Dorset
County of England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dorset (/ˈdɔːrsɪt/ DOR-sit; archaically: Dorsetshire /ˈdɔːrsɪt.ʃɪər, -ʃər/ DOR-sit-sheer, -shər) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south-east, the English Channel to the south, and Devon to the west. The largest settlement is Bournemouth, and the county town is Dorchester.
Dorset | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Coordinates: 50°48′N 2°18′W | |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Constituent country | England |
| Region | South West |
| Established | Ancient |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (GMT) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (BST) |
| UK Parliament | List of MPs |
| Police | Dorset Police |
| Ceremonial county | |
| Lord Lieutenant | Michael Dooley |
| High Sheriff | George Streetfeild[1](2020–21) |
| Area | 2,653 km2 (1,024 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 20th of 48 |
| Population (2022)[2] | 785,172 |
| • Rank | 32nd of 48 |
| Density | 296/km2 (770/sq mi) |
| Ethnicity | 97.9% White |
| Unitary authorities | |
| Councils | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council Dorset Council |
| Districts | |
 Districts of Dorset Unitary | |
| Districts | |
The county has an area of 2,653 km2 (1,024 sq mi) and a population of 772,268. Around half of the population lives in the South East Dorset conurbation, which contains three of the county's largest settlements: Bournemouth (183,491), Poole (151,500), and Christchurch (31,372). The remainder of the county is largely rural, and its principal towns are Weymouth (53,427) and Dorchester (21,366). Dorset contains two unitary authority areas: Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) and Dorset. The county did not historically include Bournemouth and Christchurch, which were part of Hampshire.
Dorset has a varied landscape of chalk downs, steep limestone ridges, and low-lying clay valleys. The majority of its coastline is part of the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site due to its geological and palaeontologic significance, and features notable landforms such as Lulworth Cove, the Isle of Portland, Chesil Beach and Durdle Door. The north of the county contains part of Cranborne Chase, a chalk downland. The highest point in Dorset is Lewesdon Hill (279 m (915 ft)), in the southwest.
There is evidence of Neolithic, Celtic, and Roman settlement in Dorset, and during the Early Middle Ages the region was settled by the Saxons; the county developed in the 7th century. The first recorded Viking raid on the British Isles occurred in Dorset during the eighth century, and the Black Death entered England at Melcombe Regis in 1348. The county has seen much civil unrest: in the English Civil War an uprising of Clubmen vigilantes was crushed by Oliver Cromwell's forces in a pitched battle near Shaftesbury; the doomed Monmouth Rebellion began at Lyme Regis; and the Tolpuddle Martyrs, a group of Dorset farm labourers, were instrumental in the formation of the trade union movement. During the Second World War, Dorset was heavily involved in the preparations for the invasion of Normandy, and the large harbours of Portland and Poole were two of the main embarkation points. Agriculture was historically the major industry of Dorset, but is now in decline in favour of tourism.
Dorset derives its name from the county town of Dorchester.[3] The Romans established the settlement in the 1st century and named it Durnovaria which was a Latinised version of a Common Brittonic word possibly meaning "place with fist-sized pebbles".[3] The Saxons named the town Dornwaraceaster (the suffix -ceaster being the Old English name for a "Roman town"; cf. Exeter and Gloucester) and Dornsæte came into use as the name for the inhabitants of the area from Dorn (a reduced form of Dornwaraceaster) and the Old English word sæte (meaning "people").[3][4] The same ending can also be seen in the neighbouring Somerset. It is first mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle in AD 845 and in the 10th century the county's archaic name, Dorseteschyre (Dorsetshire), was first recorded.[5]
Early history
The first human visitors to Dorset were Mesolithic hunters, from around 8000 BC.[6][7] The first permanent Neolithic settlers appeared around 3000 BC and were responsible for the creation of the Dorset Cursus, a 10.5-kilometre (6.5 mi) monument for ritual or ceremonial purposes.[8][9] From 2800 BC onwards Bronze Age farmers cleared Dorset's woodlands for agricultural use and Dorset's high chalk hills provided a location for numerous round barrows.[10][11] During the Iron Age, the British tribe known as the Durotriges established a series of hill forts across the county—most notably Maiden Castle which is one of the largest in Europe.[12][13]
The Romans arrived in Dorset during their conquest of Britain in AD 43. Maiden Castle was captured by the Legio II Augusta under the command of Vespasian, and the Roman settlement of Durnovaria was established nearby.[14][15] Bokerley Dyke, a large defensive ditch built by the county's post-Roman inhabitants near the border with modern-day Hampshire, delayed the advance of the Saxons into Dorset for almost 150 years.[16] It appears to have been re-fortified during this period, with the former Roman Road at Ackling Dyke also being blocked by the Britons, apparently to prevent the West Saxon advance into Dorset.[17]
