Although recorded as Beubos or
Beau Bois in 1288, the first mention of “Fairwood” is in a charter
dated 8th December 1377 in the first year of the reign
of Richard II. The Norman lord, William de Bello Bosco or Beau
Boys had used the Latin or Old French translation of the locality
for his surname. On this date he granted to Walter, vicar of
Cranborne, amongst others “all the lands, tenements, meadows,
woodland, heath, marsh, pasture, rents and services which he then
held in Lesteford, Fairwoode and Boverige”. Fairwood remained the
official name well into the nineteenth century, written as such in
documents, but this gradually evolved phonetically into Verwood as
pronounced by the Dorset tongue.
The arms of Bello Bosco included
an inverted chevron “V shape” which has now been incorporated into
the town coat of arms, along with other significant emblems,
trees, the waters of the River Crane, besom brooms and pots.
Long before Norman landlords, a community already
flourished. Prehistoric remains of burial mounds, cremations and
flint implements have been found in the area around Stephen’s Castle
to the north east. This is a natural outcrop, not a manmade
fortification though its defensive possibilities are not hard to
imagine. The origin of the name “Stephen” for this part of Verwood
is lost in the mists of time but nearby “Stephen’s Stone” is
reputed in local folklore to have at one time stood upright,
possibly as a territorial marker or sacred gathering place. There
is no doubt that ancient tribes would have had a commanding view all
over the surrounding countryside and to the sea from this lofty
vantage point.
Until the latter years of the nineteenth century,
Verwood, including Three Legged Cross, was part of the large parish
of Cranborne. The hamlet is not mentioned by name in the Domesday
Book but some of its mills and other properties may well be included
in the inventory given for that parish. Through Verwood also ran
the boundary of the ancient outer limits of Cranborne Chase and as
such parts were in the hunting grounds of the king and his nobles.
The River Crane, Ebblake and the “hoar stone” on the way to the
great bridge at Ringwood were amongst the landmarks noted in a
perambulation ordered by King John to determine the bounds.
Settlement probably began along the banks of the
River Crane where the land was fertile and water power could drive
mills such as that at Romford in the west. Several of the farms
which lie at intervals along this part of the Crane Valley have very
early foundations and are recorded in medieval documents. Verwood
was also fortuitously equidistant between the two ancient market
towns of Ringwood and Cranborne.
The surrounding heathland, relatively infertile and
therefore not of great use to major landowners, was however rich in
seams of clay, timber and scrub. These commodities were taken
advantage of from earliest days for house building, cottage industry
and pasture.
Pottery has been found at Ebblake dating from 1690
and it is probable that kilns were established in the immediate area
from much earlier days as has been proved in nearby villages.
Small, family run, potteries were dotted all over the Verwood area
producing mainly heavy domestic earthenware not just for local
consumption but also for export all over the south of England and
probably abroad via ships from Poole. Earlier, much finer,
tableware and other utensils have been found.
The growth in this industry probably accelerated when
Enclosure Acts forced people out of traditional villages where they
had previously enjoyed right of pasture on the commons. In Verwood
they could settle, build a “cob” mud wall cottage and carve
themselves an acre for use as a vegetable garden and smallholding
without objection from the local landlord.
Other home grown enterprises sprang up such as broom
making from the birch and heather which abounded on the heath whilst
the village had its own independent craftsmen: carpenters,
blacksmiths, shoemakers, thatchers and the like. The population
was served well into the twentieth century by bakers, grocers,
greengrocers, general stores, ale houses and other retail outlets.
Throughout the nineteenth century, the bulk of the
male population continued to work as agricultural labourers for the
big farm estates. The family subsistence was augmented from the
garden and domestic livestock and, especially at Three Legged Cross,
income was gained from the sale of excess produce. In latter years
laden carts travelled to the growing town of Bournemouth. Women
and children knitted highly prized gloves for sale through local
traders and also assisted in agricultural activities at busy seasons
of the year.
Until the second half of the nineteenth century the
pattern was a grouping of scattered settlements all over the
heath. A major factor in the growth and cohesion of Verwood was
the construction of the railway branch line from Salisbury to the
coast in 1866. Verwood Station, which stood near the Albion Inn,
could then handle imports and exports, increasing trade and
population. Several of the men took railway occupations and the
population was able to move further afield.
It was a mixed blessing however. Pottery, farm
goods, high quality sand from the quarry on Stephen’s Castle and
latterly bricks could be sent to a wider market. Coming in were
coal, slates and lighter enamel household goods which latter
eventually led to the demise of the local pottery industry. One by
one the potteries closed, the last remaining being that at the
Crossroads which remained open until 1952. The railway and station
were in full operation until 1964 when they fell under the Beeching
axe, a decision much regretted by the local population.
From the end of the nineteenth century, several major
brickworks were established, replacing smaller family owned
enterprises. The Manor Brickworks at Black Hill and the Verwood
and Gotham Brick and Tile Company at the station made traditional
red bricks. North of the station was a roofing tile yard whilst
one at Ebblake used seams of white clay to produce decorative
bricks. All these products were highly regarded and used
throughout a wide area, including the construction of The Pavilion
at Bournemouth.
In the early twentieth century Verwood would have
presented an industrial face amongst the largely rural countryside,
with the constant plumes of smoke rising from the potteries and
brickworks. The thriving brickworks closed for a completely
different reason to that of the potteries as under World War II
blackout regulations they were unable to be continuously fired as
the process demanded. Although there was talk of revival after the
War, this never happened.
