Sturminster Marshall

Sturminster Marshall is a village and civil parish in the east of Dorset in England, situated on the River Stour between Blandford Forum and Poole. The parish had a population of 1,895 at the 2001 census, increasing to 1,969 at the 2011 Census and includes the village of Almer (50°47′N 2°07′W / 50.78°N 2.12°W / 50.78; -2.12) west of Sturminster Marshall, near Winterborne Zelston and the hamlet of Henbury to the south-east of the village. The village is twinned with the French commune of Sainte-Mère-Église in Normandy. The appropriate electoral ward is called 'Stour'. From Sturminster Marshall the ward goes east to Pamphill, with a total population of 2,582.

King Alfred the Great, in his will of 899, a copy of which can be seen at the British Library, left the village to his youngest son Æthelweard (c.880-922).

Sturminster Marshall has a 13th-century church, St Mary's. Its predecessor contributed to the village's name; 'Sturminster' meaning "church on the River Stour". The second part of the name came from William Marshall. Until 1857, St. Hubert's Church in Corfe Mullen acted as a chapel of ease to Sturminster Marshall. St. Mary's pre-Reformation chalice, dating to 1536, has survived although the stem has been replaced. It is on loan to Dorset Museum in Dorchester, Dorset.

Sturminster Marshall has a playing field with a children's playground in one corner. Nearby is the Memorial Hall which offers a meeting-space for many village societies. There is also an old school hall which is also used as a meeting-space.

There are many walks around the village including the Stour Valley Way, which follows the Stour right from the source to the sea.

The village has two pubs: the Red Lion within the village and the Golden Fox on the outskirts.

The village has a cricket club with a side in Dorset division 3. There is also a football club with a senior side and several junior teams.

The earliest parts of the Church of England parish church date from the 12th century, with 13th, 14th and 15th century additions. The three-stage west tower was rebuilt in 1805 and the whole building was heavily restored in 1859. The monuments and brasses inside the church are mainly 19th century, but there is a 17th-century funeral helm and a 14th-century coffin slab with a Latin inscription: Quisquis ades qui morte cades, sta, perlege, plora. Sum quod eris, fueram quod es. Pro me precor, ora. It is a Grade II* listed building.

Crossing the River Stour to the east of the village is a 16th-century stone bridge of eight arches. The later parapet overhangs the bridge sides on corbels. An early 19th-century iron plaque threatens anyone damaging the bridge with penal transportation. It is a Grade I listed building.

• 
  Interior of St Mary's Church, looking east
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  14th-century coffin lid in the south porch of the church
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  The 16th-century White Mill Bridge crossing the River Stour
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  Old iron warning sign on the bridge parapet

Media related to Sturminster Marshall at Wikimedia Commons

• 2001 Census data
• SMYFC