North Dorset was a local government district in Dorset, England. It was largely rural, but included the towns of

Blandford Forum Blandford Forum ( ), commonly Blandford, is a market town in Dorset, England, sited by the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour about northwest of Poole. It was the administrative headquarters of North Dorset District until April 2019, when this ...

, Gillingham, Shaftesbury, Stalbridge and

Sturminster Newton Sturminster Newton is a town and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England. It is situated on a low limestone ridge in a meander of the River Stour. The town is at the centre of a large dairy agriculture region, around which ...

. Much of North Dorset was in the River Stour valley and is called the Blackmore Vale. The economy of North Dorset was largely

dairy A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting or processing (or both) of animal milk – mostly from cows or buffaloes, but also from goats, sheep, horses, or camels – for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on ...

agriculture based. The district was formed on 1 April 1974, under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, from the municipal boroughs of Blandford Forum, Shaftesbury, Blandford Rural District, Shaftesbury Rural District and

Sturminster Rural District Sturminster may refer to: * Sturminster Newton * Sturminster Marshall Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in east Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish had a population of 1 ...

. The district and its council were abolished on 1 April 2019 and, together with the other 4 districts outside the greater Bournemouth area, incorporated into a Dorset unitary authority. At the

2001 UK census A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194. The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...

North Dorset had a population of 61,905, a rise of 8,300 from 1991, with 25,248 households. North Dorset is home to

North Dorset Rugby Football Club North Dorset RFC is a rugby union club in Gillingham, Dorset, who have been in existence since 1951. They currently play in Southern Counties South and are based at Slaughtergate, Gillingham. The club runs three senior teams and a veterans side, ...

Settlements

:''Towns with a population over 2,500 are in bold.'' * Anderson, Ashmore * Belchalwell,

, Bourton, Bryanston, Buckhorn Weston * Cann, Charlton Marshall,

Chettle Chettle is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies northeast of Blandford Forum. It is sited at the head of a gently sloping valley on the dip slope of the chalk formation called Cranborne Chase. Th ...

, Child Okeford, Compton Abbas *

Durweston Durweston ( ) is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Dorset. It lies northwest of the town of Blandford Forum. It is sited by the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour at the point where it flows out of the ...

East Orchard East Orchard is a small village and parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale within the North Dorset administrative district. It is situated roughly midway between the hilltop town of Shaftesbury and the ri ...

, East Stour *

Farnham Farnham ( /ˈfɑːnəm/) is a market town and civil parish in Surrey, England, around southwest of London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, close to the county border with Hampshire. The town is on the north branch of the River Wey, a trib ...

, Fifehead Magdalen, Fifehead Neville, Fontmell Magna * Gillingham,

Glanvilles Wootton Glanvilles Wootton, or Wootton Glanville, is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale under the scarp of the Dorset Downs, south of Sherborne. In the 2011 Census the parish ha ...

* Hammoon,

Hazelbury Bryan Hazelbury Bryan is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale, approximately southwest of the small town of Sturminster Newton. The parish includes the hamlets of Droop, Kingston ...

Hilton Hilton or Hylton may refer to: Companies * Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Inc., a global hospitality company based in the United States that owns several hotel chains and subsidiary companies containing the Hilton name ** Hilton Hotels & Resorts, fla ...

, Hinton St Mary * Ibberton, Iwerne Courtney, Iwerne Minster *

Kington Magna Kington Magna is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of Dorset, England, about southwest of Gillingham. History The name Kington Magna means 'great King's Town'; it derives from ''cyne-'' (later ''cyning'') and ''tūn'', Old ...

* Langton Long Blandford,

Lydlinch __NOTOC__ Lydlinch is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset, England, about west of Sturminster Newton. The village is sited on Oxford clay close to the small River Lydden. The parish – which includes the village of ...

* Manston, Mappowder, Margaret Marsh,

Marnhull Marnhull ( ) is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, north of Sturminster Newton. The resort towns of Bournemouth and Weymouth are approximately south. Marnhull is sited on a l ...

, Melbury Abbas, Milborne St Andrew, Milton Abbas,

Motcombe Motcombe is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. It lies about north of Shaftesbury. It is sited on Kimmeridge clay soil beneath hills at the edge of the Blackmore Vale. The parish is one of the largest in Dorset. In the 2011 c ...

