Parish of Wool

Hunt's 1851  Kelly's 1880  Kelly's 1895

Extract from Hunt & Co’s Directory of Dorset, Hampshire, Wiltshire & Somerset 1851

Wool is a village and station upon the Dorchester and Southampton railway, five and a half miles south west from Wareham.  Living a chapelry, united to that of Coombe Keynes.  The parish comprises 2,550 acres and had, in 1841, a population of 505.  Post Office at Joseph Bascombe’s.  Letters arrive at 8:30am and and are despatched at 5:30pm.

Mr John Seymer

RESIDENTS:

Allen William, tailor

Atkinson Moorsom, civil engineer

Baggs Charles, general dealer

Bascombe Henry, baker

Bascombe John, shoemaker

Bascombe Joseph, grocer & baker

Boyt George, farmer & butcher

Brown Charles, grocery dealer

Carter John Waldron, solicitor

Cox Joseph, tailor

Cramp George, shoemaker

Crossley William, station master

Damen Robert, farmer of Wood Street

Frampton Henry, farmer of Bovington

Grant Edward, shoemaker

Hibbs Edward, linen draper

Hyde Charles, farmer

James John, carpenter & grocery dealer

James Thomas, carpenter & wheelwright

Knight John, shoemaker

May Edward, ‘Black Bear’ inn

Morris Charles, crib maker

Nathan Henry, surgeon

Norrish Richard, saddler

Plomer Frederick, saddler

Runyard John, grocer & draper

Runyard John, carpenter

Runyard Robert, carpenter

Runyard William, farmer

Sellaway Sarah, national school mistress

Sly John, miller & farmer of Bindon

Symonds William, baker

Kelly’s Directory of Dorsetshire 1880

Transcribed by Ivan T Gould

Wool is a parish, village & station on the Dorchester branch of the South Western railway, in Wareham petty sessional division, the liberty of Bindon, hundred of Rushmore, union of Wareham and Purbeck, county court district of Wareham, diocese of Salisbury, archdeaconry of Dorset and rural deanery of Dorchester third portion, 130 miles from London and 5½ west from Wareham, on the river Frome.

The church of the Holyrood consists of a chancel, nave and south aisle, with west tower containing 4 bells; it has been restored and re-seated; a piece of very ancient tapestry, at one time used as a pulpit cloth, is supposed to have belonged to the Abbey of Bindon. The register dates from 1735 for baptisms, and for burials from 1744. The living is a vicarage, yearly value £75, with residence in the gift of the Bishop of Salisbury and held by the Rev. Arthur Robert Hartley M. A. of St. John’s College, Oxford. The parish was formerly annexed to the vicarage of Combe Keynes, but is now separate. The parish includes BOVINGTON, 1½ miles north-west, GREAT BINDON half a mile east and WOOD STREET, 1 mile south-east.

BINDON ABBEY portions of which are still standing, was founded in the year 1172 by Robert de Newburgh and Matilda his wife for monks of the Cistercian order; at the dissolution its revenues  were rated at £229 2s. 1d; there is also an interesting old manor house adjoining Wool Bridge, formerly in the possession of the Turbeville family.

A fair for cattle is held here on the 14th May. Reginald Joseph Weld esq. is lord of the manor and chief landowner. The soil is sand and chalky loam; subsoil chalk. The chief crops are barley, wheat & oats. There is a large area of pasture land. The area is 2,559 acres; rateable value £2,098; the population in 1871 was 602.

Parish Clerk, George RUNYARD.

Post Office Mrs Sarah BASCOMBE, receiver. Letters through the Wareham Office. Telegraph office at the railway station. The nearest money-order office is at Wareham.

