Bradford Abbas | |
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Church Road, Bradford Abbas |
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Bradford Abbas shown within Dorset | |
Population | 975 |
OS grid reference | ST587144 |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Police | Dorset |
Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
Ambulance | South Western |
EU Parliament | South West England |
Bradford Abbas is a village and civil parish in north west Dorset, England, 3 miles (4.8 km) southeast of Yeovil and 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest of Sherborne. In the 2011 census the population of the parish was 975.
The name of the village signifies the "Abbot's broad ford" on the River Ivel, the abbot in question being that of Sherborne; the land was given to Sherborne Abbey by King Alfred the Great.
In the dry summer of 2010 cropmarks in sun-parched fields of barley, visible from the air, revealed the existence of a previously unsuspected 1st-century temporary Roman camp, one of only four detected in southwest Britain. In the 19th century five Roman kilns were found in a field to the east of the village. Also found at the site were pottery, roof slates, bracelets and querns.