| Bradford Abbas | |
|---|---|
 Church Road, Bradford Abbas | |
  Bradford Abbas Location within Dorset | |
| Population | 975 (2011 Census) |
| OS grid reference | ST587144 |
| Civil parish |
|
| Unitary authority | |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | SHERBORNE |
| Postcode district | DT9 |
| Dialling code | 01935 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Bradford Abbas is a village and civil parish in north-west Dorset, England, on the border with Somerset. The village is 3 miles (5 km) south-east of Yeovil and 5 miles (8 km) south-west of Sherborne. The parish includes the small settlement of Saxon Maybank to the north, and had a population of 975 at the 2011 Census.[1]
The name of the village signifies the "Abbot's broad ford" on the River Ivel, the abbot in question being that of Sherborne; the land was given to Sherborne Abbey by King Alfred the Great.
In the dry summer of 2010 cropmarks in sun-parched fields of barley, visible from the air, revealed the existence of a previously unsuspected 1st-century temporary Roman camp, one of only four detected in southwest Britain.[2] In the 19th century five Roman kilns were found in a field to the east of the village. Also found at the site were pottery, roof slates, bracelets and querns.[3]
- ^ "Area: Bradford Abbas (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
- ^ English Heritage reported in BBC News, "Dry weather reveals archaeological 'cropmarks' in fields", 30 August 2010 accessed 7 September 2010.
- ^ "'Bradford Abbas', An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 1: West (1952), pp. 30-34". British History Online. University of London & History of Parliament Trust. November 2013. Retrieved 4 June 2014.