Schools were erected in 1871 by the late E. J. WELD esq. & public subscription

National School, Miss Mary Ann WHITE

Railway Station, Edward TINSLEY, station master

PRIVATE RESIDENTS

Kelly’s Directory of Dorsetshire 1895

Transcribed by Justin Standfield

Wool is a parish and village on the River Frome, with a station, on the Dorchester branch of the London and South Western Railway, 130 miles from London and five and a half west from Wareham, in the Southern division of the county, Wareham petty sessional division and county court district, the liberty of Bindon, hundred of Rushmore, union of Wareham and Purbeck, rural deanery of Dorchester (Purbeck portion), archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury. The parish includes Bovington, one and a half miles north west , Great Bindon, half a mile north east, and Wood Street , one mile south east. The church of the Holy Rood is a building of stone, chiefly in the Late Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, naive, aisles, with western embattled tower containing four bells, which belonged to Bindon Abbey; a piece of very ancient tapestry, at one time used as a pulpit cloth, supposed also to have belonged to the Abbey of Bindon, is now deposited in the museum at Dorchester; there are 250 sittings. The register dates from 1735 for baptisms, and for burials from 1744. The living is a vicarage, average tithe rent charge £9, gross yearly value £125, net £121, with residence, in the gift of the Bishop of Salisbury, and held since 1879 by the Rev. Arthur Robert Hartley M. A. of St. John’s College, Oxford. The Catholic chapel in the Abbey grounds, erected in 1885, is served from East Lulworth. There is also a Wesleyan chapel. A fair for cattle is held here on the 14 th of May. Bindon Abbey, portions of which are still standing, was founded in the year 1172, by Robert de Newburgh and Matilda his wife, for monks of the Cistercian order; at the dissolution its revenues were rated at £229 2s 1d; there is also an interesting old manor house half a mile from the Abbey at Wool Bridge, formerly in the possession of the Turbeville family. Reginald Joseph Weld esq. is lord of the manor and chief land owner. The soil is sand and chalky loam; subsoil, chalk. The chief crops are barley, wheat and oats. There is also a large area of pasture land. The area is 2,550 acres; rateable value, £2,552; the population in 1891 was 521.

Parish Clerk, George Runyard.

Post, M. O. & T. O., S. B., Express Delivery & Annuity & Insurance Office. – Mrs Eliza Goodwin, sub-postmistress. Letters through the Wareham office arrive at 8 a.m.; dispatched at 12.55 p.m. & 5.55 p.m.; Sundays, arrive 8 a.m.; dispatched, 10.30 a.m.

National School (mixed), erected in 1871, by the late E. J. Weld esq. & public subscription, for 100 children; average attendance, 80; Mrs. Mary J. Ashman, mistress.

Railway Station, Harry Hother, station master.

PRIVATE RESIDENTS:

Budden Mrs, Seaforth Cottage

Creed Miss, 2 Hampton Villas

Granger Wm. Slocombe, Springfield Cottage

Hartley Rev. Arthur Rt. M. A., Vicarage

Kent Mrs, The Green

Lithgow Mrs, 1 Hampton Villas

Miles Robert Thomas, Bindon Villa

Talbot Miss, Burton Villa

COMMERCIAL:

Bascombe Fanny (Mrs.), baker

Bascombe Mary Grant (Mrs.), Black Bear Public House farmer & horses & carriages on hire

Bascombe Sarah (Mrs.), grocer

Boatswain Thos. Oliver, miller (water), Bindon roller mills, & farmer

Dorey Richard, farmer

Goodwin Eliza (Mrs.), grocer, post office

Granger William Slocombe, surgeon M.R.C.S.E., Springfield Cottage

Hyde Charles Francis, farmer

Kellaway George, farmer, Longthorns

Langford George, grocer

Langford Joseph, builder

Lock William, harness maker

Morris Henry, grocer baker & butcher

Ricketts Charles, blacksmith & carpenter

Runyard George Robert, builder, blacksmith, wheelwright & parish clerk

Savage Emily (Mrs.), shopkeeper

Spicer James, farmer, Bovington

Spicer Robert, dairyman, Bovington

Symonds Jane (Miss), baker

Thomas James, farmer & coal merchant

Wool Page              OPC Page