Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Dorchester

Dorchester.-- capital of county, municipal borough, and market town, Dorset, on river Frome, 8 miles N. of Weymouth and 138 miles SW. of London by rail, 635 ac., pop. 7567; P.O., T.O., 4 Banks, 3 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. D. was the Durnovaria of the Romans, and the Dorn Ceastre of the West Saxons. Portions of the Roman wall still remain; also, the ruins of a large amphitheatre, the most perfect of its kind in England. There are some breweries, but the trade is mainly agricultural. A little to the W. of the town are large cavalry and infantry barracks. The bor. returned 1 member until 1885.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "capital of county, municipal borough, and market town"   (ADL Feature Type: "capitals")
Administrative units: Dorset AncC
Place: Dorchester

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