| Bourton |
| This is the most northerly parish in Dorset and also it is aid to be
the 'Last Village in Dorset' but some would argue and say that
Silton is
the most northerly. Wiltshire lies to the east and Somerset in the west
and beside the lake at the back of Bourton Mill can be found a huge slab
of greensand which is known as Egbert's Stone, he was the first King of
Wessex and it is said he raised the stone to mark the boundaries of
Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire when he divided England into Shires. He was the grandfather of King Alfred the Great and in 878AD Alfred rallied the people of Wessex together to repel the Viking marauders and 4,000 men met in the fields around the mill and attacked the Vikings on Salisbury Plain and this is aid to have been one of the most significant victories in the history of Britain and this can be proved as I am typing this in English and not in Scandinavian!. The largest water wheel in Europe was situated in the River Stour alongside the mill in 1860 and it was constructed of iron with a 60ft diameter. E.S. Hindly of Bourton constructed another one i 1902 and this was situated on the Duke of Somerset's estated i Maiden Bradley and provide drinking water to the village and surrounding farms. And the mill went on to become an iron foundry and later still produced some of the first steam driven cars. A lot of modern building has gone on in the village over the years but there are still a lot of 18th or 19th century small houses which were built due to the linen weaving which flourished here at that time and this goes back to Longlane Mill which is mentioned in the Domesday Book and was producing flax right through the Middle Ages. The White Lion Inn dates back to 1723 and is a traditional stone built inn with old beams, flagstones and real fires. The main employer is a dried milk processing plant but agriculture was the main work in the past. The church is 13th century and dedicated to St George and has a tall tower, nearby is the Tudor Chantry House and William Barnes the poet taught here, and a disciple of Barnes ran a school at Mere which is is just over the Wiltshire border. The gardens of the Chantry House run down to a lake which reflect the church tower and it was here Barnes is said to have written some of his best sonnets. 'Sweet Garden!
peaceful spot! no more in thee
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