This historic House, now the offices of the NFU Mutual and called Agriculture
House, was previously known as Wollaston House. Back around 1712 Dorchester
remained largely undeveloped. However, changes were afoot to remove some of
the historic Roman Walls etc, and lay out a new town area with avenues called
Colliton Walks, West Walks and Bowling Alley Walks; then later around 1740-43,
the area around South Walks and Salisbury Fields was laid out, along with the
planting of the famous avenues of trees in the town.
A map in Hutchins “ History and Antiquities of County of Dorset “ of 1771 shows the
site of the future Wollaston House having extensive grounds leading all the way
from Durngate Street (or Durn Lane as it was then called ) up to South Walks - a
large area.
In 1782, notable local attorney / lawyer Robert STICKLAND ( 1744 - 1804 ) was a
Freeman of the Town, and was elected Town Mayor in 1784, 1791 and 1799. In
1786, he is thought to have exchanged other land in Dorchester for the land on
which he built what was later named Wollaston House. A story in the Dorset Year
Book of 1927 suggests he demolished some or all of a row of small cottages on the
site to make more room ( but see my later note in 1857 as this may not be so ).
To divert for a minute - the WILLIAMS family can be traced back to John or
Johannes WILLIAMS ( born abt. 1445 - died Dorchester 1515 ), and his son John of
Herringston ( 1473 - 1549 ). Their later ancestor Robert WILLIAMS M.A. ( 1729 -
1814 ) was a highly successful banker in London. His biographer Lawrence Taylor
says that he bought the Bridehead estate at Little Bredy in 1799, and it seems that
he also bought Wollaston House and some adjoining land from Robert STICKLAND
around that time. Robert WILLIAMS died in 1814, and it was said his estate was
valued then at £500,000. More about the WILLIAMS family can be found on the
Dorset OPC website.
It is not certain if any of the Williams family lived in the House, but the family
continued to own the freehold of the property right through until 1946.
Dr. Charlton WOLLASTON M.D., F.R.S. ( 1733 - 1764 ) married Phillis BYAM (
born Eltham, Kent 1736 - 1829 ) at St. James’ s church, Piccadilly on 25th February
1758. The BYAM family owned estates on Antigua in the West Indies, and Charles
and Phyllis had two children before Charlton died in July 1764, and was buried at
Moreton.
Phillis Byam WOLLASTON ( 1763 - 1836 )
Charlton Byam WOLLASTON ( baptised 16. 2.1765 - 21. 2.1840 )
Some sources think that the House was named after Dr. Charlton WOLLASTON
M.D., F.R.S. ( 1733 - 1764 ). A doctor of medicine, he is said to have died in 1764,
possibly of blood poisoning, after opening a preserved Mummy, having previously
suffered a cut on his hand.
After Dr Charlton WOLLASTON died in 1764, Phillis then married James
FRAMPTON of Moreton ( 1711 - 1784 ) — the FRAMPTON family had been Lords
of the Manor of Frampton since the 1400s. Their marriage may have been on 31st
August 1766 at Kingston Upon Thames, Surrey ( unconfirmed ). They also then had
two children before James ( Snr.) died at Moreton in October 1784.
James FRAMPTON Jnr. ( 4.9.1769 - 15.2.1855 )
Mary FRAMPTON ( 8.1773 - 12.11.1846 )
Charlton Byam WOLLASTON was the first tenant of the WILLIAMS family in
Wollaston House from 1799, and he lived there with his mother Phillis and James
FRAMPTON ( Jnr.).
So there is the question - was Wollaston House named after Dr. WOLLASTON or
his son Charles ? I favour the former, named by Phillis after her late first husband.
The website “ Mrs FRAMPTON’s Bustle “ records the full story of the next event at
the House in September 1799. The twice widowed Mrs Phillis FRAMPTON was
looking out of her window when, horror stricken, she saw King GEORGE 3rd and
his daughter Princess Sophia, plus entourage, approaching the garden gate -
unannounced. It says the King and family stayed for about two hours, exploring the
house and walking in the extensive gardens and the area around South Walks,
commenting afterwards that they much enjoyed their visit.
Another event involving Wollaston House in February 1834 was the arrest of the
unfortunate six Tolpuddle Martyrs. After their arrest, they were taken to the House
to be questioned about plans to form a Trade Union amongst farm workers by
James FRAMPTON, who was High Sheriff of Dorset and a magistrate, and Charles
Byam WOLLASTON . This followed earlier riots in 1830 and 1831 by agricultural
workers who were very unhappy at conditions and wages in that industry.
Unemployment and low wages, with associated poverty, were commonplace.
James FRAMPTON and Charles WOLLASTON were also amongst the jury on the
trial of the martyrs who found them guilty, they being sentenced to transportation to
Australia. It has since been suggested that James FRAMPTON may have over
reacted in arresting them, as a result of seeing at first hand, aged just 19, the
violence and chaos in Paris which resulted in the French Revolution. Was he over
sensitive in worrying that the same might happen across Dorset ?
