Milborne Port - History

History

The nearby Laycock Railway Cutting is the best single exposure of the Bathonian ’Fuller's Earth Rock’ in South Somerset. Ammonites indicating the Morrisi and Subcontractus zones of the Middle Bathonian are frequent. Miller's Hill is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest which is an important and historically famous locality for studies of Middle Jurassic (Bajocian) stratigraphy and palaeontology.

Prehistoric features and finds have been located on the Iron Age hill fort on Barrow Hill, in the north of the parish.

In the Saxon period Milborne Port was important as a mint town, between 997 and 1035. It is one of at least nineteen mint towns which were neither an Alfredian borough nor an eleventh-century shire town, but a minster site.

The parish was part of the hundred of Horethorne.

In 1805, the town was described as follows:

• "MILBORN PORT, (Som.) bor. dist. from London 113 m. 7 f. situated on a branch of the river Parret, and may be considered as divided into three parts, viz. Milborn Port, Kingsbury Regis, and Milborn Wyke; however, the borough and Kingsbury lie in many places promiscuously intermixed together, both in the main town, and at Milborn Wyke; Milborn Wyke being as a village 1 m. N.... In Kingsbury is an annual court-baron held, wherein lord's rents are paid, presentments are made, and a constable, tythingman, and hayward, are appointed, for the year ensuing... Number of actual voters, 9, nominally 114. The church has a square tower, 6 bells, a clock, and chimes; one dissenting meeting-house, and upwards of 1000 inhabitants. The manufactures are dowlas, tick, white baize, linsey, stockings, and shoes. No market, but is supposed to have had one formerly. Fairs, 5 June, and 23 Oct., for cattle and toys. The post is despatched to Sherborne every day at 1 o'clock, and one arrives from thence at the same hour. Near it, on the left, is the seat of William Coles Medlecot, esq."

Under the Reform Act 1832, the town lost its status as a Parliamentary constituency, due to the gerrymandering activities of both parties in preceding elections.

The village was a thriving leather and leather glove manufacturing area with the last factory closing in 1970.

Ven House with its orangery, entrance gateway, pavilions, terrace, stabling & other outbuildings was built in 1730 by Richard Grange and Decimus Burton. It is a grade I listed building.