Bothenhampton

Bothenhampton is a parish now forming a suburb of Bridport. It is separated from the town only by the River Asker and the Bridport by-pass. Bothenhampton was a settlement in Saxon times and in the Domesday Book of 1086, it was part of the manor of Loders, it was then called Bothenamtone. It was originally a separate village but modern expansion has enveloped it.

At the east end of the village are the remains of the original 14th century church comprising the tower and chancel. When the church became too small, instead of rebuilding it, a new church was constructed in 1887.

The new parish church, Holy Trinity, was designed by the Arts and Crafts movement architect Edward Schroeder Prior in 1889. It was his first church. Although it appears plain from the outside the interior has received national acclaim. The new church is on a hill about a mile from the small port of West Bay. The registers date from 1722.

The area of the parish is only 833 acres and the soil is clay and loam. During the 19th century the chief crops were wheat, barley, flax and some pasture. In 1801 in the population was 334, in 1891 it was 490 and by 2001 was nearly 2000. 

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