However, by the end of the 7th century Dorset had fallen under Saxon control and been incorporated into the Kingdom of Wessex.[18] The precise details of this West Saxon conquest and how it took place are not clear, but it appears to have substantially taken place by the start of the reign of Caedwalla in 685.[19] The Saxons established a diocese at Sherborne (later to develop into the Diocese of Salisbury) and Dorset was made a shire—an administrative district of Wessex and predecessor to the English county system—with borders that have changed little since.[20] In 789 the first recorded Viking attack on the British Isles took place in Dorset on the Portland coast, and they continued to raid into the county for the next two centuries.[21][22]
After the Norman Conquest in 1066, feudal rule was established in Dorset and the bulk of the land was divided between the Crown and ecclesiastical institutions.[23] The Normans consolidated their control over the area by constructing castles at Corfe, Wareham and Dorchester in the early part of the 12th century.[24] Over the next 200 years Dorset's population grew substantially and additional land was enclosed for farming to provide the extra food required.[25] The wool trade, the quarrying of Purbeck Marble and the busy ports of Weymouth, Melcombe Regis, Lyme Regis and Bridport brought prosperity to the county.[26] However, Dorset was devastated by the bubonic plague in 1348 which arrived in Melcombe Regis on a ship from Gascony.[27] The disease, more commonly known as the Black Death, created an epidemic that spread rapidly and wiped out a third of the population of the country.[28][29] Dorset came under the political influence of a number of different nobles during the Middle Ages. During the Wars of the Roses, for instance, Dorset came into the area influenced by Humphrey Stafford, earl of Devon (originally of Hooke, Dorset) whose wider influence stretched from Cornwall to Wiltshire. After 1485, one of the most influential Dorset figures was Henry VII's chamberlain Giles Daubeney.[30]
Modern history
The dissolution of the monasteries (1536–1541) met little resistance in Dorset and many of the county's abbeys, including Shaftesbury, Cerne and Milton, were sold to private owners.[31] In 1642, at the commencement of the English Civil War, the Royalists took control of the entire county apart from Poole and Lyme Regis. However, within three years their gains had been almost entirely reversed by the Parliamentarians.[32] An uprising of Clubmen—vigilantes weary of the depredations of the war—took place in Dorset in 1645. Some 2,000 of these rebels offered battle to Lord Fairfax's Parliamentary army at Hambledon Hill but they were easily routed.[33][34] Sherborne Castle was taken by Fairfax that same year and in 1646 Corfe Castle, the last remaining Royalist stronghold in Dorset, was captured after an act of betrayal: both were subsequently slighted.[33][35] The Duke of Monmouth's unsuccessful attempt to overthrow James II began when he landed at Lyme Regis in 1685.[36] A series of trials known as the Bloody Assizes took place to punish the rebels. Over a five-day period in Dorchester, Judge Jeffreys presided over 312 cases: 74 of the accused were executed, 175 were sentenced to penal transportation, and nine were publicly whipped.[37] In 1686, at Charborough Park, a meeting took place to plot the downfall of James II of England. This meeting was effectively the start of the Glorious Revolution.[38]
During the 18th century, much smuggling took place along the Dorset coast; its coves, caves and sandy beaches provided opportunities for gangs such as the Hawkhursts to stealthily bring smuggled goods ashore.[39] Poole became Dorset's busiest port and established prosperous trade links with the fisheries of Newfoundland which supported cloth, rope and net manufacturing industries in the surrounding towns and villages.[40] However, the Industrial Revolution largely bypassed Dorset which lacked coal resources and as a consequence the county remained predominantly agricultural.[41][42][43] Farming has always been central to the economy of Dorset and the county became the birthplace of the modern trade union movement when, in 1834, six farm labourers formed a union to protest against falling wages. The labourers, who are now known as the Tolpuddle Martyrs, were subsequently arrested for administering "unlawful oaths" and sentenced to transportation but they were pardoned following massive protests by the working classes.[44][45]
The Dorsetshire Regiment were the first British unit to face a gas attack during the First World War (1914–1918) and they sustained particularly heavy losses at the Battle of the Somme.[46][47] In total some 4,500 Dorset servicemen died in the war and of the county's towns and villages, only one, Langton Herring, known as a Thankful Village, had no residents killed.[47][48] During the Second World War (1939–1945) Dorset was heavily involved in the preparations for the invasion of Normandy: beach landing exercises were carried out at Studland and Weymouth and the village of Tyneham was requisitioned for army training.[49][50] Tens of thousands of troops departed Weymouth, Portland and Poole harbours during the D-Day Normandy landings and gliders from RAF Tarrant Rushton dropped troops near Caen to begin Operation Tonga.
