Dorset Poor Law/Registration County

Created: 1851   Abolished: 1930

Statistics

Population

Population

Densities and rates of growth. Age structure: concentrations of young people, and of the old.
Industry

Industry

How people made their living: identifying farming communities, pit villages, mill towns and so on.
Life & Death

Life & Death

Numbers of babies born. Deaths, especially infant deaths. Causes of death by age and gender.
Work & Poverty

Work & Poverty

Unemployment rates and poor relief. What proportions of men and of women did paid work?
Housing

Housing

Numbers of houses. Overcrowding: persons per room. Amenities: central heating, baths and WCs.
Birthplace & Religion

Birthplace & Religion

Numbers going to church, and the kinds of churches they went to. The different religions of modern Britain.
Place marker map of Great Britain and Ireland

The following alternate names exist for this unit:

Name Status Language Start End Authority
DORSET Preferred English     F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 103.
DORSETSHIRE Alternate English     F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 103.

This unit contained the following units:

Name Type Start End Authority
BEAMINSTER RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
BLANDFORD RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
BRIDPORT RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
CERNE PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District     F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
CRANBORNE PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District     F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
DORCHESTER RegD Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   1911 Census of England and Wales, Table 5, 'Registration Counties, Districts and Sub-districts with their constituent civil parishes. - Urban or Rural District in which each parish is situated; Area; families or separate occupiers, and population, 1901 and 1911; and population enumerated in Institutions, large establishments, and on vessels, &c., 1911'.
DORCHESTER PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District     F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
POOLE RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.
PURBECK PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District     F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
SHAFTESBURY RegD/Inc/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
SHERBORNE RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
STURMINSTER RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
WAREHAM AND PURBECK RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
WEYMOUTH RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
WIMBORNE AND CRANBORNE RegD/PLU Poor Law Union/Reg. District 1850   F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
BEAMINSTER RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
BLANDFORD RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
BLANDFORD FORUM USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
BRIDPORT RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
BRIDPORT USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
CERNE RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
DORCHESTER USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
DORCHESTER RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
KINSON USD Sanitary District 1892 1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
LYME REGIS USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
POOLE RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 594.
POOLE USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
PORTLAND USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
SHAFTESBURY RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
SHAFTESBURY USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
SHERBORNE USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
SHERBORNE RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
STURMINSTER RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
SWANAGE USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WAREHAM USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WAREHAM AND PURBECK RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WEYMOUTH RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WEYMOUTH USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WEYMOUTH AND MELCOMBE REGIS USD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WIMBORNE AND CRANBORNE RSD Sanitary District   1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
WIMBORNE MINSTER USD Sanitary District 1892 1894 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.

This unit was associated with the following other units:

Nature of association Other unit involved Type of unit Authority
was succeeded by DORSET Modern (post 1974) County Census of Population (2001 Key Statistics)
was succeeded by DORSET Administrative County F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 595.
was preceded by DORSET Ancient County F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 593.

This unit was part of the following units:

Name Type Start End Authority
ENGLAND Dep Country 1851 1930 F. Youngs, Local Administrative Units: Southern England (London: Royal Historical Society, 1979), p. 103.
SOUTH WESTERN Poor Law/Registration Division     1911 Census of England and Wales, Table 2, 'Registration divisions and Counties - Area, and population at each successive Census'.

Boundary Map of Dorset Poor Law/Registration County

If the boundaries of the Poor Law/Registration County changed over time, this map will show all the different boundaries.

Maps Census reports

How to reference this page:

GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, Dorset Poor Law/Registration County through time, A Vision of Britain through Time.

URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/unit/10024985

Date accessed: 08th April 2026