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{{Short description|Village and civil parish in Dorset, England}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox UK place
|country = England
|static_image_name = Marnhull church - geograph.org.uk - 5352279.jpg
|static_image_caption = Parish church of St Gregory
|coordinates = {{coord|50.9675|-2.3119|display=inline,title}}
|official_name = Marnhull
|population = 2,035
|population_ref = (2021 census)
|civil_parish = Marnhull
|unitary_england = [[Dorset (district)|Dorset]]
|lieutenancy_england = [[Dorset]]
|region = South West England
|constituency_westminster = [[North Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|North Dorset]]
|post_town = Sturminster Newton
|postcode_area = DT
|postcode_district = DT10
|dial_code =                
|os_grid_reference = ST782188
}}
{{TOC limit|2}}
'''Marnhull''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɑr|n|əl}} {{respell|MAR|nəl}}) is a village and [[Civil parishes in England|civil parish]] in [[Dorset]], southern England. It lies in the [[Blackmore Vale]], {{convert|3|mi|km|abbr=off|0|spell=on}} north of [[Sturminster Newton]] and {{convert|18|mi|0}} north of [[Dorchester, Dorset|Dorchester]]. Marnhull is sited on a low ridge of [[Corallian limestone]]<ref>{{cite book|author=Ralph Wightman|author-link=Ralph Wightman|title=Portrait of Dorset|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|year=1983|page=17|ISBN=0 7090 0844 9}}</ref> above the valley of the [[River Stour, Dorset|River Stour]], which forms the northern and western boundaries of the parish. In the 2021 census the parish had a population of 2,035.

Marnhull consists of several conjoined [[Hamlet (place)|hamlet]]s, connected by a network of minor roads. The village presents a mix of architectural styles, with post-war developments existing alongside properties dating back to [[Tudor period|Tudor]] times and earlier.<ref name=guardian-20250516>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/may/16/marnhull-village-marlott-thomas-hardy-expansion |title=Residents of Dorset village that inspired Thomas Hardy fight back against expansion |last=Grierson |first=Jamie |newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 May 2025 |access-date=17 May 2025}}</ref> It has three churches ([[Anglican]], [[Roman Catholic]] and [[Methodist]]), two primary schools, two public houses, a GP surgery, a village hall and a recreation ground, as well as various small shops and services. The parish church of St Gregory has a 15th-century tower which is a landmark and has been described as "the finest in the Vale."<ref>{{cite book|author=Roland Gant|title=Dorset Villages|publisher=Robert Hale Ltd|year=1980|page=57|ISBN=0 7091 8135 3}}</ref>

==History==
Saxon charters show that Marnhull existed as a village in the 10th century,<ref name=NDDC>{{cite book|author=North Dorset District Council|title=North Dorset District Official Guide|publisher=Home Publishing Co. Ltd.|year=c. 1983|page=38}}</ref> although the village's site has seen human occupation as early as the Iron Age,<ref name=NDDC/> and a [[Roman Britain|Roman]] settlement was established at Ashley Wood in the east of the parish. The [[Domesday Book]] of 1086 does not mention Marnhull by name, though the constituent settlements of Walton Elm, Burton and Kentleworth were probably recorded under the entry for [[Sturminster Newton]] as the eight hides of land owned by Waleran, Roger and Chetel.<ref name=inventory>{{cite web |url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/rchme/dorset/vol3/pp148-160 |title='Marnhull', in An Inventory of the Historical Monuments in Dorset, Volume 3, Central (London, 1970), pp. 148-160 |publisher=University of London |work=British History Online |access-date=1 February 2015}}</ref> The eastern part of Marnhull parish used to be a separate parish, named Thorton, until the 16th century.<ref name=inventory/> Until 1763 Marnhull was the site of an annual [[bull-baiting]] event, taking place every 3 May. The event was stopped as a response to the violence and bloodshed it engendered, not just in Marnhull but also in surrounding villages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dorsetlife.co.uk/2016/02/marnhull-a-photo-essay/ |title=Marnhull: A photo essay |first=Ken |last=Ayres |publisher=Dorset Life Magazine |date=February 2016 |access-date=17 April 2016}}</ref>

==Governance==
Marnhull is in the [[Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom|constituency]] of [[North Dorset (UK Parliament constituency)|North Dorset]], currently represented in the UK parliament by the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] [[Simon Hoare]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000839 |title=Dorset North Parliamentary constituency |work=Election 2015 |publisher=BBC |access-date=11 May 2015}}</ref>

