Holnest Parish Village Dorset

	Holnest is a small parish about 5 miles south east from Sherborne. It is a scattered village in the Blackmore Vale, sited on Oxford clay which is drained by a small stream called The Cam. Starting in the north and going clockwise it is adjacent to the parishes of, Longburton, Folke, Holwell, Wootton Glanville, Minterne Magna, Hermitage, Leigh and Lillington. The parish church is the ancient church of St Mary, which contains seating just for 74 persons. Holnest Park House ravaged by fire - BBC News report 24 Jan 2010
In the churchyard a mausoleum was erected to the memory of J S W Sawbridge-Erle-Drax. This family owned Holnest Park and were the principal landowners in the parish (the mausoleum was demolished in the 1930s). In the grounds of Holnest Park was a nine foot high statue of the above gentleman commemorated in the mausoleum. There does not appear to have been a post office and the children from here went to school at Longburton, Glanvilles Wootton or Hilfield. In 1891 the population was only 127 persons, and the total acreage was 2270 acres, most of which wais laid to pasture. The land is partly within the limits of what used to be the ancient Forest of Blackmore. All photographs © Caryl Parsons
The Online Parish Clerk (OPC) for Holnest is Derek Smith Derek can be contacted via email, just click on the above link.
Sadly on 5th July 2015 Caryl Parsons, formerly the OPC for Holnest passed away. Much of the material on this page has been donated to the OPC Project by Caryl, and we are deeply indebted to her for her support and contributions.
Census	1841 1851 [John Ridout] 1861 [Caryl Parsons] 1871 1881 [Derek Smith] 1891 [Derek Smith] 1901 [Derek Smith] 1911 [Derek Smith]
Parish Registers	Baptisms for 1602-1812 & 1813-1900 Marriages for 1590 to 1927 Burials for 1589-1930 & 1935-1995
Postal Directories	1885, 1903, 1923 & 1935
Monumental Inscriptions	Monumental Inscriptions index
Absent Voters 1918	The Absent Voters list provides some service details to enable further tracing of military records
Land Tax	A list of land owners and tenants in the Land Tax of 1783,1835 & 1896
Photographs
Other records	Church Rates 1861, Poor Rates 1890 Vestry Book 1855-1912 Holnest Estate Sale 1919 Male inhabitants 1712 from the notebook of Canon Mayo
Maps	The 1891 Ordnance Survey maps of the parish can be seen at the old-maps site, just enter 'Holnest' under place search.
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Records held at the Dorset History Centre [Ref PE-HON]	Registers Christenings 1602-1674, 1696-1802, 1809-1996. Marriages 1590-1684, 1695-1738, 1743/4, 1755-1927. Burials 1589-1668, 1695-1725, 1739-1802, 1809-1811, 1813-1995.
Registration District (for the purpose of civil registration births, marriages, deaths & civil partnerships)	1 Apr 1837-31 Mar 1937: Sherborne 1 Apr 1937-31 Mar 1974: Sturminster 1 Apr 1974-17 Oct 2005: North Dorset


Dunn's Farm to the south of the Church	The Gatehouse to Holnest Park