Tolpuddle () is a village in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Burleston and Tolpuddle Burleston is a village in the civil parish of Burleston and Tolpuddle, in Dorset, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 27. On 1 April 2024 the parish was abolished and merged with Tolpuddle Tolpuddle () is a village in the civil p ...

, in

Dorset Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...

, England, on the

River Piddle The River Piddle or Trent or North River is a small rural Dorset river which rises in the Dorset Downs and flows into Poole Harbour near Wareham. Etymology The river's name has Germanic origins and has had various spellings over the years. I ...

from which it takes its name, east of Dorchester, the county town, and west of

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

. The estimated population of the parish in 2013 was 420. The village is well known as the home of the

Tolpuddle Martyrs The Tolpuddle Martyrs were six agricultural labourers from the village of Tolpuddle in Dorset, England, who were arrested and tried in 1834 for swearing a secret oath as members of a friendly society. Led by George Loveless, the group had ...

, six men who were sentenced to be

transported ''Transported'' is an Australian convict melodrama film directed by W. J. Lincoln. It is considered a lost film. Plot In England, Jessie Grey is about to marry Leonard Lincoln but the evil Harold Hawk tries to force her to marry him and she ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

after they formed a friendly society in 1833. A row of cottages, housing agricultural workers and a museum, and a row of seated statues commemorate the martyrs. The annual

Tolpuddle Martyrs festival The Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival and Rally is an annual festival held in the village of Tolpuddle, in Dorset, England, which celebrates the memory of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The event is a celebration of trade unionism and labour politics organised ...

is held in the village on the third weekend of July. An ancient sycamore tree on the village green, known as the Martyrs' Tree, is said to be the place where the Martyrs swore their oath. It is cared for by the

National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...

. The Martyrs Inn

public house A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption Licensing laws of the United Kingdom#On-licence, on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the ...

is owned by nearby Athelhampton House, a Tudor house open to the public approximately to the west. St John the Evangelist's Parish Church dates from the 13th century. In 1999, the A35

trunk road A trunk road is a major highway with a specific legal classification in some jurisdictions, notably the United Kingdom, Sweden and formerly Ireland. Trunk roads are planned and managed at the national-level, distinguishing them from non-trunk ro ...

through south Dorset, was moved to bypass both Tolpuddle and nearby

Puddletown Puddletown is a village in the civil parish of Athelhampton and Puddletown, in Dorset, England. It is situated by the River Piddle, from which it derives its name, about northeast of the county town Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester. Its earlier ...

Etymology

Tolpuddle originally bore the name 'Tolpiddle'. The entry for Tolpuddle in the Key to English Place-Names reads:

Governance

At the local government level, Tolpuddle is in the

Area parish council and the Dorset unitary authority area. For elections to Dorset Council is part of the Puddletown and Lower Winterborne electoral ward. On 1 April 2024 the parish was abolished and merged with

Burleston Burleston is a village in the civil parish of Burleston and Tolpuddle, in Dorset, England. In 2001 the parish had a population of 27. On 1 April 2024 the parish was abolished and merged with Tolpuddle Tolpuddle () is a village in the civil p ...

to form "Burleston and Tolpuddle". Historically, Tolpuddle was in Puddletown Hundred. It was part of Dorchester Rural District from 1894 to 1974, and

West Dorset West Dorset was a Non-metropolitan district, local government district in Dorset, England. The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, and was a merger of the boroughs of Bridport, Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester ...

district from 1974 to 2019. In the UK national parliament, Tolpuddle is within the North Dorset parliamentary constituency, having been moved from

in 2024.

References

* Pitt-Rivers, Michael, 1969. ''Dorset''. London: Faber & Faber.

Notes

External links

Website
Villages in Dorset Former civil parishes in Dorset {{Dorset-geo-stub