After the death of Mrs Phillis FRAMPTON in 1829, Mary FRAMPTON and her half-
brother Charlton WOLLASTON Jnr. continued to live in the house for a while before
Mary FRAMPTON moved out to live in a house in South Street ( later the site of
Tilley’s Garage ) until she then died in 1846.
The Dorset Year Book story of 1927 suggests that Captain ( later Rear Admiral )
John Duff MARKLAND ( born at Leeds in 1780 ) and his family moved temporarily
into Wollaston House, maybe in 1833 after he left the Royal Navy that year - but I
have been unable to confirm that.
The census of 1841 , records that Wollaston House is then occupied, maybe from
1840, by Arthur Henry Dyke ACLAND ( 1811 - 1857 ). He was the second son of Sir
Thomas Dyke Acland 10th Bt. of Killerton House, Devon. He and his wife Fanny
had four children listed in the census. Frances WILLIAMS, k/as Fanny, ( 1812 -
1856 ) was the grand daughter of Robert WILLIAMS of Bridehead ( above ), and
she and Arthur had married at Little Bredy on 15th September 1835 - Arthur was a
magistrate and visitor to both Dorchester Prison and the County Asylum.
Arthur also won a competition for the design for the monument to Admiral Sir
Thomas HARDYE, a prominent feature now high up on Blackdown Hill, the
foundation stone for which was laid on 21st October 1844. He was also very
prominent in the rebuilding of All Saints church in High East Street in 1845.
The ACLANDS left Wollaston House and moved to Devon in July 1848, to be
succeeded by Hastings Nathaniel MIDDLETON who, although born in Middlesex in
1810, had just inherited the estate of Bradford Peverell outside Dorchester, hence
the move to Dorset with his wife Mary Ann and five children. Nathaniel was also
very active in local affairs as a magistrate from 1852, a visitor to the Prison, and on
the committee of the County Hospital. The MIDDLETONS lived at Wollaston House
from 1849 to 1856, and then the house seems to have been empty for a while.
At the Dorset Quarter Sessions on 14th October 1856 Lt. Colonel Samuel Symes
COX had been appointed as Dorset’s very first Chief Constable, with the job of
establishing a County wide police force. They needed to buy sites for new police
stations across the County, including in Dorchester.
The Southern Times newspaper of 11th April 1857 reported that the Police
Committee meeting on 25th March had recommended buying Wollaston House,
comprising the mansion, six cottages ( note ), stables and about four acres of land
at a price not to exceed £6,000. It said such suitable sites in Dorchester were very
scarce. One part would be split off and used by the Dorset Militia as a depot and
stores, with the Militia bearing half of the purchase costs, the other half used by the
police, with the mansion as accommodation for the Chief Constable, let to him at a
suitable rental. Melvin Cann in his 2006 book ‘ Bobbies On The Beat - 150 years of
the Dorset Police ‘ quotes this same story. It did not come about as, in 1858 for
£180, the Police Committee bought suitable land from the Duchy of Cornwall at
Fordington Fields, by Maumbury Rings. The new police station was opened there in
1861.
The Dorset Year Book reported that the Town Council, owning some of the other
land around that area, decided in the 1850’s to replan the area, creating new roads,
thus allowing new villas to be built. A new road was created about 1858/59 running
from South Walks through to Durngate Street. It was named Acland Road - was
that in tribute to Arthur Acland above ? Two further new roads called Linden Avenue
and Wollaston Road then allowed more properties to be built on the land freed up in
that area.
Wollaston House was still left with a garden of some 3 1/2 acres, but it remained
empty whilst these works went on. Then, in 1860, the Rev’d Benjamin Lucas
WATSON ( born 1815 on Dominica, West Indies ) was appointed Chaplain to the
Prison, and moved into the House with his wife Annabella ( they had married in
Australia in 1846 ), and their eight children - four of whom were born in Australia.
When the family then moved, before the 1871 census, into one of the villas newly
built in Wollaston Fields, they were followed at Wollaston House by Edward
STEELE J.P. and family, moving from their house at No. 11 High West Street.
Edward had been born at East Meon, Hampshire in 1817, but had married Hannah
JAMES at All Saints church, Dorchester on 18th January 1859 - both of their
fathers were then described as being farmers, but Edward was a Master Tailor and
Draper in High West St.
When Hannah died on 17th August 1880, Edward then married at All Saints church
Diana, widow of A.G. GASKIN of Newtown, Wales on 11th November 1881. It
seems Edward’s health though was not good: he died in November 1890, when his
unmarried daughter Ellen moved out of Wollaston House into a property just across
the road, and Diana moved away to live in Sussex.
For a few years during the 1890’s the House was occupied by four sisters - I
believe they were the daughters of Samuel SYMES a substantial farmer of Nether
Cerne. The Western Gazette reported on 27th May 1898 a forthcoming sale of
chickens and pheasants at Wollaston House by H. ( maybe daughter Henrietta ? )
SYMES - the sisters left during 1898. An interesting photo, also dated 1898, shows
a house dairy cow being kept on part of the then garden of the House.
