The earliest recorded use of the name was in 940 A.D. Dorseteschire meaning the dwellers (saete) of Dornuuarana (Dorchester), the place of fisticuffs (Celtic: Dwrn, "fist" and Gwarae, "play").
Dorset can be seen as the miniature England. It was invaded by the Celts, the Romans, the Saxons and the Normans.
The village of Dorset is also in the county of Dorset. Dorchester is the administrative headquarters of Dorset county. Other significant towns or cities are Shaftesbury, Sherbourne, Lyme Regis, Weymouth, Poole, and the Swanage resorts.
Dorset is famous for its picturesque coastline, the Jurassic Coast, which features unique landforms. It is the setting of the novels of Thomas Hardy, who was born near the quiet county town of Dorchester. The county has a long history of human settlement and some notable archaeology. Most of Dorset's coastline was designated a World Heritage Site in 2001 because of its unique geological landforms.
Dorset is largely rural with many small villages, few large towns, and no cities. Currently in construction on the western edge of Dorchester is the experimental new town of Poundbury, commissioned and co-designed by Prince Charles. The suburb is designed to integrate residential and retail buildings and counter the growth of dormitory towns and car-orientated development.
Shaftesbury was founded by the Saxons. It is a hilltop town and is about 750 feet above sea level. This town was made prominent when Shaftesbury Benedictine Abbey was founded by the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred the Great. The town's prosperity in the late Saxon era was due to the abbey.
Between the Stour and Allen Rivers sits the beautiful Wimborne Minster. The twin towers of the Minster Church dominate the town.
The Parish of St. Nicholas was built in Abbotsbury, Dorset, England in the 14th century. It was built of local golden stone.
A bridge (arch) built by the Normans leads into Rufus Castle also known as the 'Red King's Castle'. It was built by King William Rufus who was the son of Guillaume Peuerel Le Conquerant. It is situated on top of a hill and is the oldest castle in Portland.
Maiden Castle of Dorset is was an Iron Age hill fort. It is an example of the decline of old civilization from about 1300 B.C. and the emergence of society based on mixed farming and trade. It remained in use until the Roman conquest of Britain.
It was here at Corfe Castle on the 18 Mar. 978 that a dark and devious plot to assassinate the 17 year old King Edward came to its dreadful conclusion, the Saxon King, Later to be known as Edward the Martyr, was stabbed to death on the orders of his step-mother.
The Old Sherborne Castle was built by Roger De Cain, Bishop of Salisbury in the early 1100's near Castleton in Dorset. Bishop Roger was the Chancellor to King Henry I.
Dorset is a county of England located in the south-west coast of the country. It is divided into eight districts. It has many small villages in those districts.
MAPS
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Dorset Districts
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PHOTOS
At Lulworth Cove the sea has broken through the Limestone, eroded away
the weak clays and exposed the chalk of the Purbeck hills
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulworth_Cove
The Purbeck Hills are a ridge of chalk downs that extend from the Dorset Downs south of Dorchester,
through the Isle of Purbeck to Old Harry Rocks where the ridge meets the sea.
The rocks are situated in the English Channel where the Purbeck Hills fall into the sea.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Harry_Rocks
Durdle Door (sometimes spelt Durdle Dor) is a natural limestone arch
on the Jurassic Coast near West Lulworth in Dorset, England.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Durdle_Door
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At Lyme-Regis there are cliffs which are known to the fossil collectors.
These cliffs are on the western edge of the county located near Pubeck Hills.
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