England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Toller Porcorum St Peter & St Andrew

The Parish

The parish of Toller Porcorum lies in western Dorset roughly 10 miles northwest of the county town of Dorchester. Toller Porcorum sits a half mile southwest of the A356 road which links Maiden Newton with the Somerset town of Crewkerne. Toller Porcorum is a small village which sits within the fork formed by the joining of the River Hooke with a side-stream, most properties lay within the triangle of flattish land that here forms, the village has spread from that core to the south across the side-stream as a spur of properties trending southwestwards. The farming landscape was largely governed by the topography of the area, Toller Porcorum sits in a valley with rich pastures suitable for cattle but is surrounded to both north and south by rolling chalk downs once the home of extensive flocks of sheep but today more arable. In earlier times, however, the qualifier Porcorum came from the regions strong connection with pigs. In addition to pastoral farming the chalk was exploited for burning for lime and the flint extensively used as building stone. Modern developments did arrive at the parish, at one time Toller Porcorum had a station on the branch railway line connecting Bridport to the main line at Maiden Newton but that is closed and largely disappeared. After little more than 2 to 3 miles the River Hooke meets the Frome and heads of southeast, turning east after passing Dorchester it eventually meets the English Channel through Poole Harbour. Toller Porcorum rises from around 110 metres at its stream side to 140 metres at its southwestern edge, land rises in billowing chalk downs around the village reaching 252 metres on hill-fort topped Eggardon Hill to its southwest. Toller Porcorum was an extensive parish, one of the largest in its area covering a little over 3,100 acres which would have supported a population of close to 550 parishioners. In Domesday times Toller Porcorum was recorded together with its smaller neighbour Toller Fratrum as a single holding of a hunter Waleran, collectively the pair only offered 3 ploughs, meadows, pastures & woodland but did possess a mill.

The Church

St Peter & St Andrew's church sits within the core of the village tucked away and accessed by the extremely narrow lane of School Lane. The church is largely a product of the 14th century with both Decorated and perpendicular styles admixed. As the chancel, built with alternating bands of stone and flint, is the earliest portion given the tentative date of c1300 and showing classic Decorated styling features such as the ogee-headed squint. Strangely thew western tower too has Decorated styled bell-openings so building work possibly started at both ends and worked toward the nave by which time fashions had moved on to the Perpendicular. Other than the replacement of a few windows showing later styles much remained untouched until the 19th century. In Georgian times and completed in 1833 the western gallery was installed and the southern aisle added. Further work came in a typical Victorian restoration of 1891 - 1895 when the major piece was the addition of the arcade. School Lane widens marginally west of the site allowing a car to safely park at the roadside without blocking the way. The churchyard is raised considerably above road height and is reached by a flight of steps curving up its western edge, a broader entrance marked by signage allows a flatter approach to the churchyard which has no significant obstacles for the photographer.