History of Yetminster and Ryme Intrinseca

Yetminster is mentioned in the Doomsday Book but there was probably a settlement earlier as the remains of a Saxon Cross (indicating the 10th Century) were found in the church yard in 1938. It is a very likely place for an early settlement as there are numerous springs as well as the River Wriggle.

The origin of the name is not clear, but a ‘Minster’ is a mother church of an area and ‘Yet’ may be corruption of ‘Eata’ perhaps the name of the man who built the original church. The Doomsday book suggests a population in excess of a 100 at the time.

The village was predominantly a centre for farming as can be seen in the many buildings within the village named ‘such and such’ farm.

Being owned by the Bishop of Salisbury until about 1560 it never had a ‘Lord of the Manor’ in the generally accepted sense; however the Bishop divided the village into 4 ‘prebends’ each of which was run by a member of the clergy one of whom being the Bishop himself. After the Reformation the village became part of the Digby estate (Sherborne Castle).

In the 18th century there were 8 public houses of which the White Hart is now the only survivor.

The railway came in the 1850s and as a result farming thrived as the farmers could get their produce, which was mainly milk, to market by rail. Sadly this improvement only lasted some 30 years and many farmers left the land during the 1880s and 90s depression.

In recent years the village has become a typical English village with many of the older and larger houses occupied by people from outside Dorset and retired people.

The Church in Ryme Intrinseca, part of which dates back to the 13th century, is one of only two in England that is dedicated to St Hippolyte, the other being near Hithcin in Hertfordshire. The name is suggested to come from the Saxon word “Rima”, which means edge or rim and refers to the village in relation to a range of hills to the south. In mediaeval times a nearby village of Ryme Extrinseca was associated with the manors of Long Bredy and and Langton Herring, though the name has long since disappeared

Historical Monuments in Yetminster

An inventory of the Historical Monuments that can be seen in Yetminster can be found here by (Copyright permission being sought)

Historical Monuments in Ryme Intrinseca

An inventory of the Historical Monuments that can be seen in Ryme Intrinseca can be found here by (Copyright permission being sought)

Historical Monuments in Hamlet

An inventory of the Historical Monuments that can be seen in Hamlet can be found here by (Copyright permission being sought)

Listed Buildings

A list of Listed Buildings can be found here by clicking this link

List of Gravestones in St Andrews Graveyard

A database of burial and cremation plots enabling searches to be carried out by surname by clicking this LInk

Last updated 195/02/2022 DIT