England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Wool Holy Rood

The Parish

The parish of Wool lies in southeastern Dorset on the southern banks of the River Frome and the northern edge of the Isle of Purbeck. Wool is located about 6 miles west of the market town of Wareham and is a large village sitting on the A352 road which connects Wareham with Dorchester. Just north of the village the A352 crosses the Frome and most properties are to the south of the main road. Modern developments in the area include the railway lane which connects Dorchester through to London which passes along the Frome valley and gives Wool its station. Wool, in historic times was almost sufficiently large to hold a market, it certainly held a fair but those functions have now lapsed. The parish would have been largely arable with some pastures along the Frome and a share of the higher ground to the south giving grazing for sheep. The Frome drains eastwards the short distance into Poole Harbour via the Wareham Channel and thence to the nearby English Channel. Wool is sited at between 10 and 40 metres above the sea, the newest developments range up the valley sides, land rises steadily southwards onto the chalk hills backing Lulworth Cove and reaching close to 170 metres above the latter. Wool parish was a curious shape, two blobs with a narrow connecting neck, it covered around 2,100 acres and would have supported a population of close to 500 parishioners. In Domesday times Wool was a small place, shared between 3 landowners it could merit just a pair of ploughs together with small meadows & pastures.

The Church

Holy Rood church stands at the southeastern corner of the village accessed by the dead-end lane that is Church Lane. The church hides its aging secretly within an outer appearance dominated by Perpendicular styles and Victorian restoration. Internally, however, a much more ancient building is revealed. Within the 13th century northern arcade is revealed in its Early English Gothic style, of a similar age but maybe 14th century is the chancel arch. It is apparent that a small early church was expanded considerably during the 15th century and then substantially altered by the Victorian restoration of the mid 1860s. Church Lane is slightly wider outside the churchyard permitting careful parking in this quiet lane, the church sits in an elevated position banked by a local limestone topped brick wall with entrance at the southern end of the site. The best photographic angle (viewing from the southeast) is blocked by close trees which limit one to lesser views of the building.