Toller Porcorum (/pɔːrˈkɔːrəm/) is a village and civil parish in Dorset, England, situated in the Toller valley 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Dorchester. In the 2011 census the civil parish—which also includes the small settlements of Higher and Lower Kingcombe to the north—had a population of 307.[1]

Toller Porcorum
Toller Porcorum viewed from the south
Toller Porcorum is located in Dorset
Toller Porcorum
Toller Porcorum
Location within Dorset
Population307 [1]
OS grid referenceSY561980
Unitary authority
Shire county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townDorchester
Postcode districtDT2
Dialling code01300
PoliceDorset
FireDorset and Wiltshire
AmbulanceSouth Western
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Dorset
50°46′46″N 2°37′18″W / 50.7795°N 2.6218°W / 50.7795; -2.6218

Population

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A rural and slowly growing area with a population of 307,[1] Toller Porcorum is a village of approximately 160 households.[2]

History

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Like the other Toller villages of Toller Fratrum and Toller Whelme, the name was taken from the river, which is now known as the Hooke. The addition Porcorum means of the pigs in Latin;[3] the village was in the past sometimes known as Swines Toller,[4] but more often as Great Toller.

Toller Porcorum is also an ancient Anglican ecclesiastical parish. The church is dedicated to Saints Peter and Andrew and is remarkable for the "drooping chancel".[5]

From 1862 to 1975, the village had a railway station on the Bridport Railway.

The Old Swan

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The village pub, The Old Swan, was closed by the brewery in 1999 and has since been converted into a private dwelling. Skittles was played there.[6]

Notable people

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Despite its small size the village has been home to a number of notable people. George of Clarence was at one point the owner of the majority of the village.[citation needed]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Area: Toller Porcorum (Parish), Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 18 May 2014.
  2. ^ "Toller Porcorum". Toller Porcorum. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  3. ^ Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP40/647; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/AALT1/H6/CP40no647/aCP40no647fronts/IMG_0251.htm; first entry, seen as "Tolre Porcorum", the home of William Coterych, husbandman
  4. ^ Plea Rolls of the Court of Common Pleas; National Archives; CP40/ 629; http://aalt.law.uh.edu/H5/CP40no629/aCP40no629fronts/IMG_0314.htm; 5th entry, first defendant John Skynnere, husbandman, of Swynyn Tollere
  5. ^ Dorset Historic Churches Trust: Toller Porcorum
  6. ^ "Jack Hargreaves explains a use for Hornbeam", Old Country, 1984
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