History

Stour Row – a Brief History

Stour Row developed as a small hamlet along the Shaftesbury to Marnhull road, some 3¼ miles west of Shaftesbury. Originally, known as Stower Row, it was part of the manor of Stour Provost which itself is mentioned in the Domesday Book simply as ‘Stur’:

ROGER DE BEAUMONT holds STUR of the king. Alfred held it TRE [tempore Regis Edwardi, ‘in the time of King Edward’, or ‘before 1066’], and it paid geld for 7 hides. There is land of 9 ploughs. Of this 4½ hides are in demesne [kept by the lord or farmed for his own profit], and there are 2 ploughs, and 6 slaves, and 12 villeins and 12 bordars with 3 ploughs. There is a mill rendering 100 pence, and 20 acres of meadow, woodland 1½ leagues long and half a league wide. It was worth £9 when he received it; now £8. 

The manor of ‘Stour Preaux’ (as it had become known) was granted to the Provost, Fellows and Scholars of Kings College Cambridge by Edward IV some time around 1443.  The College retained possession until they sold it in 1925, at which point many farmers and cottagers were able to buy their property as sitting tenants.

Ownership of the 213 acre Duncliffe Wood passed from the Duncliffe Estate to the Forestry Commission who in turn put it up for sale for £120,000 in 1984.  Amid fears that access would be restricted by the new owners the Woodland Trust launched a successful campaign to raise funds through a public appeal and the purchase was completed that year, keeping this wonderful Stour Row amenity open to the public.

Many of the houses in Stour Row were built alongside the main routes through the village in a typical ‘Dorset strip’ fashion with long thin gardens running alongside the road.  Most date from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.  Some of the farms, however, appear to date back far further and many take their names from former owners.  In 1327 a Robert le Hunter lived at Hunt’s Farm and Richard Atte Hill at Hill Farm; William Atte Hill lived there in 1340.  In 1425 Thomas Hunt lived at Hunt’s Farm.   In 1664 William Good lived at Good’s Farm, Robert Hawker at Hawker’s Farm and Peter Kingeat King’s Farm, which no longer exits.  Yeatman’s Farm was formerly occupied by a Martin Richard Yateman.

All Saints’ Church was built in the 1860s as a ‘chapel of ease’ to Stour Provost church, but it later became a parish in its own right.   Due to falling attendance it was decided to close All Saints’ Church for public worship in 2015 and the last service was on 18th October of that year.  Stour Row Parish Church is now at St. Michael and All Angels, Stour Provost.

At one time, as well as the Church, Stour Row boasted a Congregational chapel, ‘The College Arms’ pub, a shop-cum-Post Office, as well as a garage with a shop, known as Church Cross Service Station, which did not close until 1979.  In previous years there appears to have also been a smithy, a carpenter’s and a boot & shoe maker. There was also a village well in use until mains water was connected to the village in 1936, at which point the well, situated outside Pikes Mead Cottage, naturally fell into disuse.  Electricity was connected to Stour Row as late as May 1951.  The former chapel became our Village Hall in 1949, following its purchase for £105 1s 6d.

It is not clear when the dwelling which housed The College Arms became an inn but it may have been around 1829 when Edward Painter, a ‘Common Brewer’ bought the house.  The property was bought by the brewers Hall and Woodhouse in 1963 but they sold it on to the licensee Robert Martin on condition that is ceased to sell liquor, and the pub closed.

Note: We are indebted to Marie Jordan whose delightful little book ‘A History Of Stour Row’ has supplied much of this information, and also to the award-winning Stour Provost Micro Museum.