Okeford Fitzpaine Okeford Fitzpaine is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in the English county of Dorset, situated in the Blackmore Vale south of the town of Sturminster Newton. It is sited on a thin strip of greensand under the escarpment ...

Pimperne Pimperne ( ) is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase northeast of the town of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the civil parish had 478 households and a population of 1109. The first records of Pim ...

, Pulham * Shaftesbury,

Shillingstone Shillingstone is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Blandford Forum. In the 2011 Census the civil parish had 479 households and a populat ...

Silton Silton is a small village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale northwest of Gillingham. In the 2011 census, the civil parish had 57 households and a population of 123. In 1086, Silton was recorded in the ...

Spetisbury Spetisbury () is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour and the A350 road, southeast of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the civil parish had 224 households and a population of 555. Spetisbury vil ...

, Stalbridge,

Stoke Wake Stoke Wake is a hamlet and civil parish, formerly part of the Whiteway hundred in north Dorset, England. It is situated under Bulbarrow Hill on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, west of Blandford Forum. Dorset County Councils 2013 mid-year estima ...

Stourpaine Stourpaine () is a village and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the valley of the River Stour in the Dorset administrative district, northwest of Blandford Forum. The A350 road, which connec ...

Stour Provost Stour Provost is a village and civil parish in the Blackmore Vale area of north Dorset, England, situated on the River Stour between Sturminster Newton and Gillingham. In old writings it is usually spelled Stower Provost. Stour Provost once co ...

Stourton Caundle Stourton Caundle is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England. It lies within the Blackmore Vale, about east of Sherborne. In the 2011 census the parish had 181 households and a population of 439. Stourton Caundle ...

Stour Row Stour Row is a village in north Dorset, England, situated beside Duncliffe Hill southwest of Shaftesbury. It lies within the parish of the neighbouring village of Stour Provost. Stour Row has approximately 150 houses and 300 residents. It has a ...

, Sutton Waldron *

Tarrant Crawford __NOTOC__ Tarrant Crawford is a small village and civil parish at the lower end of the Tarrant Valley in Dorset, England. The River Tarrant joins the larger River Stour here. The village consists of two small settlements: Crawford Farm and a fe ...

Tarrant Gunville Tarrant Gunville is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated at the head of the Tarrant Valley on Cranborne Chase northeast of Blandford Forum. The parish covers at an elevation of . In the 2011 census the parish—which ...

, Tarrant Hinton,

Tarrant Keyneston Tarrant Keyneston is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated in the Tarrant Valley, southeast of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had 152 dwellings, 145 households and a population of 310. On the hills nor ...

, Tarrant Launceston,

Tarrant Monkton Tarrant Monkton is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in north Dorset, England, situated in the Tarrant Valley about east-northeast of Blandford Forum. Within the parish boundary, over hills to the west, lies the major par ...

, Tarrant Rawston,

Tarrant Rushton Tarrant Rushton is a village and civil parish in north Dorset, England. The village is situated in the Tarrant Valley about east of Blandford Forum. In 2013 the civil parish had an estimated population of 80. Starting in the north east the pari ...

Todber Todber is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies in the Blackmore Vale, about southwest of Shaftesbury. The underlying geology is Corallian limestone. In the 2011 census the parish had 55 households and ...

, Turnworth *

West Orchard West Orchard is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It is situated in the Blackmore Vale in the North Dorset administrative district, approximately halfway between the towns of Shaftesbury and Sturminster ...

, West Stour, Winterborne Clenston, Winterborne Houghton,

Winterborne Kingston Winterborne Kingston is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies south of the town of Blandford Forum and northeast of the large village of Bere Regis. It is situated in a winterbourne valley on the ed ...

, Winterborne Stickland,

Winterborne Whitechurch Winterborne Whitechurch, also Winterborne Whitchurch, is a village and civil parish in central Dorset, England, situated in a winterbourne valley on the A354 road on the Dorset Downs southwest of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the civi ...

, Winterborne Zelston, Woolland

Religion

References

External links

2001 Census data for North DorsetOfficial website
{{Coord, 50, 51, 38.92, N, 2, 9, 41.77, W, display=title, region:GB_type:adm3rd Former non-metropolitan districts Non-metropolitan districts of Dorset 2019 disestablishments in England