Occupation of the house was then taken up by Captain John Edward ACLAND (
1848 - 1932 ), who was the second son of Arthur ACLAND ( above ), having been
born in the House in February 1848. In 1882, he had married in London Norah L.
Nugent BANKES, grand daughter of Right Hon. George BANKES of Kingston Lacy.
In 1894, he had retired from the Army whilst they were living at Godmanstone, but
in the 1901 census he, his wife and four daughters were at Wollaston House. He
had taken the oath as a magistrate in 1900, and in 1904, he was appointed Curator
of the Dorset Museum, a role he continued to fulfil until he died in February 1932.
He was also Chairman at the County Hospital for 23 years.
The Edmonton Journal in Canada reported on 10th October 1914 that Mrs John
ACLAND had, as part of a scheme promoted by Queen Mary, offered Wollaston
House to be used as a convalescent home for Canadian soldiers during WW1
under the auspices of the Canadian War Contingent Assn.
John’s widow Norah died on 1st March 1938 and The Western Gazette of 20th May
1938 reported a sale on 25th May of some of the contents of Wollaston House on
instructions of her Executors.
Some reports suggest that later in 1938 Sir David Philip WILLIAMS 3rd Bt. ( a
descendant of the Robert WILLIAMS of Bridehead ) sold the property to Dorset
County Council for use by the Grammar School as their Junior school. Other say it
was sold after World War 2 - the school did not actually use it until October 1947.
The September 1939 pre war census records that the House was then occupied by
two linked families - Sevilla Florence HOOPER ( 1876 - 1967 ), a widow, with her
son George E. GLASS-HOOPER ( 1911 - 1988 ) a retired Army Lieutenant.
George was married to Dorothea PARNELL ( born 1915 ) daughter of retired Civil
Servant Edward PARNELL ( 1885 - 1973 ) and his wife Nora ( 1889 - 1978 ) who
lived in the House with their son Charles born 1921, along with five servants.
During WW2, the Western Gazette records three occupants of Wollaston House of
being involved in motoring offences; in September 1939 Edward PARNELL was
cleared of charges, in June 1940 George GLASS-HOOPER was fined after several
motoring offences, and in June 1942 a Mrs Mary Erskine FALKNER was involved in
a fatal accident whilst driving an A.R.P. vehicle to Poole. Mrs FALKNER was the
daughter of the late George F. GLASS-HOOPER and his wife Sevilla.
The Western Gazette of 2nd November 1945 reported that Dorchester Grammar
School had applied to the appropriate Ministry for grants to buy Wollaston House.
Once in use from the October 1947 term, pupils were forbidden to access the
House by the front entrance - they could only use the door at the rear of the
building, and then had to use a path around the back of the garden to access the
town or railway station. School use continued until the House was sold in 1976,
when all pupils were moved to the site of the then main Hardye’s School, the name
having been changed by the Governors from ‘the Grammar School’ in 1952.
The Roman town of Durnovaria was established about 75 A.D. and many remains
have been uncovered over the years. It was during the 1940’s that an
archaeological dig in the grounds of the House uncovered part of an unusual
Roman road, running north east to south east, as it appeared to be skirting a large
building. Then in 1977 / 78 a further archaeological dig on the site found much
evidence of a substantial 1800 year old Roman Bath complex, thought to be one of
the largest found in Britain. It was some 30,000 sq. feet in size with Turkish and
sauna suites, and believed to date from about 100 A.D. There were later
discussions to see if it could be further excavated, and opened to the public as a
tourist attraction, but it seems the required work was thought to be far too costly, so
it was covered over again; the site is now a car park.
In March 1980, the Midland Bank ( now part of HSBC ) bought a lease on Wollaston
House from DCC, but then it suffered a serious fire there on 3rd October that year.
It broke out in the early hours, just a week after workmen started renovation work
for the Bank, and caused major damage to the roof and two floors of the building. It
is not clear how long it took to recover from the major fire damage. HSBC Archives
tell me that in 1988 the building was used as the Wessex Area Office of Midland
Bank, but by 1990, that had moved to Taunton, Somerset.
On 6th October 1984, the Dorset Evening Echo reported on a proposal put forward
to use Wollaston House for a home for 36 elderly residents from 1986, and also as
a Day Care Centre, which came to nothing.
As noted at the start, the House is now used as offices by NFU Mutual, but I
understand the old Midland Bank strongroom etc. is still in place in the basement.
The Archivist Dept. at HSBC could not tell me when Midland Bank left Wollaston
House, and NFU H/Q could not say when they took it over.
Staff at NFU Mutual suggested that after HSBC left, the House was empty for a
while, and there may have been a move to sell the House for private use.
However, the Thompson Trade Phone Directory for 1993/94 quotes a phone
number for NFU Mutual at Agriculture House, but not in 1992/93, so it looks like
they took the House over in 1993, lasting through to the present day.
Finally, one does wonder if only the walls of Wollaston House could speak - what
would they say about the goings on in the House, and all the distinguished visitors
who had passed through it’s doors, many of whom held key positions in the town.