KELLY'S DIRECTORY 1920
Transcribed by Derek Stone
OKEFORD FITZPAINE is a parish and village 1¼ miles south-west from the Shillingstone station on the Midland and South Western Joint Railway, 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 Andrewl 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: 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 income £331, with 64 acres of glebe and residence, in the gift of A.E.L. Fox-Pitt esq, and held since 1914 by the Rev. Frank Etheridge. There are Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists 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 A. E. 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), £5,589; the population in 1911 was 686 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 churches of each.
Parish Clerk, George Loder
Post, M, O, & T. Office – John T Sticklen, sub post-master,
Letters from Blandford
Post Office, Fiddleford- Mrs Harriet Louisa Ridout, sub-post-mistress
Letters from Blandford via Sturminster Newton
Sturminster Newton, 2½ miles distant, is the nearest money order & telegraph office.
Elementary School (mixed), built in 1873,
With residence for master, for 140 children:
Ernest Vercoe Haly, master
Miss C. F. Wilkinson, infants' mistress
Constable in Charge, Frederick Burroughs
Carrier- Wilfred Pope, to Blandford, thurs & sat
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
COMMERCIAL
Marked thus º farm 150 acres or over
Allen Tom, farmer, St Loe farm
Bastable E. M. (Mrs). New Inn
Broad, Geo. W. frmr, Lowbrook farm
Duffett Albert James, farmer,
English Albert, farmer, Bellease frm
Field Absolom William, threshing machine proprietor
Fox Joseph, blacksmith
Fripp Charles, Royal Oak P. H.
Harrington Herbt, frmr Langston farm
Hillier Tom, farmer
Loder & Lemon, carpenters
Loder Albert, carpenter, see Loder & Lemon
Malmesbury & Parsons Dairies Limited
Wholesale dairy produce merchants
(J. Thomas Jacob, manager), Hill View
º Miller Jasper, farmer, Room, Hyle & Stottfell farms
Okeford Fitzpaine Brick & Tile Works
(C. H. Phillips foreman)
(postal address, Fifehead Neville, Sturminster Newton)
Padfield Edwin, farmer, Southley farm
ºPhillips Arthur James, farmer, Playdell, Stroud & Darknell farms
Phillips, Eli Tom, frmr. Etheridge farm
Pope Charles, farmer
Pope Frank Nevill, farmer, Thornhill farm
Pope Wilfred, carrier, Brookside
Rawles Edward & Son, builders
Reading Room (Parish Council)
Ricketts Adelaide (Mrs), farmer Garlands farm
Ridout Francis, farmer, Castle fam
Rose Mary (Mrs), costumier
Rose Robert, farmer, Okeford Com
Savory Geo, Trim, farmer Knacker's knowls
Sticklen John T, grocer, Post Office
Todd Neville, farmer
Trowbridge Adelburt, Geo, wheelwright
Trowbridge Charles, thatcher, Okeford Common
Trowbridge Edwin George, thatcher
Trowbridge Geo, ironmonger, grocer, tea dealer, & fancy goods
Trowbridge Robt, thatcher, The Cross
Trowbridge Tom, farmer, Knacker's Knowle
Walsh Dennis, farmer, Rose Hill frm
Woolridge Henry & William, farmers, Merry gardens
Young Robert, boot & shoe maker
Fiddleford
Adams Philip Charles, C.C.
Cressey Joseph, sack manufacturer
Cross William, Angers farm
Goddard William, cowpeeper
Lawrence Wm, Jas, farmer May cot
Rose Harry farmer
Rose Sidney, miller (water)
Trowbridge Robt, farmer, Angers frm