Corfe Castle

Corfe Castle lies in the parish of Corfe Castle, 5 miles south-east of Wareham and 20 miles from Dorchester. The first part of the name 'Corfe' derives from the Old English 'Corf' meaning a cutting or pass, describing the gap in the Purbeck Hills where the castle stands.

Corfe is famous for its ruined castle which was built in the 11th century. The castle replaced a wooden Saxon building. During the Civil War, the castle was held siege by Parliamentary forces who were kept at bay for many months by Lady Bankes & the royalist occupants. The castle was finally taken in 1643. The parliamentary army then spent many months reducing it to rubble with gunpowder.

The first historical record of Corfe is in connection with the murder of King Edward the Martyr in AD 978. In the 13th century, King John was a royal resident at the castle, as he hunted on Purbeck, and it was used as a prison. By 1635, the castle had been purchased by the then Attorney General, Sir John Bankes.

The parish church (St Edward King & Martyr) was renovated in 1860. It was originally built in the 13th century. The oldest part of the church is the tower. It has a peal of 6 bells and a fine stained glass east window in memory of Lady Charlotte Bankes. The parish records were damaged during the Civil War. A charity was founded over 400 years ago by several benefactors and supported an Almshouse and the poor of the town.

The main trade was in quarrying the local stone known as 'Purbeck marble', a fossiliferous limestone. This was used all over England for tombs, lecterns, altars and fonts in cathedrals such as Westminster, Exeter, Lincoln & Salisbury and even in the Tower of London. It is still quarried on the Isle of Purbeck today. In the 18th century, another trade emerged as ball clay was exported to Josiah Wedgewood at Stoke-on-Trent. This is no longer extracted.

The OPC for Corfe Castle is Louise Haywood
You can contact Louise by clicking on the link above to generate an email


Census 1790 Census by Kim Parker
1811 Census of Borough of Corfe Castle
1821 Census
1831 Census
1841 Census
1851 Census District 1a District 1b District 1c

Parish Registers Baptisms
1653-1699
, 1700-1739, 1740-1779, 1780-1804, 1805-1819, 1820-1841 by Barry Chinchen
1840-1859
, 1860-1879, 1880-1889 by Rachel Kent
1889-1920
by Louise Haywood [PR held at St Edward King & Martyr]

Marriages
1602-1841
by Barry Chichen
1763-1836
, 1837-1900 (with witnesses) by Rachel Kent
1900-1920
by Louise Haywood

Burials
1668-1744, 1745-1794, 1795-1841
by Barry Chichen
1841-1900 by Rachel Kent
1900-1920 by Louise Haywood

Bishop's Transcripts Corfe Castle Baptisms 1840-1848 by Alison Preston
Wills, Probates and Administrations List of Wills, Administrations, Bonds and Inventories from the Peculiar Court of Corfe Castle (1602-1699)
Named Wills #1, #2
Wills at the Dorset History Centre
Wills granted by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1568-1855 (Index)
Wills granted by the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 1568-1855 (Transcriptions of indexed wills above, arranged alphabetically) by Richard Wiltshire & Louise Haywood
Will Extracts by Rachel Kent
Dorset Administrations for Corfe Castle [Louise Haywood/Kim Parker]
Other Records Rectors of Corfe Castle
Corfe Castle Liberty Muster Roll 1569
Corfe Poor Rates 1679
Corfe Castle Poll of 1698
Corfe Castle Residents on 29 April 1714
Corfe Castle Highway Rate 1727/8
by Trudy Norbury
Tudor Subsidy Rolls 1525, 1544 & 1594
Protestation Returns 1641
Hearth Taxes 1662-1664
Volunteers Muster Books and Pay Lists 1798-1800
Return of the names of inhabitants capable of service in case of invasion, 20th October 1803
Extract from: Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72)
Apprenticeship Papers 1797-1837
Bastardy Bonds
Peculiar Court Records
Extract from Slater's Directory 1852-3
Wreck of the ship Welfare off Kimmeridge 1376
Photographs Photographs of the village and castle including a 1925 view & Old Sketches by A Mudle, Cyndi Marks and Louise Haywood
Maps

View Larger Map

 

 
Records held at the Dorset History Centre
[Ref PE-COC]
 
Registers
Christenings 1653-1889. Marriages 1695-1963 1981-2001. Burials 1653-1750, 1756-1759, 1773-1948.
Registration District
(for the purpose of civil registration births, marriages & deaths)
1 Jul 1837-31 Mar 1937: Wareham
1 Apr 1937-31 Mar 1997: Poole
1 Apr 1997-30 Sep 2001: South Dorset
1 Oct 2001-17 Oct 2005: South & West Dorset

 


OPC PAGE

Visitors to Dorset OPC

Web Analytics

Privacy Policy

Copyright (c) 2024 Dorset OPC Project