Dorset OPC

North Wootton

 

Dorset OPC

North Wootton: former parish church of St. Mary, by Chris Downer
Photo © Chris Downer North Wootton: former parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, 2000. Available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence

North Wootton is a hamlet and civil parish, situated approximately 1.5 miles southeast of Sherborne. It is sited on a narrow band of Cornbrash limestone, with Oxford clay adjacent to the southeast and Forest Marble to the northwest. In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 50.

The church (left), formerly a chapel of ease to Sherborne, was entirely rebuilt in 1883 at a cost of about £1,000, defrayed by the late G. D. Wingfield-Digby esq, and is a building of stone, in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and a bell-cote over the vestry containing one bell. The church is now a private dwelling.

On the north side of the hamlet overlooking a tributary to The Cam, about 120 yards north-east of North Wootton Farm stands the remains of the old parish church of St Mary Magdalene with its associated churchyard (see right). The tower dates to the 14th or 15th century. The tower survives to full height of approximately 10m, has three storeys, is roofless with diagonal buttresses and is 3.5m square in plan. The nave walls were largely dismantled in 1883 and the stone re-used to build the new church.

Remains of St Mary Magdalene Church, North Wootton, by Becky Williamson
Photo © Becky Williamson Remains of St Mary Magdalene Church, North Wootton, 2016. Available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence



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Census 1841 Census [Barrie Cross]
1851 Census [John Ridout]
1861 Census [Barrie Cross]
1871 Census [Barrie Cross]
1881 Census [Terry Smith]
1891 Census (with Folke) [Cathy Pinner]
Parish Registers Baptisms 1611-1812, 1813-1922 [Jon Baker]
Marriages 1636-1812, 1813-1918 [Jon Baker]
Burials 1698-1812, 1813-1971 [Jon Baker]
Trade & Postal Directories  
Other Records  
Photographs  
Monumental Inscriptions St Mary Magdalen Monumental Inscription index
Maps  

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Records held at the Dorset History Centre
[Ref PE-NWO]
 
Registers
Christenings 1538-1963. Marriages 1541-1542, 1566-1611, 1637-1647, 1662-1678, 1697-1748, 1758-1807, 1814-1969. Burials 1698-1703, 1715-1731, 1742-1971.
Registration District
(for the purpose of civil registration births, marriages, deaths & civil partnerships)
1 Jul 1837-31 Mar 1937: Sherborne
1 Apr 1937-31 Mar 1974: Sturminster
1 Apr 1974-17 Oct 2005: North Dorset

 

Chantry Cottage North Wootton, by Mike Searle
Photo © Mike Searle Chantry Cottage North Wootton, 2007. Available for reuse under this Creative Commons licence

 


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