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- the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia
Toller Fratrum (#20 on map) is a civil parish and a very small village in Dorset, England, between the similarly named Toller Porcorum (#21) and the large parish of Maiden Newton (#14). It was anciently in Tollerford Hundred.
The name is taken from the village's situation on the brook formerly known as the Toller, now called the Hooke. The addition Fratrum is the Latin for brothers and refers to the mediaeval ownership of the manor by the Knights Hospitaller, which distinguishes it from the other Tollers, namely Toller Porcorum and Toller Whelme. It is often referred to as Little Toller.
The village has a notable 16th-century farm house, Little Toller Farm, built largely by John Samways, who acquired the estate in 1540. The farm house was later occupied by the Fulford family. The church of Saint Basil was rebuilt in the 19th century but possesses not only an unusual Norman font, carved with archaic figures, but also a relief of Saint Mary Magdalene of the same period.
The independent book publisher, Little Toller Books, is based in the village.
Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the population of the parish is 10.
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Governance
Toller Fratrum was originally a parish in the Tollerford Hundred, one of the hundreds or early subdivisions of the county of Dorset. From 1894 until 1974 it was part of the Dorchester Rural District.
In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, all urban and rural districts across England were abolished and counties were reorganized into metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts. Dorchester Rural District joined the non-metropolitan West Dorset District.
Under another set of local government reforms adopted on 1 April 2019, West Dorset District was abolished, and the county of Dorset (excluding Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole) became a single unitary authority. The area is now administered by Dorset Council.
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