KELLY'S DIRECTORY 1927
Transcribed by Derek Stone
OKEFORD FITZPAINE is a parish and village 1¼ miles south-west from the Shillingstone station on the London, Midland and Scottish and Southern Joint line, 7 north-west from Blandford and 3½ south-east from Sturminster Newton, in the Northern division of the county, hundred, petty sessional division and union of Stuminster Newton, county court district of Blandford, rural deanery of Sturminster Newton, archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury, Under the operation of the Divided Parishes Act, a portion of Belchalwall has for civil purposes only been added to this parish, and the remainder to Fifehead Neville. The church of St Andrew is a building of stone in the Decorated and Perpendicular styles, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays, aisles, north porch and embattled western tower, with pinnacles, containing 6 bells: the ancient stone pulpit, used as a font in the 18th century by the Rev. D. Butler, a former rector, has since been restored to its original purpose: there is a memorial window to the Rev. G. Rivers Hunter, 52 years rector here, and the west window was erected in 1914 in memory of the Rev. Robert Cholmeley Price, a former curate in charge, and of Florence his wife: there are stained windows in the north and south aisles erected by Miss Mabel Phillips to her parents and brother respectively; the church was thoroughly restored in 1866 at a cost of over £2,000 and has 344 sittings. The register of baptisms dates from the year 1592: burials, 1593. and marriages, 1594.The living is a rectory, net yearly value £678, and residence, in the gift of Capt. G. H. L. Fox-Pitt-Rivers, and held since 1914 by the Rev. Frank Etheridge, of the Church Missionary College, Islington. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodist chapels here and a Wesleyan chapel at Fiddleford. The Reading Room was erected in 1910 by subscription. A charity of about £7 derived from land in Haslebury Bryant, is distributed annually in clothing amongst the poor. There are brick and tile belonging to Capt. G. H. Lane Fox-Pitt-Rivers esq, who is the lord of the manor and chief landowner. The soil is a deep sandy loam; subsoil, chalk, sand and clay: The land is chiefly in pasture, with some wheat, barley and roots. The area is 3,739 acres of land and 3 of water; rateable value, which includes a portion of Belchalwell (added by Local Government Board Order in 1884), £6,227; the population in 1921 was 652 in the civil and 565 in the ecclesiastical parish.
FIDDLEFORD is a hamlet, transferred in 1884 by Local Government Board Order from Child Okeford to Okeford Fitzpaine; it lies on the road from Sturminster Newton to Blandford, between Shillingstone and Sturminster Newton, and is equi-distant about 2 miles from the church of each. The hamlet is partly in the parish of Sturminster Newton.
Post, M, O, & T. Office (to which messages may be telephoned for treatment as express letters).
John T Sticklen, sub post-master,
Letters through Blandford
Post Office, Fiddleford- Mrs Harriet Louisa Ridout, sub-post-mistress
Letters through Blandford , Sturminster Newton
2 miles distant, is the nearest money order & telegraph office.
Elementary School (mixed), built in 1873,
With residence for master, for 140 children:
Master,
Miss C. F. Wilkinson, infants' mistress
Police Station, George R Lillington, constable
Carrier- Charles Fripp to Blandford, thurs
OKEFORD FITZPAINE
Private Residents
Bolt Archie, Parsonage
Etheridge Rev. Frank (rector), Rectory
Jacob James Thomas, Darknell Farm,
Phillips Miss Mabel, Hill View House
Phillips Mrs J Darknell House
Sticklen John T
COMMERCIAL
Marked thus º farm 150 acres or over
Allen Tom, farmer, St Loe farm
Bastable E. M. (Mrs). New Inn
Beale , George, builder, joiner & wheelwright
Duffett Albert James, farmer,
Field Absolom William, threshing machine proprietor
Fox Joseph, blacksmith
Fripp Charles, Royal Oak P. H.
Harrington Herbt, frmr Langston farm
Hillier, Frank, farmer, Rose Hill farm
Hillier Tom, farmer, Mill farm
Kingman, Francis Henry, farmer, Bellease farm
Knight Fras, Jas, Southley farm
(postal address Fifehead Neville, Sturminster Newton
Lemon Albert, builder, see Loder & Lemon
Loder and Lemon, builders and contractors, carpenters, joiners & wheelwrights
º Miller Jasper, farmer, Room, Hyle & Stottfell farms
MillerLionel, farmer, Yeatman's farm
Okeford Fitzpaine Brick & Tile Works
(W. G. Bailey, manager)
(postal address, Shillingstone, Blandford)
Phillips E A Son(A. R. King managing director)
Wholesale dairy produce merchants, Hill View dairies.
T. A. “Phipson, Okeford Fitzpaine,”
T N 4 Sturminster Newton
ºPhillips Arthur James, farmer, Playdell, Stroud & Darknell farms
T. N. Childe Okeford 26
Phillips, Stanley Eli , farmer. Etheridge farm
Pope Charles, farmer
Pope Frank Nevill, farmer, Thornhill farm
Pope Wilfred, smallholder, Brookside
Reading Room (Parish Council)
Ricketts Adelaide (Mrs) & Son, farmer Garlands farm
Ridout Francis, farmer, Castle fam
Rose Mary (Mrs), insur. agt
Rose Rt, farmer, The Common
Sticklen John T, grocer, drug stores, patent medicine vendor
& seed mer, Ye Ald Bell stores, Post Office
Trowbridge Adelburt, Geo, wheelwright
Trowbridge Annie (Miss) shopkpr
Trowbridge Charles, thatcher, Okeford Common
Trowbridge Edwin George, thatcher
Trowbridge Maurice, farmer, Knacketr's hole
Trowbridge Reuben, farmer, Knowle farm
Trowbridge Robt, thatcher, The Cross
Woolridge Hy & wm, frms Merry gdnh Dennis, farmer, Rose Hill frm
Woolridge Rd smallholder
Young Robert, boot & shoe maker
Fiddleford
(Postal address, Fiddleford, Blandford)
Caines, Victor, boot mkres, C.C.
Cross William, farmer, Angers farm
Earle Capt. Jn Anderson
School attendance officer for the Sturminster Newton district
& Chinchilla rabbit breeder
Rose Harry farmer
Trowbridge Robt, farmer, Angers frm