A History of Thorncombe

Houses at Heward near Thorncombe

History

The following is an article by Tony Smith written in 1996 reproduced with minor updates :

A History of Thorncombe

Thorncombe has a long history.

Mentioned in the Domesday Book, it was already a flourishing place in the Middle Ages. In early times it was much connected with Forde Abbey, the Cistercian Monastery founded in the 12th century, which was a great religious centre, thriving for 300 years until under Henry VIII it passed into private hands. In 1312 Edward II granted the Abbot of Forde the right to hold a market in the manor of Thorncombe on Wednesday, and also a six-day fair beginning on the Tuesday after Easter.
In the reign of Edward III the Manor of Olditch was built. Today the old tower still stands close to the farmhouse of Holditch Court, just a mile and a half west of Thorncombe village. Olditch was forfeited to James I when its owner was accused of involvement in the plot against the King which also implicated Sir Walter Raleigh.

During the Civil War 33 of the men of the village were known to have been active on behalf of Monmouth but could not be apprehended.

In the 19th century, the demand for flax for the hemp and rope industry based at Bridport caused a number of mills to spring up in the parish. The overgrown ruins of Chaffeigh Mill, which may have employed as many as thirty people, can still ne seen on the banks of the Synderford.

A disaster struck Thorncombe in the late 19th century when a great fire swept through the top of the village destroying many houses. The population climbed and peaked at about 1,500 in the middle of the last century after which it began to fall. In the second half of the century, when much of the cloth trade moved to the north, there was unemployment and groups of houses, for instance at Shedrick and Maudlin, fell into decline as people left the area. Thereafter dairy farming became the principal means of livelihood in the parish.

The old church at Thorncombe (dedicated 1239) stood for 600 years on a site just south of the new building. The new church (built at a cost of £4,000), contains several monuments from the old church, and its five bells were rehung and augmented by 3 new ones.

A Gospel Hall was built in 1881. Before that date there had been two Dissenting Chapels in the immediate neighbourhood. One was Venn Chapel, built in 1816, now a private house. The other was at Stony Knapps, an Ebenezer Chapel, now also a private house.

Until the 1950s there ware two primary schools in the parish, one in Thorncombe, the other at Holditch. The Thorncombe school was opened in 1876 but was destroyed by fire in 1974. A new school was built on a site close to the Village Hall. The school at Holditch closed earlier in the 20th century, since the parish could not support both.

Since the 1950s there have been changes in the parish. There is a new Village Hall, a Social Club and a great deal of new housing. On the loss side there is no longer a baker, cobbler, policeman, district nurse or doctor. Also the village has lost its pubs: The Crown, The Golden Lion and The Royal Oak have all reverted to private houses.

Thorncombe parish is fortunate in possessing many attractive period houses, farmhouses and cottages. In this context mention should be made of the hamlet of Hewood whose houses are 'group listed', as are some in Thorncombe village.

Recollections

Thorncombe Village Trust - caring for Thorncombe's environment