Long Crichel () is a small village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Crichel, in east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase five miles northeast of Blandford Forum. In 2001 it had a population of 81. The civil parish was abolished on 1 April 2015 and merged with Moor Crichel to form Crichel.

Etymology

The name of Long Crichel is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Circel, with forms such as Crechel attested from 1204 onwards. This name comes from the Common Brittonic word *crüg ("mound, hill, barrow"), compounded with the Old English word , meaning the same thing: this Old English element was added to the name after Old English became the dominant language in the area and the Brittonic name of the settlement was no longer understood. The addition of long, to distinguish the settlement from Moor Crichel, is first attested in 1208, in the form Langecrechel.

Crichel Estate

Long Crichel village and surrounding lands were once part of the Crichel Estate for many centuries, before it was broken up. The estate's owners lived at Crichel House in Moor Crichel. It closed in 2001, was declared redundant on 1 July 2003, and was vested in the Friends of Friendless Churches in 2010. The Friends restored the Grade II listed church's medieval tower and east stained glass window. Christian services can still take place in the church and burials are still allowed in the churchyard, which is now the responsibility of the neighbouring Witchampton church council. who along with architectural historian James Lees-Milne, literary critic Raymond Mortimer and the gay activist and eye surgeon Patrick Trevor-Roper, established "one of the last great post-war salons, hosting guests including Sibyl Colefax, Anthony Asquith, Graham Sutherland, Lord Berners, Nancy Mitford, Benjamin Britten, Laurie Lee, Ben Nicolson, Cecil Day-Lewis and Graham Greene." Somerset Maugham and E.M. Forster were also visitors.

Sackville-West died in 1965 and Knollys and his friend Mattei Radev bought another country home in Hampshire in 1967.

References

  • Census data
  • Historic England - Long Crichel House