pages=14–15 |format=pdf |isbn=0-19-210019-X |last2=Roud |first2=Steve |accessdate=16 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140227213201/http://m.friendfeed-media.com/c73559a665caa8fa15329b659da8c0d6e7af015b |archivedate=27 February 2014}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last= Foot |first= William |title= Beaches, fields, streets, and hills ... the anti-invasion landscapes of England, 1940 |publisher= Council for British Archaeology |year= 2006 |isbn= 1-902771-53-2 }}
• Pitt-Rivers, Michael, 1968. Dorset. London: Faber & Faber.
• Taylor, Christopher, 1970. The Making of the Dorset Landscape. London: Hodder & Stoughton.
• {{cite book|title=Highways and Byways in Dorset|url=https://archive.org/details/cu31924028032351|author=Treves, Sir Frederick |author-link=Sir Frederick Treves, 1st Baronet |publisher=Macmillan & Co. Ltd|year=1905}}
• {{Cite journal |last=Keynes |first=Simon |title=The Lost Cartulary of Abbotsbury |journal=Anglo-Saxon England |volume=18 |year=1989 |pages=207–43|doi=10.1017/S0263675100001496 }}

• [http://www.opcdorset.org/Abbotsbury/AbbotsburyPhotographs.htm Old photographs of the village]

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Category:Villages in Dorset

Category:Jurassic Coast

Category:Civil parishes in Dorset