DORSET Past

 A country that abounds with ancient settlements &  the archaeological evidence of the past

including remains of the Roman Occupation from about AD 43 for about 500 years until their departure in 412 AD

Pomeroys in Dorset HERE

BRIDPORT on the south coast in Dorset was a significant settlement  from early in the history of Britain.  In the late 9th century Alfred the Great created a network of fortified settlements across his kingdom called burhs.  In the event of a Danish attack all the men from the area could gather together in the local burh to fight.
Bridport was one such burh. However  it  was more than just a fortress it was also a busy little market town and in the 10th century Bridport had a mint coining money suggesting it was indeed a place of some importance.

From that early time Bridport was a busy little town and port in the Middle Ages, although it would have seemed tiny to us with a population of around 500-600, later in the Middle Ages Bridport it grew considerably larger and by the 12th century it was prospering.

The local land has always been well suited to growing both hemp and flax, so it would be natural that a rope making industry would grow up.

For centuries Bridport was famous for rope making. By the time of King John in the early 13th century Bridport was renowned for its rope. The local land is very well suited to growing both hemp and flax. So it was natural that a rope making industry would grow up there.

 The little town was important enough in 1213  for King John urged the ropers to work 'night and day' to make the rope he needed for his navy.

Through the centuries  the town continued to grow and in the 18th century it was a busy little market town and rope making centre. Flax fibres are fine, ideal for linen, lines, thread, Honiton lace and sailcloth. Hemp fibres being coarser were more suitable for rope, nets, lines, canvas, sackcloth and webbing. Twine and lines were made from both flax and hemp. 

By the 1800s a large proportion of fibre was imported from Russia and surrounding countries.

Making linen was a long and laborious process requiring a considerable workforce. 

Flax is a woody plant and the long fibre needed to make linen is found just underneath the bark of the stems. These cellulose fibres are spinnable and once the woody stalks are processed it can be spun, before being woven and then sewn by hand. 

This continue until the eighteenth century  whilst wool & linen was one of the most important textiles in the world.

Parish of Symondsbury

NMP Mapping of the Marshwood Vale, Dorset AONB - Historic England file:///Volumes/DATABASE/GENEALOGY/DORSET/NMPMappingoftheMarshwoodValeDorsetAONB.pdf

 The remains of medieval strip lynchets and field boundaries at ....

Post medieval limestone quarrying on Sloe's Hill, Symondsbury ...... associated with Broadwindsor Park (MDO537); Park Coppice and Park Cowleaze.

......many of the medieval deer parks documented a study of the area (e.g. Wootton Fitzpaine (MDO3440);

 Marshwood (MDO1638); Crekelade (MDO1639); Symondsbury (MDO2663); Chideock (MDO900)) can be traced, at least partially, on the basis of surviving landscape features and place-names: Higher and Lower Park Farms associated with Broadwindsor Park (MDO537); Park Coppice and Park Cowleaze associated with Beaminster Park -