| Charminster | |
|---|---|
 Parish church of St Mary's | |
  Charminster Location within Dorset | |
| Population | 2,940 [1] |
| OS grid reference | SY680927 |
| Unitary authority | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | Dorchester |
| Postcode district | DT2 |
| Dialling code | 01305 |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| UK Parliament | |
Charminster is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the county town Dorchester. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 2,940[1] and also contains the hamlet of Charlton Down.
The village name derives from the River Cerne and the small 'minster' church of St Mary, resulting in "Cerneminster" (recorded in 1223), which eventually evolved into Charminster.[2] The village, which includes Wolfeton House, was the place of origin of Richard Norman and family, one of the Planters of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, who arrived there in ca. 1626.[3] Scientist Margaret Bastock died in the village in 1982, aged 62.
Charminster was in the Charminster and Cerne Valley electoral ward, which stretches from the northern outskirts of Dorchester through Cerne Abbas to Minterne Magna. The total population of this ward at the 2011 census was 4,768.[4]
After 2019 structural changes to local government in England, Charminster is part of the Charminster St Mary's ward for elections to Dorset Council.[5]
- ^ a b "Area: Charminster (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistic. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ^ Mills, A.D., 1986. Dorset Place Names. Ensign, Southampton. ISBN 1-85455-065-9.
- ^ Leslie Mahler, "The English Origin of Richard Norman of Salem, Massachusetts." The American Genealogist, Vol. 77, No. 2 (April 2002).
- ^ "Charminster & Cerne Valley ward 2011". Retrieved 26 February 2015.
- ^ "Charminster St Mary's (Ward, United Kingdom) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 22 February 2024.