Sturminster_Marshall
Sturminster Marshall
Village and civil parish in England
Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in the east of Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish had a population of 1,895 at the 2001 census,[1] increasing to 1,969 at the 2011 Census and includes the village of Almer (50.78°N 2.12°W) west of Sturminster Marshall, near Winterborne Zelston and the hamlet of Henbury to the south-east of the village. The village is twinned with the French commune of Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. The appropriate electoral ward is called 'Stour'. From Sturminster Marshall the ward goes east to Pamphill, with a total population of 2,582.[2]
King Alfred the Great, in his will of 899, a copy of which can be seen at the British Library, left the village to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922).
Sturminster Marshall has a 13th century church, St. Mary's. Its predecessor contributed to the village's name; 'Sturminster' meaning "church on the River Stour". The second part of the name came from William Marshall.[3] Until 1857, St. Hubert's Church in Corfe Mullen acted as a chapel of ease to Sturminster Marshall.[4] St. Mary's pre-reformation chalice, dating to 1536, has survived although the stem has been replaced.[5] It is on loan to Dorset Museum.[6]