Fifehead Magdalen

Fifehead Magdalen
Parish church of St Mary Magdalene
Fifehead Magdalen is located in Dorset
Fifehead Magdalen
Fifehead Magdalen
Location within Dorset
Population80 [1]
OS grid referenceST782215
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townGillingham
Postcode districtSP8
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°59′33″N 2°18′48″W / 50.9926°N 2.3133°W / 50.9926; -2.3133

Fifehead Magdalen is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies within the Blackmore Vale, about three miles (five kilometres) south-southwest of Gillingham and five miles (eight kilometres) west of Shaftesbury. It is sited on Corallian limestone soil[2] and surrounded by Oxford Clay,[3] about 14 mile (400 metres) from the west bank of the River Stour. Its name means "the place of five hides dedicated to [St] Magdalene".[4][5] In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 80.[1] The village was a venue for stave dances.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Parish Population Data". Dorset County Council. 20 January 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  2. ^ Wightman, Ralph (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. p. 17. ISBN 0-7090-0844-9.
  3. ^ "Fifehead Magdalen | British History Online". www.british-history.ac.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
  4. ^ Treves, Sir F.,Highways and Byways in Dorset, Macmillan, 1906, p25
  5. ^ North Dorset District Council,District Official Guide, Home Publishing Co. Ltd., c.1983, p33
  6. ^ Dommett, Roy. "Stave Dances". The Stave Dance Material. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2011.