Transcription from Kelly’s Directory of Wiltshire, c 1888-1891
Semley
is
a parish with station, 1.25 miles from the church, on the Salisbury and Yeovil
Branch of the South western Railway, 20 miles south west from Salisbury, 6 south
east from Mere, 3 north from Shaftesbury and 101 from London, running nearly
east and west, and lying in a beautiful valley, in the Southern division of the
county, Chalke Hundred, Tisbury Union, Shaftesbury county court district, Hindon
petty sessional division, rural deanery of Chalke (Tisbury Portion),
Archdeaconry and diocese of Salisbury. There is a richly wooded country in the
background on the north, and the Dorsetshire hills are seen in the distance
stretching along its front in the south.
The
old church of St Leonard, an ancient cruciform structure, was pulled down in
January 1874 and the present building erected in 1875 at the expense of the
Dowager Marchioness of Westminster: it is of Bath, Ham Hill and local stone, in
the Early Decorated style and consists of chancel, nave of four bays, south
aisle and south chancel aisle, there are two entrances- Viz north and west, with
a square lofty embattled western tower with clock and six bells, there is a
stained window in the chancel to the memory of the Rev. Henry Hall M.A. who
built the chancel; one to Arthur and Lucy Fane by their son, the late Vere Fane
Benett-Stanford esq.: one to the memory of John Edward Benett of Pyt House, and
one given by Mrs Benett- Stanford: also one by the late Vere Fane Benett-Stanford
esq. To the memory of seven brother officers killed at the Gate Pa Fort in New
Zealand on 30th April 1864**: another has lately been added to the
memory of Mrs Pike, of Musters, it is the gift of her children; there are
sittings for about 350 persons. The register dates from the year 1657. The
living is a rectory, gross yearly value £495, including 98 acres of glebe, with
residence, in the gift of Christ Church, Oxford, and held since 1878 by the Rev.
Louis Kercheval Hilton B.A. of Jesus college Cambridge, and M.A. of Magdalen
College, Oxford. Here is a Baptist chapel, which was built in 1823, to seat 250
persons. £2 2s yearly were left in 1779 by John Parham for clothes and the
interest on £300 left my Miss Dinah Bracher, for the poor of the parish. Lord
Arundell of Wardour is Lord of the Manor. The Principal landowners are Vere Fane
Benett-Stanford esq. D.L., J.P. and Sir Michael Robert Shaw-Stewart D.L., J.P.
Bart. The soil is clay, subsoil gravel. The land is principally
pasturage, al the arable growing wheat, oats and barley. The area is 2945 acres:
rateable value, £6312; the population in 1881 was 686.
Parish
Clerk: Henry Thomas Merchant
Post
Office: - John Rogers, receiver. Letters arrive from Shaftesbury at 7.40am and
6pm on weekdays, 7.40am Sundays; dispatched 12.15, 4.45 and 7pm week days, 10am
on Sundays. The nearest money order and telegraph office is at Semley Station.
Wall
Letter box at Station cleared at 4.30pm; Sundays at 10.30 am.
National
School (mixed) for 100 children; average attendance 40; Miss Read, Mistress.
Infant, for 75 children, average attendance, 43. Miss Eliza Ann Ranger,
Mistress. A House adjoining the schools is provided for the mistresses.
Railway
station: John Ellen, stationmaster.
PRIVATE
RESIDENTS
Bracher
Thomas Moore, Broad Oak
Hilton
Rev. Louis Kercheval M.A. The Rectory
Scammell
Mrs, The Cottage
Stanley,
Rev John (Baptist)
Welch
Charles, Grove House
COMMERCIAL
Baker
Rt, Farmer Marsh Farm and Seniors Farm
Baker
Thos. Farmer, Chalcotts farm
Brown
John, Farmer, Harthill Farm
Buckland
William Thos, Coal and coke mer
Burden
George, blacksmith
Burden
James, Farmer
Burden
Rice, baker
Burlington
Francis J, Farmer
Burton
James, Farmer Conduit Farm
Burton
Rose (Mrs), Farmer, Malthouse Farm
Clements
John, Benett Arms Public House
Dowers
William, Railway Commercial Hotel and Posting House, Semley Station
Ford
William, Farmer Hook Farm
Fowler
Alvah, Baker and Shopkeeper
Gray
Samuel, Farmer West wood
Herrington
(Mrs) Farmer Church Farm
Holloway
Samuel, Farmer
James
George, Farmer Oysters, East End and Curtain Farms
Lane
Arthur, Farmer Hatts Farm
Merchant
Henry Thomas, Wheelwright and Parish clerk
Pike
Fredk, Farmer Knipe's and Glebe Farms
Pike
William., Farmer Whitebridge Farm
Rogers
Ebenezer Wm., Grocer and Draper
Shipman
John, Blacksmith
Taunton
S.J. Semley and Gillingham(The)
Dairies
Westcott
Jas, coal and manure merchant
White
Robt, farmer, Amberleaze farm
Worthy
James, Farmer Bowmarsh Farm
**OPC
NOTE
Historical
background
During
the Land Wars between the Maori and the Pakeha (European settlers):
At
Gate Pa the Māori withstood a day long bombardment in their bomb shelters.
One authority calculated that Gate Pa absorbed in one day a greater weight of
explosives per square metre than did the German trenches in the week-long
bombardment leading up to the Battle of the Somme. Many British troops were
killed by “friendly fire” during the bombardment When the pallisade was
destroyed the British troops entered whereupon the Māori popped out of
their bomb shelters and killed a hundred of them in only a few minutes. They
then abandoned the Pa .
NB
a “Pa” is a kind of fortified village.