Godmanstone
| Godmanstone | |
| Dorset | |
|---|---|
 Parish church of the Holy Trinity, Godmanstone | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SY667972 |
| Location: | 50°46’25"N, 2°28’27"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 130 (2013 est.) |
| Post town: | Dorchester |
| Postcode: | DT2 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Dorset |
| Parliamentary constituency: |
West Dorset |
Godmanstone (or Godmanston[1]) is a village in Dorset, about four miles north of the county town, Dorchester. Its name means Godman's Farm.[1]
The village stands by the River Cerne amongst the chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. A 2013 estimate gave a parish population of 130. The 2011 census recorded the population of Godmanstone parish plus the small adjoining parish of Nether Cerne as 156.
Godmanstone used to have a pub, The Smiths Arms, which claimed to be the smallest in Britain. The story attached to the claim was that the original licence was granted by King Charles II when he requested that the village smith serve him a glass of porter. The smith refused because he had no licence, so Charles granted him one on the spot and was served his drink. The licence only applied to the smithy; adjacent living quarters, subsequently used by drinkers, were larger.[2] The business has since closed.
The parish church is partly Norman, chiefly perpendicular, with a tower; and was recently repaired.
Outside links
 |
("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Godmanstone) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Roland Gant (1980). Dorset Villages. Robert Hale Ltd. p. 149. ISBN 0 7091 8135 3.
- ↑ Ralph Wightman (1983). Portrait of Dorset (4 ed.). Robert Hale Ltd. pp. 102–3. ISBN 0 7090 0844 9.