Iwerne Courtney or Shroton was known as Wern in the Domesday Book, Uern Curtenay from 1244, Schyreuetone from 1337 and Iwerne Courtneney or Shyrewton from 1403. The name Iwerne Courtney means 'an estate on the River Iwerne belonging to the Courtenay family'. The Courtenays who were the Earls of Devon were present in the early 13th century. The alternative name Shroton means 'Sheriff's farm or estate' from the Old English seir-refa and tun. The manor in the Domesday Book belonged to Baldwin of Exeter, Sheriff of Devon.
Saint Mary's Church dates from about 1610 but is possibly on the site of an older 13th century church. It is carved with crests and armorial bearings of the Freke family. It was restored in 1630 by Thomas Freke. Parish registers start from 1562.
The old Shroton Fair used to take place on 25th and 26th september. It was once famous for it's show of cattle, horses and dairy produce. Hutchins History of Dorset says that there was a fair kept in the fields under Arnold's Hill on Holy-rood Day, yearly profilts to the lord of 5 shillings. Both Thomas Hardy and Wiliam Barnes went to Shroton Fair or Fayre and both made reference to it in poems. It became a modern showground in 1957 but apart from the Fairfield still being in the existence the old fair no longer takes place. There is a picture of the old fair on my Wareham pictures pages. My great aunt Kath remembers my great grandfer Walter returning to the village each year to visit family and the fair.
The manor was called Randolffeston in the middle ages. The ancient hamlet has disappeared and Ranston House and the park is now on it's site. In 1545 the manor of Ranston was acquired by Robert Ryves of Blandford whose family held it until 1781 when it was boought by Peter William Baker whose family still held it in 1957. Farringdon was anciently a manor which became a hamlet and farm. It is part of Shroton.
According to Hutchins History of Dorset the common fields of the area were enclosed in 1548. "The customary tenements were so small that the tenants, not being able to pay the lord's rent, half of them surrendered their copies to the lord." There was a common not enclosed in the north west part of the manor towards Farringdon called Iwerne Common of 80 acres in which tenants had common of pasture from 1st May to Christmas for kine and horses and for the rest of the time for sheep.
Shroton is probably most famous for the Clubmen incident at the end of the Civil War. Clubmen type uprisings became common across the area. Whilst they were probably supported by a genuine feeling by many that participated that the war was driving then into poverty they were in parts led by men with Royalist sympathies standing up against the Parliamentary victory. Apart from a desire to maintain law and order Cromwell also made sure that these mini revolts were surpressed to avoid any general revolt against his and Parliaments growing authority. The uprising on nearby Hambledon Hill took place in August 1645 and was led by a Reverend Bravel of Compton Abbas. On Hambledon some 3000 Clubmen were faced down by 1000 of Cromwell's troops and after a brief skirmish where some Clubmen were killed the leaders were taken to St Marys Church in Shroton. There Cromwell delivered one of his famous passionate religious lectures and
rebuked the men for daring to rebel against righteous authority. Cromwell is reported to have been merciful on the 'pitiful creatures' and they avoided some of the harsher punishments for which Cromwell became famous in other places and which were common in the Civil War period and afterwards.
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