Okeford Fitzpaine

KELLY'S DIRECTORY 1903

Transcribed by Derek Stone

OKEFORD FITZPAINE is a parish and village 1½ miles south-west of Shillingstone station on the Midland and South Western Joint Railway, 7 north-west from Blandford and 4 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 Shaftesbury (Sturminster Newton portion), 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 the parish, and the remainder to Fifehead Neville. The church of St Michael is a building of stone in the Decorated and Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave of four bays aisles, north porch and embattled western tower, with pinnacles, containing 5 bells: the ancient stone pulpit, used as a font in the last 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: the church was thoroughly restored in 1866 at a cost of over £2,000 and has 344 sittings. The register dates from the year 1533. The living is a rectory, net income £331, with 74 acresof glebe and residence, in the gift of A.E.L. Fox-Pitt esq, and held since 1872 by the Rev. John Henry Phillips B.A. of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge . There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists chapels here and a Wesleyan chapel at Fiddleford. A charity of about £14 10s derived from land in Haslebury Bryant, is divided every two years amongst the poor. There are bricks and tile works belonging to Mr Alfred C. Todd. E. E. Lane Fox-Pitt –Rivers esq, of the Manor House in, Hinton St Mary, is 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), £5,593; the population in 1901 was 675 in the civil and 557 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 churches of each.

Parish Clerk, George Loder

Post , M. O. & T.O., M.o.,E.D.,P.P.,S.B. & A. & I.O

Alfred Wareham, sub-postmaster.

Letters from Blandford arrive at 7 a.m. & 2.30 p.m :

Dispatched at 10 a.m & 6.15 p.m.

Sunday arrive at 7 a.m. &

Dispatched at 9.30 a.m.

Post Office, Fiddleford, - James Ridout, sub-postmaster

Letters from Blandford arrive at 6.10 a.m :

Dispatched at 6.40 p.m.

The nearest money order office & telegraph office

Is at Sturminster Newton 3 miles distant

Elementary School (mixed) built in 1873with residence for master for 140 children

Average attendance 105

James Head, master

Mrs Elizabeth Head, infants' mistress

Carrier – Frank Pope, to Blandford wed & sat.

 

Okeford Fitzpaine.

Andrews Miss

Phillips Rev. John Henry B.A. (rector), Rectory

Phillips Rev. Charles Augustine M.A. (curate)

Todd Alfred Charles

Woolridge Louis

 

COMMERCIAL

Allen Joseph, farmer

Allen Thomas, farmer

Andrews William, farmer, Darknell frm

Barnes Harry, dairyman, Bellease frm

Barnett Charles, New Inn

Broad Mary (Mrs), farmer Lowbrook farm

Dewfall Thomas, fruit merchant amongst the Dorsetshire hills:

Every accommodation for visitors:

Good stabling; parties catered for at reasonable charges, Royal Oak

Field Walter, threshing machine prop

Hallett Wm, Evan, farmer, Thornhill fm

Harrington Thos, frmr, Langston farm

Hillier Thomas, miller (water)

Loder George, carpenter

Miller Jasper, farmer, Room farm

Mullett Frederick, assistant overseer

Mullett Samuel, hay & straw dealer & farmer, Rose hill farm

Phillips, Edward & Son, wholesale dairy produce merchants

Telegrams, “Phipsons, Okeford Fitzpaine”

Phillips, Eli Tom, frmr. Etheridge farm

Phillips Joseph, farmer, Stroud Farm

Pope Frank, carrier

Pope Joseph, tailor

Rawles Edward, builder

Ridout Elizabeth (Mrs), hay dealer & farmer, Garland

Ridout Selina, (Mrs) farmer, Castle frm

Ridout William, hay dealer

Sloper Frank, miller (water)

Sticklen Ann (Mrs), farmer

Strange Jane, (Mrs) shopkeeper

Thorne Joshua, boot & shoe maker

Tizzard Wm, blacksmith, machinist & implement agent

Todd Alfred Charles, brick & tile manufacturer & farmer

Trowbridge Geo, carpenter & ironmonger

Trowbridge James, carpenter

Trowbridge Tom, farmer

Wareham Frank, grocer, post office

Wilde Marwood George, dairyman, Southley farm

Woolridge Annie (Mrs), shopkeeper

Young Robert, boot & shoe maker

 

Fiddleford

Wilds William

Adams Philip Charles, farmer

Caines Thomas, stone mason

Cressey Chas Allen, frmr, May cottage

Cressey Joseph, sack manufacturer

Cross Henry, farner, Angrts farm

Curtis Henry, insurance agent

Dunning Henry, dairyman

Furnell George, shopkeeper

Rose Mary (Mrs), miller (water)

Topp Charles, butcher

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