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Evershot is a village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southwest England, situated approximately south of Yeovil in Somerset. It is the second highest village in the county at above sea-level. Evershot parish encompasses part of the nearby hamlet of Holywell, east of Evershot village. Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 210. The village has connections with the writer Thomas Hardy.

Toponymy

There are several theories on the origins of the name Evershot. One is that it derives from 'Eafor's Holt', 'eafor' meaning wild boar and 'holt' meaning wood. A similar theory places the origin at 'eafor sceat,' meaning 'wild boar thicket.' This fits in with the history of the village, but does not account for other names the village has had in the past. In 1202, the village was referred to as 'Teversict,' and in 1268 'Theuershet.' This likely refers to the colour of the soil – the Old English word 'teofor' meaning red lead. Another theory is that the name derives from 'Varia', an alternative name for the River Frome, and 'shot', the Saxon word for a brook. Due to its close proximity to the River Frome a settlement was built nearby.

The oldest remains to be found in Evershot are three standing stones named the Three Dumb Sisters, now a bench. Local legend says that these are three sisters turned to stone for dancing on the Sabbath. It is believed that they originate from a plot of land close to the village, but it is not known when they were built or moved. They are possibly Bronze Age in origin.

In 1628 Christopher Stickland founded Stickland's School "...for reading, writing and grammar... for the instruction and breeding of men children ... a schoolmaster there for ever to train up, instruct and teach the same child in good learning, true religion and the fear of God."

In the 18th and 19th centuries economic activities in the village included tanning, turnery and coopery. Local timber supplies provided raw materials for these industries, such as oak bark for tanning. Products such as tanned hides, bowls, ladles and cheese vats were sent for sale as far away as Bristol, and subsidiary trades evolved to support the village's population, which reached 600 in 1851.

A fire in the village in 1865 destroyed eighteen buildings and left more than a hundred people homeless. Three fire engines were required to extinguish the blaze. It is likely that, had there not been the river nearby, the entire village would have been destroyed. Not a single person was killed during the 'Great Fire of Evershot,' and a considerable amount was raised to help the homeless (£70 in two days, the equivalent of over £3000 today).

Geography

Evershot village is sited on greensand approximately above sea-level, among chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. It is the second highest village in the county, the highest being Ashmore in Cranborne Chase. Evershot is south of Yeovil, northwest of Dorchester and northeast of Bridport.

Demography

Dorset County Council's latest (2013) estimate of the parish population is 210. No data from 2011 has been published for Evershot parish alone.

The historic population figures in the censuses between 1921 and 2001 are shown in the table below. Evershot parish is also shown separately for these census returns.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:800px;"

! colspan= "15" style="background:; color:" | Historic Census Population Figures 1921—2001 (except 1941)

|- style="text-align:center;"

! style="background:; color: height:15px;"| Census

! style="background:;"| 1921

! style="background:;"| 1931

! style="background:;"| 1951

! style="background:;"| 1961

! style="background:;"| 1971

! style="background:;"| 1981

! style="background:;"| 1991

! style="background:;"| 2001

|- style="text-align:center;"

! style="background:; color: height:15px;"|3 parishes combined

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 428

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 411

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 380

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 356

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 330

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 310

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 300

|- style="text-align:center;"

! style="background:; color: height:15px;"|Evershot Parish only

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 291

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 295

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 288

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 258

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 220

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 230

| style="background:#F2F2F2;"| 220

|- style="text-align:center;"

| colspan="15" style="background:#F2F2F2; color: text-align:center;"| Source:Dorset County Council

Landmarks

St Osmund's Church

The parish church of St Osmund is built on the site of an earlier chapel, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, dating back to the time of Richard the Lionheart.

thumb|Parish church of St Osmund

The source of the River Frome is in Back Lane, close to the church. Next to it is St John's well, which was restored in 2000 and features information on local geology and history. The names of villagers were put on a plaque. The village is the starting point for the Frome Valley Trail long-distance footpath.

Summer Lodge Country House Hotel was built in 1798 as a dower house by Henry Fox-Strangways, 2nd Earl of Ilchester. It was enlarged in 1893 and in 1979 became a hotel.

The village hall was given to the village after being used by the military during the Second World War. It is mostly used for music and art events.

To the west is a prominent rounded summit known as West Hill which is high.

Thomas Hardy

Evershot has connections with the writer Thomas Hardy, who called it 'Evershead' in his fictional Wessex. The Acorn Inn featured as 'The Sow and Acorn' in several of his works, including Tess of the d'Urbervilles. Tess Cottage in the village is named after that novel's eponymous heroine, who stayed in a fictional version of it when visiting 'Evershead'.

References

External links

Census data
Evershot Official Website