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