Abbotsbury, Dorsetshire County (now Dorset County), England

Notes:
Abbotsbury is a large village and civil parish in the West Dorset district of Dorset, England; situated 10 miles north-west of Weymouth. The local travel links are located 6 miles from the village to Upwey railway station and 35 miles to Bournemouth International Airport. Also, the main road running through the village is the B3157, connecting Abbotsbury to Bridport and Weymouth.



One and a half miles outside the village, at the top of the limestone hill, is a triangular hill fort, Abbotsbury Castle. In the 11th century, King Canute rewarded the services of Orca, his steward, with land in Abbotsbury, Portesham and Hilton. It's believed there was already a religious community in Abbotsbury, and Orca and his wealthy wife Tola built an Abbey here. The Abbey dominated life in Abbotsbury for 500 years, but was destroyed in the dissolution. The barn survived and is the largest thatched building in the world.



Until the dissolution, Abbotsbury would have been one of the most important villages in the county, and the settlement is laid out around a wide market area. After the decline of its monastery, Abbotsbury became the quiet village it is today.



In 1664, during the English Civil War, Roundheads and Cavaliers clashed at Abbotsbury. Cavaliers besieged the Roundheads in the church tower of St. Nicholas' church, which still bears the scars of musket fire.



During the Second World War, the coastal front was fortified and defended as a part of British anti-invasion preparations of World War II. Later, the Fleet was used as a machine gun training range, and Bouncing bombs were tested there, for the Dambuster sortie (Operation Chastise).

City/Town : Latitude: 50.666278102095° N, Longitude: 2.5874674929751° W