Dorset experienced an increase in holiday-makers after the war.[51] First popularised as a tourist destination by George III's frequent visits to Weymouth, the county's coastline, seaside resorts and its sparsely populated rural areas attract millions of visitors each year.[41][52] With farming declining across the country, tourism has edged ahead as the primary revenue-earning sector.[42][53]
Some of the larger settlements of Dorset
Dorset is largely rural with many small villages, few large towns and no cities.[54][55] The only major urban area is the South East Dorset conurbation, which is situated at the south-eastern end of the county and is atypical of the county as a whole. It consists of the seaside resort of Bournemouth, the historic port and borough of Poole, the towns of Christchurch and Ferndown plus many surrounding villages.[56][57] Bournemouth, the most populous town in the conurbation, was established in the Georgian era when sea bathing became popular.[58] Poole, the second largest settlement (once the largest town in the county), adjoins Bournemouth to the west and contains the suburb of Sandbanks which has some of the highest land values by area in the world.[59]
The other two major settlements in the county are Dorchester, which has been the county town since at least 1305,[60] and Weymouth, a major seaside resort since the 18th century.[61][62] Blandford Forum, Sherborne, Gillingham, Shaftesbury and Sturminster Newton are historic market towns which serve the farms and villages of the Blackmore Vale in north Dorset.[63] Beaminster and Bridport are situated in the west of the county; Verwood and the historic Saxon market towns of Wareham and Wimborne Minster are located to the east.[63] Lyme Regis and Swanage are small coastal towns popular with tourists.[64] Under construction on the western edge of Dorchester is the experimental new town of Poundbury commissioned and co-designed by Charles III when he was Prince of Wales.[65] The suburb, which is expected to be fully completed by 2025, was designed to integrate residential and retail buildings and counter the growth of dormitory towns and car-oriented development.[66]
Dorset covers an area of 2,653 square kilometres (1,024 sq mi) and contains considerable variety in its underlying geology, which is partly responsible for the diversity of landscape.[67][68][69] A large percentage (66%) of the county comprises either chalk, clay or mixed sand and gravels. The remainder is less straightforward and includes Portland and Purbeck stone, other limestones, calcareous clays and shales.[70] Portland and Purbeck stone are of national importance as a building material and for restoring some of Britain's most famous landmarks.[71][72] Almost every type of rock known from the Early Jurassic to the Eocene epochs can be found in the county.[73][74]
Dorset has a number of limestone ridges which are mostly covered in either arable fields or calcareous grassland supporting sheep.[75] These limestone areas include a wide band of Cretaceous chalk which crosses the county as a range of hills from north-east to south-west, incorporating Cranborne Chase and the Dorset Downs, and a narrow band running from south-west to south-east, incorporating the Purbeck Hills.[76][77] Between the chalk hills are large, wide vales and wide flood plains.[74] These vales are dotted with small villages, farms and coppices, and include the Blackmore Vale (Stour valley) and the Frome valley.[77][78] The Blackmore Vale is composed of older Jurassic deposits, largely clays interspersed with limestones,[74] and has traditionally been a centre for dairy agriculture.[79] South-east Dorset, including the lower Frome valley and around Poole and Bournemouth, comprises younger Eocene deposits,[74] mainly sands and clays of poor agricultural quality.