Marnhull
Dorset’s largest Village
The village and civil parish of Marnhull is situated 3 miles north of the market town of Sturminster Newton in north Dorset. It is sited on a low ridge overlooking the heart of the Blackmore Vale. The village is made up of several hamlets: Gannets, Haines, Moorside, Nash, Pilwell, Pleck and Walton Elm. This is almost certainly why Marnhull village has no clear centre. There are two main arteries through the village, namely New Street and Burton Street/Church Hill which join the B3092 Gillingham to Sturminster Newton road at the junction next to the 12th century St Gregory’s Church. The River Stour forms most of the northern and western boundaries of the parish, which abuts Manston and Hinton St Mary to the south and Todber to the east.
There is evidence of an Iron Age settlement (c. 600 BC) at Ashley Wood on the east side of the village, and evidence of Roman settlement in the area between 43-400 AD. This was followed by the Saxons over the next five centuries during the ‘Dark Ages’, a period of British history where little was recorded.
In the Domesday Book, the great land survey compiled in 1086 for William the Conqueror, first Norman king of England, Marnhull came under the Manor of Sturminster. This was owned by the Abbey of Glastonbury and later became the property of the Crown after Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries. The Manor of Marnhull as well as other North Dorset manors was given by Henry VIII to his sixth and last wife Catherine Parr and eventually after her death passed through the hands of several noblemen until it was occupied by John Hussey and his descendants. According to a document of 1560 this included a farm and ‘messuage’ known as ‘Nash Court’. This property probably originally included a Hall house with hall and solar, however the present day mansion known as Nash Court was rebuilt in the early 19th century and subsequently. The Hussey family name is recorded for posterity by the Hussey chapel at St Gregory’s Church and in the houses at Mounters.
Marnhull represents rural Britain at its best. Marnhull and the surrounding area is an intensely agricultural environment. Farming in the area originally focused on sheep and arable crops, however this slowly switched to dairying as the area became widely acclaimed for the excellent quality of milk from the rich pastures of the Blackmore Vale. In more recent times the mass marketing of milk and consequent lower prices forced many farmers to give up their dairy herds and return to previous activities.
The construction of St Gregory’s Church, Marnhull, now the Anglican parish church, commenced around 1150 on the site of a former Saxon church. The first rector was not appointed for another 100 years but since that time there have been more than 50 incumbents. In 1832 a Roman Catholic church was built in Old Mill Lane three years after the Catholic Emancipation Act. A new Methodist Church was completed in 1899 to replace a chapel in Pilwell. Other denominations in the village over time have included Quakers, Congregationalists and Wesleyans.
In the late 19th century interest in Marnhull greatly increased when the now world famous and beloved Dorset author, Thomas Hardy, set one of his most famous novels, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, in ‘Marlott’ – his fictional name for the village of Marnhull. ‘Marlott’ was the birthplace of his heroine Tess. The Crown Inn at the entrance to the village was the model for his ‘Pure Drop Inn’. Certainly Dorset owes a lot to Thomas Hardy whose works continue to stimulate interest in the heritage of the county, adding greatly to tourism and the local economy. For more on Marnhull’s connection with Thomas Hardy visit marnhullheritage.org.uk
Since the Second World War Marnhull has expanded in size considerably as can be seen with the development of Corner Close, the Crown Estate, and a host of new properties along New Street as well as more recent housing developments. Marnhull has more than doubled in size in terms of population since then and continues to expand.
The village of Marnhull has a strong community spirit with many different organisations and clubs providing ample opportunity for everyone to become involved. The youth section of the village cricket club has strong support, the tennis club caters for all ages, while the pop-up café has an attendance of over 100 each month. The Marnhull Hub & Repair Café and Men’s Shed are very well supported. Long running clubs include the British Legion, Women’s Institute and Garden Club, to name just a few. A project to expand and improve the village hall was successfully completed in 2020 and further development is under consideration.
Facilities in Marnhull village include a post office/general store, another Spar general store (both are newsagents), haberdasher, hairdresser, car servicing garage, pharmacy, doctor’s surgery, village hall and recreation ground catering for children and adults alike.