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Main features of Dorset
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Dorset in the past |
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The name Dorset is derived from the old English for "settlers of Dorn". A recording from the late ninth century has the area named as Thornsaeta, "saete" being the old English name for "settlers". By about 944AD the area was called Dorseteschire. Dorset has been invaded many times including by the Romans who established Durnovaria which later became Dorchester. The Domesday survey of Dorset formed part of the Exon Domesday volume which was completed around 1086. Dorset formed part of the Saxon Kingdom of Wessex Dorset is set in the South West of England and is bounded by Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire, Hampshire and the English Channel. One unusual feature is that the county has no motorway running through it although a balance is struck by the abundance of beautiful countryside. The widest part measured east to west is 52 miles and north to south 37 miles. Dorset has a picturesque coastline which is a World Heritage site and features a number of unique landforms including Lulworth Cove, Durdle Door, Chesil Beach and the Isle of Portland. Bournemouth, Swanage, Weymouth and Lyme Regis are all set along the coastline which is 75 miles in length with the county perimeter being 180 miles in total. The population in 1887 was 191, 028 but by 1991 this had risen to 655, 500. The soil is mainly made up from chalk, gravel and sand although the valleys are particularly fertile areas. The only mineral of any significance is Portland Stone quarried in the Isle of Portland.
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