[80] The soils created from these deposits support a heathland habitat which sustains all six native British reptile species.[81] Most of the Dorset heathland has Site of Special Scientific Interest status, with three areas designated as internationally important Ramsar sites.[82] In the far west of the county and along the coast there are frequent changes in rock strata, which appear in a less obviously sequential way compared to the landscapes of the chalk and the heath.[83] In the west this results in a hilly landscape of diverse character that resembles that of neighbouring county Devon.[84] Marshwood Vale, a valley of Lower Lias clay at the western tip of the county,[85] lies to the south of the two highest points in Dorset: Lewesdon Hill at 279 metres (915 ft)[86] and Pilsdon Pen at 277 metres (909 ft).[87]
A former river valley flooded by rising sea levels 6,000 years ago, Poole Harbour is one of the largest natural harbours in the world.[88][89] The harbour is very shallow in places and contains a number of islands, notably Brownsea Island, the birthplace of the Scouting movement and one of the few remaining sanctuaries for indigenous red squirrels in England.[90] The harbour, and the chalk and limestone hills of the Isle of Purbeck to the south, lie atop Western Europe's largest onshore oil field.[91] The field, operated by Perenco from Wytch Farm, has the world's oldest continuously pumping well at Kimmeridge which has been producing oil since the early 1960s.[91][92]
Dorset's diverse geography ensures it has an assortment of rivers, although a moderate annual rainfall coupled with rolling hills, means most are typically lowland in nature.[93] Much of the county drains into three rivers, the Frome, Piddle and Stour which all flow to the sea in a south-easterly direction.[94] The Frome and Piddle are chalk streams but the Stour, which rises in Wiltshire to the north, has its origins in clay soil.[95] The River Avon, which flows mainly through Wiltshire and Hampshire, enters Dorset towards the end of its journey at Christchurch Harbour.[96] The rivers Axe and Yeo, which principally drain the counties of Devon and Somerset respectively, have their sources in the north-west of the county. In the south-west, a number of small rivers run into the sea along the Dorset coastline; most notable of these are the Char, Brit, Bride and Wey.[97]
Most of Dorset's coastline is part of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site, which stretches for 155 kilometres (96 mi)[98] between Studland and Exmouth in Devon. This coast documents the entire Mesozoic era, from Triassic to Cretaceous, and is noted for its geological landforms.[99] The Dorset section has yielded important fossils, including Jurassic trees and the first complete Ichthyosaur, discovered near Lyme Regis in 1811 by Mary Anning.[99] The county features some notable coastal landforms, including examples of a cove (Lulworth Cove), a natural arch (Durdle Door) and chalk stacks (Old Harry Rocks).[100][101] Jutting out into the English Channel at roughly the midpoint of the Dorset coastline is the Isle of Portland, a limestone island that is connected to the mainland by Chesil Beach, a 27-kilometre (17 mi) long shingle barrier beach protecting The Fleet, Britain's largest tidal lagoon.[102][103]
The county has one of the highest proportions of conservation areas in England, and two Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) cover 53% of the administrative county.[104][105] It has two heritage coasts totalling 92 kilometres (57 mi), and Sites of Special Scientific Interest covering 199 km2 (77 sq mi).[106][107] The South West Coast Path, a National Trail, begins at South Haven Point at the entrance to Poole Harbour.[108] There are also substantial areas of green belt surrounding the South East Dorset conurbation, filling in the area between this and the Cranborne Chase and West Wiltshire Downs AONB.
