| Official Name: | West Chelborough |
| Civil Parish: | West Chelborough |
| Country: | England |
| Region: | South West England |
| Coordinates: | 50.8465°N -2.6526°W |
| Hide Services: | Yes |
| Population: | 42 |
| Population Ref: | (2001 census) |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.38 |
| Static Image: | West Chelborough Church Tower - geograph.org.uk - 647185.jpg |
West Chelborough is a village and civil parish 13miles northwest of Dorchester,[1] in the Dorset district, in the county of Dorset, England. In 2001, the parish had a population of 42.[2] The parish touches Corscombe and East Chelborough.[3]
"Chelborough" may mean "Ceola's Hill" or "Throat Hill."[4] The Domesday Book records the place as Celberge/Celberga.[5]
The church of St Andrew was rebuilt in about 1640 and restored in 1894. It consists of a chancel, nave, and a tower on the south side. The embattled tower has a pinnacle at each corner and contains two bells. The font is Norman. In 1915, the church had fifty sittings.[6]
The restoration of 1894 was paid for by George Troyte Chafyn Grove of North Coker House, East Coker, who was the lord of the manor and patron of the living.[7] He raised the height of the chancel and re-roofed the entire church. He also renewed the side windows of the chancel, replaced the west windows, and filled the east windows with stained glass. Formerly known as George Bullock, he first added "Troyte" to his name and then, in 1892, "Chafyn-Grove."[8]
In the nineteenth and early twentieth century, the living included 29 acres of glebe. By 1939, this had reduced to 16 acres.[9] When the Rev. H. H. Pace vacated the living, he held an auction of farm implements, dairy utensils, six ricks of hay, and other items.[10]
The recorded acreage of the parish has varied slightly over the years, from 563 in 1851 to 578 in 1939.[11]
In 1888, West Chelborough's rectory and East Chelborough's rectory were united into one benefice.[12]
The population as recorded by the decennial census was as follows:
| 1801 | 23 | 22 | 45 | |
| 1811 | 23 | 21 | 44 | |
| 1821 | 31 | 25 | 56 | |
| 1831 | 35 | 27 | 62 | |
| 1841 | 29 | 29 | 58 | |
| 1851 | 30 | 34 | 64 | |
| 1861 | 33 | 40 | 73 | |
| 1871 | 32 | 40 | 72 | |
| 1881 | 32 | 30 | 62 | |
| 1891 | 30 | 27 | 57 | |
| 1901 | 30 | 32 | 62 | |
| 1911 | 21 | 37 | 58 | |
| 1921 | 25 | 27 | 52 | |
| 1931 | 23 | 23 | 46 | |
| 1941 | No census taken | |||
| 1951 | 17 | 14 | 31 | |
| 1961 | 15 | 14 | 29 | |
| 1971 | 20 | 23 | 43 | |
The subsoil is chalk and greensand.
The tithe map, dated 1839, is at the scale of one inch to six chains.[13]
George Bullock built a "small cottage National school" in the village soon after he became lord of the manor in 1860.[14] [15] Mrs. Charlotte Whitty served as the schoolmistress for more than twenty years, after which it closed, and the children transferred to Corscombe.[16] [17] [18]
In August 1916, Private Joseph Hawkins was awarded the Military Medal for distinguished conduct on the battlefield in France and promoted to full corporal.[19] He was the fiancé of Alma Mary Dowton of Corscombe and the father of her daughter, who was about to be born. The couple married at West Chelborough on 11 July 1917 and, after the war, lived in the village at Ewens Farm.
At a tribunal in September 1916, 27-year-old Frederick William Varder of West Chelborough applied for exemption from military service because he managed his stepfather's holding at Ewens Farm.[20] The tribunal ruled that the three-month exemption previously granted should end on 31 October. On 12 July 1918, he died of influenza while serving with the 6th battalion of the Dorset regiment in France, leaving a widow and three young children.[21]
There are 6 listed buildings in West Chelborough.[22]