Milton, Dorset
Coordinates: 51°03′27″N 2°17′51″W / 51.0574°N 2.2975°W
The former town Milton (or Middleton) in Dorset was cleared by the local landowner, Joseph Damer, in the 1770s. This was a result of a fashion amongst English landowners to improve the amenity of their homes by converting surrounding farmland into open parkland. Where buildings were deemed to spoil the view, they were removed, including villages and towns, as in the case of Milton.
Damer's former residence, Milton Abbey is now occupied by Milton Abbey School.
A church, dedicated to St Sampson, was founded at Milton in the reign of King Athelstan (who also granted an annual fair). It was said to be a gesture of atonement for the death of the King's brother, Edwin, in 933 AD and it was endowed with relics. In 964, the church was handed over to the Benedictines and a monastery was established there until 11 March 1539, during the general Dissolution of the Monasteries by Henry VIII. Henry subsequently sold the estate to John Tregonwell in February, 1540. A grammar school was established on the site in 1521.
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