Climate
| Weymouth, Dorset | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Climate chart (explanation) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dorset's climate of warm summers and mild winters is partly due to its position on Britain's south coast. The third most southerly county in the UK, Dorset is less affected by the more intense Atlantic winds than Cornwall and Devon. Dorset, along with the entire South West England, has higher winter temperatures, average 4.5 to 8.7 °C (40.1 to 47.7 °F), than the rest of the United Kingdom.[110] However, Dorset maintains higher summer temperatures than Devon and Cornwall, with average highs of 19.1 to 22.2 °C (66.4 to 72.0 °F).[111] Excluding hills such as the Dorset Downs, the average annual temperature of the county is 9.8 to 12 °C (49.6 to 53.6 °F).[112]
The south coast counties of Dorset, Hampshire, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent enjoy more sunshine than anywhere else in the United Kingdom, receiving 1,541–1,885 hours a year.[113] Average annual rainfall varies across the county—southern and eastern coastal areas receive 700–800 mm (28–31 in) per year; the Dorset Downs receive between 1,000 and 1,250 mm (39–49 in) per year; less than much of Devon and Cornwall to the west but more than counties to the east.[114]
| Climate data for Weymouth | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) |
8.9 (48.0) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.9 (55.2) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.7 (65.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
12.2 (54.0) |
9.7 (49.5) |
14.3 (57.7) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 6.7 (44.1) |
6.5 (43.7) |
7.9 (46.2) |
9.8 (49.6) |
12.5 (54.5) |
15.1 (59.2) |
17.0 (62.6) |
17.4 (63.3) |
15.7 (60.3) |
13.0 (55.4) |
9.9 (49.8) |
7.4 (45.3) |
11.6 (52.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 4.5 (40.1) |
4.1 (39.4) |
5.2 (41.4) |
6.6 (43.9) |
9.3 (48.7) |
12.0 (53.6) |
14.0 (57.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
12.7 (54.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
7.4 (45.3) |
5.1 (41.2) |
8.5 (47.3) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 84.3 (3.32) |
60.5 (2.38) |
58.1 (2.29) |
52.4 (2.06) |
44.6 (1.76) |
45.9 (1.81) |
40.7 (1.60) |
55.4 (2.18) |
54.9 (2.16) |
82.7 (3.26) |
98.7 (3.89) |
92.2 (3.63) |
770.4 (30.33) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1 mm) | 12.9 | 10.8 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.2 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 8.3 | 8.0 | 11.9 | 13.2 | 13.1 | 117.5 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 69.1 | 95.5 | 141.5 | 202.1 | 235.4 | 234.8 | 245.6 | 225.7 | 178.1 | 127.5 | 84.6 | 64.5 | 1,904.4 |
| Source: 1991–2020 averages for Wyke Regis climate station. Sources: Met Office[115] and Cefas[116] | |||||||||||||
| UK Census 2011 | Dorsetnote [117][118] |
Bournemouth [119][120] |
Poole [121][122] |
South West [117][118] |
England [117][118] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 412,905 | 183,491 | 147,645 | 5,288,935 | 53,012,456 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| White | 97.9% | 91.9% | 95.8% | 95.4% | 85.5% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mixed | 0.8% | 2.3% | 1.3% | 1.4% | 2.2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Asian | 0.7% | 2.9% | 1.8% | 1.5% | 7.0% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Black | 0.2% | 1.0% | 0.3% | 1.0% | 3.4% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese or other | 0.3% | 1.9% | 0.8% | 0.7% | 1.7% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Christian | 65.3% | 57.1% | 60.4% | 60.4% | 59.4% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Non-Christian | 1.3% | 4.6% | 2.3% | 2.5% | 8.7% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No religion | 25.2% | 30.5% | 29.7% | 29.3% | 24.7% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Not stated | 8.0% | 7.8% | 7.6% | 7.9% | 7.2% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ^ Excluding Bournemouth and Poole | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2011 Census records Dorset's population as 744,041. This consisted of 412,905 for the non-metropolitan county (not including Bournemouth and Poole), 183,491 for the unitary authority of Bournemouth and 147,645 for the unitary authority of Poole.[117][119][121] In 2013 it was estimated that the population had risen by around 1.4% to 754,460: 416,720 in the non-metropolitan county and 188,730 and 149,010 in Bournemouth and Poole respectively.[123] More than half of the county's residents live in the Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch conurbation.[117]
Dorset's population has a high proportion of older people and a lower than average proportion of young people: According to 2013 mid-year estimates,[Note 1] 23.6% are over 65 years of age, higher than the England and Wales average of 17.4%, and 18.6% are less than 17 years old, lower than the England and Wales average of 21.3%.[61] The working age population (females and males between 16 and 64) is lower than England and Wales average, 60% compared to 64%.[124] Data collected between 2010 and 2012 shows that average life expectancy at birth in the county is 85.3 years for females and 81.2 years for males. This compares favourably with the averages for England and Wales of 82.9 and 79.1 years respectively.[125] Around 95.2% of Dorset's population are of white ethnicity, 60.9% of the population are Christian and 28.5% say they are not religious.[117][118]
