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Shaftesbury (or Shaston), mun. bor. and market town, in N. of Dorset, 3½ miles SW. of Semley ry. sta 28 miles NE. of Dorchester, and 101 from London, 179 ac., pop. 2312; P.O., T.O., 2 Banks. Shaftesbury is a very ancient place, either built or rebuilt by King Alfred, from whom it acquired a great Benedictine nunnery, which received the remains of Edward the Martyr, and was the place where King Canute died. It is a purely agricultural town. It was a borough by prescription, first chartered by Elizabeth. It returned 2 members to Parliament from the time of Edward I. until 1832, and 1 member from 1832 until 1885. The parliamentary limits extended into Wilts.
(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))
Linked entities: | |
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Feature Description: | "municipal borough and market town" (ADL Feature Type: "cities") |
Administrative units: | Shaftesbury CP Dorset AncC |
Place names: | SHAFTESBURY | SHAFTESBURY OR SHASTON | SHASTON |
Place: | Shaftesbury |
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