Person:Louisa Rabbets (1)

Ashmore is a small parish on the Wiltshire border and six miles south east of Shaftesbury, it is one of the highest villages in Dorset. To the north is the parish of Melbury Abbas on the west side lie Compton Abbas, Fontmell Magna, Sutton Waldren and Iwerne Minster with Tarrant Gunville to the south. The location of the village is an historic site which is centred around a large pond. The parish church of St Nicholas was opened on October 2nd 1874 and was built on the site of an earlier church, the 13th century chancel arch from this earlier building has been incorporated in the new. The font is of Bere stone and the chancel flooring is of Devonian marble. The registers date from 1651. There was also a Wesleyan meeting room built onto Manor Farm. In 1840 a National School, with residences for the mistress was built to accommodate 95 pupils. The downlands are populated with prehistoric barrows. The soil is chalk and loam and the chief crops were traditionally wheat, oats, barley and beans. At the end of the 19th century there was a large proportion of woodland which gave considerable employment in the production of faggots and hurdles. The area is 2301 acres. The population in 1891, was 228;