Rampisham
| Rampisham | |
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 Cottages in Rampisham village |
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 Rampisham
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| Rampisham shown within Dorset | |
| Population | 110 |
| OS grid reference | ST562022 |
| District | |
| Shire county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Police | Dorset |
| Fire | Dorset and Wiltshire |
| Ambulance | South Western |
| EU Parliament | South West England |
Rampisham (pronounced 'Ransom') is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England, situated in the West Dorset administrative district approximately 11 miles (18 km) northwest of the county town Dorchester. The village is sited on greensand in a valley surrounded by the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. The parish includes the hamlet of Uphall northwest of the main village.
Dorset County Council's 2013 mid-year estimate for the population of Rampisham parish is 110. The principal means of making a living is agricultural, mainly grain production.
In 1799 a Roman pavement was found about 1 mile (1.6 km) northnorthwest of the church; it measured approximately 14 feet (4.3 m) by 10 feet (3.0 m) and was well preserved, having a pattern of concentric rings and a floral decoration, but it was removed by treasure-hunters.
In the Domesday Book in 1086 Rampisham was recorded as Ramesham. It was in the hundred of Tollerford, had seventeen households and the tenant-in-chief was Bishop Odo of Bayeaux.
Rampisham's parish church, dedicated to St Michael and All Saints, has a medieval south tower which was built in phases in the early 14th (1326) and 15th centuries. The rest of the building was largely rebuilt in two bouts of Victorian restoration: first in 1845–7 and then in 1858–60.Augustus Pugin was involved in the first restoration, designing a new east window and chancel. He also built a school and rectory for the village, though both these are now private houses. The second restoration involved an extension to the tower and a rebuilding of the nave; this was undertaken by John Hicks, possibly with assistance from a young Thomas Hardy.
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Wikipedia