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- the text in this section is based on an article in Wikipedia
Charminster (#5 on map) is a civil parish and a village in Dorset, England, situated on the River Cerne and A352 road 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the county town of Dorchester. It also contains the hamlet of Charlton Down. In the 2011 UK census the parish had a population of 2,940.
The village name derives from the River Cerne and the small 'minster' church of St Mary, resulting in "Cerneminster" (as recorded in 1223), which eventually evolved into Charminster. The village, which includes Wolfeton House, was the place of origin of Richard Norman and family, one of the Planters of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in America, who arrived there in ca. 1626. Scientist Margaret Bastock died in the village in 1982, aged 62.
Charminster is part of the Charminster and Cerne Valley electoral ward, which stretches from the northern outskirts of Dorchester through Cerne Abbas to Minterne Magna. The total population of this ward at the 2011 UK census was 4,768.
Under the local government reforms adopted on 1 April 2019, West Dorset District was abolished, and the county of Dorset (excluding Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole) became a unitary authority. The area is now administered by Dorset Council.
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