Marnhull is part of the [[Stalbridge and Marnhull]] ward which elects 1 member to [[Dorset Council (UK)|Dorset Council]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Area profile for Stalbridge & Marnhull - Dorset Council |url=https://gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk/insights/AreaProfiles/Ward/stalbridge-and-marnhull |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=gi.dorsetcouncil.gov.uk}}</ref>

==Geography==
Marnhull civil parish covers about {{convert|3800|acre|ha|abbr=off|sigfig=2}}<ref name=inventory/> at an elevation of about {{convert|50|to|90|m|ft|abbr=off|sigfig=2}}.<ref>Ordnance Survey 1;25,000 Explorer map, sheet 129 (Yeovil & Sherborne), published 2010, {{ISBN|978-0-319-23598-0}}</ref> The western boundary of the parish is formed by the River Stour and the eastern by the Key Brook, a tributary of the Stour. The central part of the parish is drained by Chivrick's Brook, a tributary of the Key Brook. These watercourses all drain north to south. From west to east the geology of the parish comprises a thin strip of [[Oxford clay]] around the Stour, a long ridge of Corallian sand and limestone between the Stour and Chivrick's Brook, then lower-lying [[Kimmeridge clay]] between Chivrick's Brook and the eastern boundary. Marnhull village is sited on the ridge of Corallian beds, which form the highest part of the parish and are the source of the building stone extensively used throughout it.<ref name=inventory/>

==Culture==
[[File:The Crown or The Pure Drop - geograph.org.uk - 32684.jpg|thumb|The Crown Inn, Marnhull]]
[[Thomas Hardy]] described Marnhull as 'Marlott' in his novel ''[[Tess of the d'Urbervilles]]''.<ref name=guardian-20250516/> The Crown Inn is described by Hardy as 'The Pure Drop Inn', and The Blackmore Vale Inn is described as 'Rollivers' - a disreputable and illegal drinking house, where secret ale drinking groups gathered upstairs.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}} The television adaptation of the book was filmed in the village.{{When|date=May 2010}}

==Demographics==
{| class="wikitable" style="width:32em; text-align:center;" 
|+ Census population of Marnhull parish
|-
! scope=col| Census
! scope=col| Population
! scope=col| Households
|-
! scope=row| [[2001 UK census|2001]]<ref>[http://www1.dorsetcc.gov.uk/LIVING/FACTS/Census2001.nsf/6cadf4da179fc19500256663004afece/5af732007c81137180256ec50042d124?OpenDocument Census data]</ref>  
|| 1,951
|| 884
|-
! scope=row| [[2011 UK census|2011]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadKeyFigures.do?a=7&b=11126352&c=Marnhull&d=16&e=62&g=6418024&i=1001x1003x1032x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1433166476996&enc=1 |title=Area: Marnhull (Parish). Key Figures for 2011 Census: Key Statistics |work=Neighbourhood Statistics |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=1 February 2015}}</ref>
|| 1,998
|| 805
|-
! scope=row| [[2021 UK census|2021]]<ref>Area E04010496 (Marnhull civil parish) in Table 002, available from {{cite web |title=Parish Profiles |url=https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/sources/census_2021_pp |publisher=Office for National Statistics |access-date=5 August 2024}}</ref>
|| 2,035
|| 945
|}

==Notable residents==
*[[Catherine Parr]] the last of [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]]'s wives was given the original manor of Nash Court in 1544. From her it passed to [[Edward VI]] and then to [[Elizabeth I]] after which it passed through the families of several noblemen and eminent civilians.
*[[Giles Hussey (painter)|Giles Hussey]] was born here and lived at Nash House before studying art in Italy.<ref name="DNB">{{DNB Cite|wstitle=Hussey, Giles}}</ref>
*[[William Gosling (footballer)]] was living at Lovells Court, Marnhull, at the 1911 Census.
*[[Peter Harding (RAF officer, born 1933)|Sir Peter Harding]], GCB, (born 2 December 1933) is a retired Royal Air Force Chief of the Air Staff, and Chief of Defence Staff.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070621202714/http://marnhullmessenger.org.uk/marnhull/marnhullplan/section1.htm The Marnhull Village Parish Plan 2006]

{{North Dorset}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Dorset]]
[[Category:Civil parishes in Dorset]]