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In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described Holwell like this:
HOLWELL, a parish in Sherborne district, Dorset; on a branch of the river Lidden, 5 miles SE of Sherborne r. station. It includes the hamlet of Buckshaw; and, till 1844, was part of Somerset. Post town, Sherborne. Acres, 2, 356. Real property, £3, 290. Pop., 495. Houses, 104. The property is subdivided. ...
The parish was part of Blackmore forest, and had, within its limits, the principal lodge of that forest. King John appears to have visited Holwell at several times, probably for hunting. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Salisbury. Value, £456. * Patron, Queen's College, Oxford. The church, excepting the chancel, is later English. There are a Wesleyan chapel and a national school.
Holwell is now part of DORSET Unitary Authority. Click here for graphs and data of how DORSET has changed over two centuries. For statistics about Holwell itself, go to Statistics.
How to reference this page:
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Holwell in Dorset | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/13670
Date accessed: 08th April 2026
Click here for more detailed advice on finding places within A Vision of Britain through Time, and maybe some references to other places called "Holwell".
