Piddletrenthide

Piddletrenthide is a rather long village on the river Piddle 8 miles north of Dorchester and 4 miles east of Cerne Abbas. The name Piddletrenthide dated from the time of the Domesday Book (1086) and means 'estate of thirty hides on the River Piddle' the trente coming from the french for thirty. In Saxon times the village was mentioned as Uppiddelen this probably referred to the Upper and/or middle tithing. The lower tithing is White Lackington a name still in use today. The village is also occasionally referred to as Collier's Piddle.

The church of All Saints is situated to the northern end of the village in the old upper tithing. The tower dates from the 15th century and has wonderfully gruesome gargoyles on its battlements.

The southern doorway is Norman as are other parts of the church. The church was restored in 1853 and can sit 350 people and the registers date from the year 1650. A Baptist chapel was built in West Lackington in 1876 and a Wesleyan chapel in 1894.

It is interesting to note that the first known use of Arabic numerals can be seen in an inscription on the west door of the church tower 'Est pydeltrenth villa in dorsedie comitatu Nascitur in illa quam rexit Vicariatu 1487'. The use of Roman numerals continued in Europe for at least another century so it is quite something to find Arabic numerals inscribed over a doorway in a small village in Dorset.

  The OPC for Piddletrenthide is Sharon Churchill