Both wars brought tragedy to Verwood as they did to
every community. The names of the men who lost their lives are
recorded on the war memorial in the parish churchyard. The
Recreation Ground was given with a tree planted for every man who
fell in the Great War and the Memorial Hall placed on it as a
tribute to those of the Second World War. Several bombs fell over
the area fortunately causing only one human fatality, a young boy
whose loss was felt by the whole community. There was an influx of
service and civilian personnel, some of whom came to make Verwood
their home. Lasting friendships were forged and fascinating tales
are told of the now primitive nature of strategies and subterfuges
intended to defend the population and mislead the enemy.
Over the centuries, however, the populace had carried
on its life largely untroubled by outside events though the
visitation of the young Edward VI and entourage to Woodlands in 1552
and the hunt for the Duke of Monmouth after the battle of Sedgemoor
in 1685 must have occasioned excitement. The Duke was eventually
captured beneath an ash tree on Horton Heath, giving rise to the
name of a local public house. In latter years, as the nearest
station to the “big houses” of Cranborne and Wimborne St. Giles, the
village saw royalty alighting on numerous occasions, sometimes
followed by a carriage ride around the area to the delight of
cheering crowds.
In Napoleonic times a telegraph station north of
Verwood was one of a series which could relay news from Plymouth to
London in a matter of minutes. This era too was of immediate
interest and profitability to Verwood by participation in the
smuggling trade. Eastworth Farm and Burrows Lane are two names that
occur in the annals of the pack pony routes from the then deserted
coves around Bournemouth to inland markets.
The spiritual and educational advantages were slower
in coming. The Dorset historian, Rev. John Hutchins, records that
there had been a Chapel of Ease of the important monastic foundation
of Cranborne, situated in the grounds of Manor Farm, but it was in
ruins by 1666. No attempt seems to have been made to erect another
place of worship for the established church until the inhabitants of
the Verwood area, who then numbered only a few hundred, petitioned
in 1829 for a Chapel to save them the long journey to the parish
church at Cranborne. This was granted with the erection of a small
building and yard on the site of the present parish church.
It was not until 1887 that Verwood became an
ecclesiastical parish in its own right, at which time the chapel was
completely rebuilt in local brick to become St. Michael & All Angels
parish church. It was greatly extended in 1980 to reflect the
growing population. In 1893 All Saints was built at Three Legged
Cross to save these outlying parishioners the journey to Verwood
along unlit and rough trackways. The original building was later
cased in stone but in latter years had to be demolished and
replaced.
In 1802 a small Independent Chapel had been erected
on Church Hill by the non-conformist population and after several
successive moves and improvements remains today as the United
Reformed Church in Manor Road. There were also Independent chapels
in Three Legged Cross and on Dewlands Common. The foundation of
the former remains as the United Reformed Church in Ringwood Road at
the southern end of the parish.
The Methodist congregation began by meeting in the
open air and homes. Wild Church Bottom and Mount Ararat on
Boveridge Heath to the north may be two place names indicative of
such informal assemblies. A Primitive Methodist chapel was erected
in 1876 on the site of the present Methodist Church in Vicarage Road
which replaced it in 1909. A tiny Primitive Methodist chapel was
founded in Three Legged Cross in 1893 but has since closed.
For those who preferred a more Evangelical form of
worship, the Bethel Chapel was opened in Ringwood Road, Verwood in
1931 and a Gospel Hall, now the Evangelical Church, was founded in
Three Legged Cross.
In 1847 the Anglicans built a schoolroom adjacent to
their chapel on Church Hill. This was intended for all children of
the area including Three Legged Cross but the non-conformists began
their own classes shortly after. These latter became the “British”
and then the Council school, housed in the former chapel, now the
Library, in Manor Road. The direct successors of these two
foundations are the Church of England First School in Howe Lane and
Hillside First School both now open of course to children of all
denominations or none. Emmanuel Middle School was established in
1988. The latest scholastic addition, in recognition of the
growing populace, is Trinity First School in Coopers Lane,
established in 2001 and installed in its present premises in 2002.
Education in Three Legged Cross began with Anglican
classes in 1873 followed a year later by the non-conformists who
established an undenominational school. These have now combined to
form Three Legged Cross First School in Church Road.
The origin of the name Verwood has been explained but
that of Three Legged Cross is more obscure. Suggestions have
ranged from a tripod beacon to guide travellers across the heath, a
gallows and a boundary stone marking the junction of three great
estates. However, a more prosaic explanation may well be the
arrangement of the road system whereby the roads north and south
leave the former turnpike road at staggered intervals.
The expansion brought by the railway continued with
the building of brick houses and public buildings from the early
twentieth century onwards. Many of the old cob, thatched cottages
began to disappear, though fortunately several still remain. The
1960s and 70s saw the establishment of several housing estates.
Until the building on the former Joy’s farm between Verwood and
Church Roads, Three Legged Cross had remained a sparsely populated
hamlet.
Since Verwood’s designation as a development area,
the building work continues apace with the resultant influx of
population. Again, the largely infertile soil that enabled
previous generations to settle is a significant factor although
today’s new residents are more likely to arrive in retirement or to
take work rather than relying for their livelihood on the fruits of
the heath.
Social life has never been neglected in Verwood.
From earlier times there have been church activities, fairs and
carnivals, sporting teams, an active band, youth and adult pursuits,
concerts, special events and outings. This is no less true today
and provides opportunities of enjoyment and service for all age
groups and interests. It is sincerely hoped that this “village”
character will remain in its best aspects and that everyone feels
welcome and able to contribute to this unique community.
The panoramic view from Stephen’s Castle, reveals the
buildings on the cliffs at Bournemouth more readily than the roofs
of the growing community directly below. It takes only a short
stroll to the forestry areas, nature reserves and commons to escape
the traffic, rejuvenate the spirits and enjoy tranquillity.
Whatever changes the area has witnessed over the centuries Verwood
can still truly be described as a “Fair Wood”.
(Jill Coulthard for Verwood Historical Society:
February 2008)