More than 33% of the county's population possess a level 4 qualification or above, such as a Higher National Diploma, Degree or a Higher Degree; while nearly 6.3% have no qualifications at all.[126] Almost 43.7% are employed in a professional or technical capacity (Standard Occupational Classification 2010, groups 1–3), just over 10.3% are administrators or secretaries (group 4), around 12.8% have a skilled trade (group 5), over 18% are employed at a low-level in the care, leisure, sales or customer relations sector (groups 6 and 7) and 14.8% are operatives or in elementary occupations (groups 8 and 9).[126]
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| Pre-1974 statistics were gathered from local government areas that now comprise Dorset Source: Great Britain Historical GIS.[127] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Local government
Local government in Dorset consists of two unitary authorities (UA): Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, which governs the major conurbation comprising the three towns; and Dorset Council which serves the more rural remainder of the county.[128] For the BCP council, voters choose 76 councillors from 33 wards, with ten wards returning three candidates apiece and 23 wards, two.[129] Dorset elects 82 councillors representing six three-councillor wards, 18 two-councillor wards and 28 single-councillor wards - 52 wards in total.[130] In both authorities, elections for the entire council occur every four years.[131]
The two authorities came into existence on 1 April 2019, when Bournemouth and Poole merged with Christchurch, one of six second-tier districts previously governed by Dorset County Council, leaving the other five districts - Weymouth and Portland, West Dorset, North Dorset, Purbeck and East Dorset - to form a second UA.[132] Dorset County Council was first formed in 1888 by an act of government to govern the newly created administrative county of Dorset which had been based largely on the historic county borders. Dorset became a two-tier non-metropolitan county after a reorganisation of local government in 1974 and its border was extended eastwards to incorporate the former Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch.[Note 2][135] Following a review by the Local Government Commission for England, Bournemouth and Poole each became administratively independent single-tier unitary authorities in 1997.[136][137]
National representation
For representation in Parliament Dorset is divided into eight Parliamentary constituencies—five county constituencies and three borough constituencies. At the 2017 general election, the Conservative Party was dominant, taking all eight seats.[138] The borough constituencies of Bournemouth East, Bournemouth West and Poole were traditionally Conservative safe seats and were all represented by Conservative members of parliament until the 2024 United Kingdom general election when they were all gained by Labour.[139][140][141] The county constituencies of North Dorset and Christchurch are also represented by Conservative MPs. Between 1997 and 2019, West Dorset was represented by Conservative MP Oliver Letwin who was the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office in David Cameron's government.[142][143] The seat was won by Edward Morello in the 2024.[144]
The marginal seat of South Dorset is represented by Lloyd Hatton, who gained the seat from Conservative representative, Richard Drax, in 2024.[145] The Mid Dorset and North Poole constituency has been represented by the Liberal Democrat MP, Vikki Slade since 2024.[146]
In the 2024 general election, the Conservatives held 2 constituencies in Dorset, while the Liberal Democrats gained 2 and Labour gained 4.[145]
| Industry | Dorset[C] [147] |
Poole [148] |
Bournemouth [149] |
Great Britain [147] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 11.9% | 15.8% | 3.2% | 10.2% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Construction | 5.3% | 4.6% | 3.2% | 4.8% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | 81.5% | 79% | 93.1% | 83.5% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tourism-related[B] | 10.2% | 7.7% | 12% | 8.2% | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
A.^ Excludes self-employed, government-supported trainees and armed forces | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
In 2003 the gross value added (GVA) for the non-metropolitan county was £4,673 million, with an additional £4,705 million for Poole and Bournemouth.[150] The primary sector produced 2.03% of GVA, the secondary sector produced 22.44% and 75.53% came from the tertiary sector.[150] The average GVA for the 16 regions of South West England was £4,693 million.[150]
The principal industry in Dorset was once agriculture. It has not, however, been the largest employer since the mid 19th century as mechanisation substantially reduced the number of workers required.[151][152] Agriculture has become less profitable and the industry has declined further. Within the administrative county between 1995 and 2003, GVA for primary industry (largely agriculture, fishing and quarrying) declined from £229 million to £188 million—7.1% to 4.0%.[150] In 2007, 2,039 km2 (787 sq mi) of the county was in agricultural use, up from 1,986 km2 (767 sq mi) in 1989, although this was due to an increase in permanent grass, and land set aside.[153] By contrast, in the same period, arable land decreased from 993 to 916 km2 (383 to 354 sq mi).[153] Excluding fowl, sheep are the most common animal stock in the county; between 1989 and 2006 their numbers fell from 252,189 to 193,500. Cattle and pig farming has declined similarly; during the same period the number of cattle fell from 240,413 to 170,700, and pigs from 169,636 to 72,700.[154]
In 2009 there were 2,340 armed forces personnel stationed in Dorset including the Royal Armoured Corps at Bovington, Royal Signals at Blandford and the Royal Marines at Poole.[155]