Dorset (pop. 379,579) is a unitary authority in southern England. Unitary authorities are responsible for an area’s local government functions. Dorset was once a shire of the Kingdom of Wessex, and then a county. The writer Thomas Hardy made Dorset’s countryside and traditions familiar to people in many parts of the world. Dorchester has long been Dorset’s county town—that is, its administrative center. Dorset is also a ceremonial county. Ceremonial counties were established for purposes related to the British monarchy, also called the Crown. The British monarch appoints royal representatives, including a lord lieutenant and a high sheriff, to each of England’s ceremonial counties. The borders of the unitary authority, historic county, and ceremonial county of Dorset are roughly, though not entirely, the same.
Historic Dorset county had an area of about 981 square miles (2,542 square kilometers). The area of Dorset was expanded in a reorganization of local government in 1974. The towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch, in Hampshire county, became part of Dorset. The reorganization created a number of local government areas within the area of historic Dorset county. In 2019, the councils of Dorset County, East Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck, Weymouth and Portland, and West Dorset combined to form the unitary authority of Dorset. The Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole areas joined to form the unitary authority of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole.
People and government
Local customs.
Dorset’s many local customs range from country dances to street fairs. The Abbotsbury Garland Day on May 13 each year and the Midsummer Filly Loo at Ashmore are examples of customs dating back more than a thousand years.
Recreation.
Dorset has all the sports associated with a coastal area: swimming, sailing, sea fishing, and water-skiing. The countryside and coast provide a beautiful setting for walking, riding, and touring. Weymouth has many seaside resort facilities.
Local government.
The unitary authorities of (1) Dorset and (2) Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole are responsible for local government functions in the historic Dorset area. The region is policed by the Dorset Police, which has headquarters at Winfrith, near Dorchester. The Crown Court sits at Bournemouth and Weymouth.
Economy
Agriculture and mining.
Dorset’s traditional industry is agriculture. Much land is devoted to pasture, but farmers also grow cereals—mainly barley. Much of the farmers’ income comes from milk. Fish farming and the growing of watercress are common.
Quarries on the Isle of Purbeck produce building stone and marble. The building stone from Purbeck and from Portland has been used in many famous buildings. Clay is also mined in Dorset.
In the late 1950’s, oil was discovered in Dorset. The Wytch oilfield, where production began in 1979, is the largest onshore oilfield in western Europe. Other oil fields are at Kimmeridge, Stoborough, and Wareham.
Manufacturing.
Industries include electronics, food processing, shipbuilding and marine engineering, and the production of caravans and chemicals. Weymouth has engineering works. Winfrith has an atomic energy research establishment.
Sherborne has a silk industry dating from the 1700’s. During World War II (1939-1945), it produced parachutes. Today, the town produces fabrics from glass fiber. Dorchester’s industries include brewing, printing, and the manufacture of farm machinery and leather goods. Blandford has an industrial estate, making a range of goods including hospital equipment.
Tourism.
Dorset’s economy depends greatly on tourism, especially in the coastal areas, where there a number of resorts with good facilities. Inland, many farmhouses offer overnight and holiday accommodation.
Transportation.
Major roads include the A31, linking Dorset to London, the A35, which crosses the southern part of the Dorset area, and the A37 which runs from Dorchester to Bristol. Rail services from London serve Christchurch, Bournemouth, Poole, Wareham, Dorchester, and Weymouth. The main line to Exeter passes through Gillingham, to the northwest of Shaftesbury. Weymouth is a port for traffic to the Channel Islands.
Land
Location.
Dorset is on the south coast of England. The Dorset unitary authority borders Devon, to the west; Somerset, to the northwest; Wiltshire, to the northeast; and Hampshire, to the east. The English Channel forms most of Dorset’s southern boundary. The unitary authority of Bournemouth, Christchurch, and Poole lies to the southeast.
Land features.
The countryside is extremely varied, with uplands and valleys, broad fertile clay vales, and open heathlands. Central Dorset consists of a great arc of chalk downland, which is a continuation of the Salisbury Plain.
The chalk downlands swing southwest through Cranborne Chase to Abbotsbury, before swinging eastward through the Isle of Purbeck to emerge at Ballard Down. The other branch continues westward into Somerset. The downlands are broken into wide ridges cut by long, fertile valleys. The highest point on the downlands is Pilsdon Pen. It is 909 feet (277 meters) above sea level.
In the east, the broad, gravelly, and sandy Dorset heathlands are interspersed with beds of clay. A series of vales and lowlands lies on the northern side of the downlands. To the south of Poole Harbor, the coast contains a series of bays and capes. Erosion (natural wearing away of rock) has caused the formation of numerous bays, inlets, arches, and caverns along the coast between St. Aldhelm’s Head and Weymouth. The limestone Isle of Portland divides the Dorset coast in half. West of Portland is the Chesil Bank, which sweeps in a gentle curve for 18 miles (29 kilometers). For part of its length, it blocks off a lagoon, the Fleet.
Rivers.
The Stour is the most important river. The Stour and its tributaries, the Cale and the Lydden, flow through the Vale of Blackmoor before they join and cut through the chalk. At Wimborne, the Stour is joined by the Allen before meeting the River Avon. The Avon forms part of Dorset’s eastern boundary, and then empties into the English Channel at Christchurch. The River Frome rises northwest of Dorchester and winds its way gently toward Wareham before emptying into Poole Harbor.
Climate.
Dorset is a sunny region. Its average annual rainfall is about 35 inches (890 millimeters). The coast is drier. The mean summer temperature ranges between 55 °F and 59 °F (13 °C and 15 °C). The mean winter temperature varies from 41 °F (5 °C) in the north to 48 °F (9 °C) in the south. The south is slightly cooler in summer than the north, but it is warmer in the winter.
History
Prehistoric remains show that human beings have lived in the region that is now Dorset since the Stone Age. The region is named after the Durotriges, a tribe that lived in the area. The Romans built many settlements in this part of the world. Many of their roads still exist. Cerne Abbey was established before the Normans arrived. Many castles were built after the Norman conquest, including those at Corfe, Sherborne, and Wareham.
At Tolpuddle, George Loveless gathered together five fellow laborers to form the first Friendly Society of Agricultural Laborers. In 1834, these six men were found guilty of administering illegal oaths and were deported to Australia. They became famous as the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Other people associated with Dorset include the poet George Crabbe, who was rector of Frome, St. Quintin, and Evershot. In the early 1800’s, Mary Anning, a geologist, discovered the fossil remains of an ichthyosaur on the Dorset coast. The novelist Jane Austen and the poet William Wordsworth lived near Lyme Regis. Thomas Hardy described Dorset in many novels.
Sir Christopher Wren, the architect of St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, was a member of Parliament for Weymouth. Three of Horatio Nelson’s captains, Thomas Masterman Hardy, Charles Buller, and Henry Digby, were Dorset men. Other people closely associated with Dorset include the writers Henry Fielding, Fanny Burney, Charles Kingsley, and T. E. Lawrence.
