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its name from a Saxon word meaning a pillar or cliff, Shaftesbury, 

 which possibly gets its name from the shaft-like shape of the hill 

 on which it stands, and Kimmeridge (Brit., cymmre, meaning a place 

 of hills and hollows, Cumberland deriving its name from the same 

 root). 



The northern part of the county was formerly occupied by a 

 part of Cranborne Chase and the woods of the Blackmore Vale. 

 We therefore now find many places whose names are associated 

 with woods. We get Glanvilles Wootton (the Glanvilles were the 

 owners in ancient times), Wootton Fitzpaine (held by Robert 

 Fitzpaine in the reign of Edward II), Halstock (holy wood), formerly 

 owned by the abbey at Sherborne and the revenue devoted to holy 

 purposes, Stock Gaylard (S., stocce, meaning a stick or wood, and 

 Coy Hard the name of a former proprietor), Stoke Wake (the Wakes 

 were the lords of the manor in ancient times, and ancestors of 

 William Wake, a former Archbishop of Canterbury), Stoke Abbott, 

 which formerly belonged to Sherborne Abbey, East Stoke, Power- 

 stock, which may be a corruption of Porcus-stock, Cattistock, Holt, 

 Alderholt, Evershot (eafor's holt, meaning the wood of the wild 

 boar: cf., Eversley in Hampshire), Hooke (oaks), Woodlands, 

 Verwood (fair wood), Woodyates, East Orchard, West Orchard, 

 Hazelbury Bryan (S., hazl-beve, meaning a hazel copse, and Bryan, 

 a former owner), Bere Regis (the place belonging at one time to 

 the Crown, a royal manor-house being probably situated there), 

 Rushmore and Farnham, possibly noted in former times for a 

 remarkable growth of ferns. 



From the soil and productions a few names are derived. 

 Blackmore Vale was so called, either from the black nature of the 

 soil, or because of the dark aspect of the woods with which it was 

 at one time covered. Fifehead Magdalen obtained the former part 

 of its name from the five hides of land it contained, and the latter 

 part because the church was dedicated to St. Mary Magdalen ; 

 while Fifehead Neville at one time belonged to the Nevilles. 



Sheep-farming gave us Shipton (Sheeptown) Gorge, Shapwick 

 (S. sceap, a sheep, and uu'c, a village) and Bothenhampton (Booth 

 town, the shepherds living in tents there), while the keeping of pigs 

 explains the origin of Toller Porcorum. 



Then there are a number of places which cannot be put in any 

 of the classes already dealt with. We have Brownsea (Bruno's Ey 

 or Island), Studland, probably so called because of its proximity to 

 Poole Harbour which is studded with islands, Swanage, formerly 

 Swanwic or Swainwic, because of its association with the Danes, 

 Chesil (S., cesil, a pebble), Chesilbourne, Yetminsteror Gateminster 

 (the entrance into the Blackmore Vale), Maiden Newton (mat dun, 

 meaning a great hill) and Maiden Castle. 



