| Briantspuddle |
| Briantspuddle used to be a typical hamlet with peace
and quiet a part of the norm and set in a rural area. First mentioned in
1083 as an assessment for land tax purposes the village was referred to
as Pidele and was held by Godric the Priest. The parish of Affpuddle at
this time was divided into three manors which were Affpuddle,
Briantspuddle and Throop. In the 13th century Pidele became Priestpidele
and in the 14th century part owners were named as the Prior of
Christchurch, the Frampton and the Turbeville families and it was from
this time that Brian Turberville may have lent his name to this bit of
land which we now know as Briantspuddle. William Frampton of Moreton united the three manors in the parish of Affpuddle in 1683 and in 1675 he purchased Affpuddle manor and also bought the manors of Briantspuddle and Throop between 1682 and 1683. The Framptons retained the property until 1914 when part of the estate was sold to Ernest Debenham. Until this time Briantspuddle was no more than a few cottages, the oldest of which being Cruck Cottage due to it having the original cruck beam still in place. On the Bovington road is Briantspuddle Hollow where there was once a Methodist chapel. Ernest Debenham was born in 1865 and he was the grandson of William Debenham who founded the Debenham drapery and later the departmental stores which are still in existence today. He wanted to introduce new scientific methods of farming with factory style efficiencies which would include intense pig, poultry and dairy farming methods. A new concept in farming and said to be the foundation for what were to become battery farms which are now in use today though times are changing with the attitude of the people who do not want to see animals caged up but would rather have them roaming around freely. But Sir Henrys methods are still here and can be seen in the old cottages on the Bladen estate that have been restored and modernised. A good example of this is The Ring, a group of cottages that have two turrets with thatched roof and was originally built as a dairy farm in 1919. There is no church or pub in the village, just a rows of thatched cottages, the Bladen Valley is to the west, this is a purpose built hamlet that was constructed for the estate workers during World War One.
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