Corscombe

Corscombe is a village and civil parish in the English county of Dorset, in the Dorset Council administrative area. The parish includes the small settlements of Benville and Toller Whelme to the south and in the 2011 census had a population of 445.^[1]

Corscombe
Corscombe village
Corscombe Location within Dorset
Population	445 [1]
OS grid reference	ST518053
Unitary authority	Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Dorchester
Postcode district	DT2
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset and Wiltshire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	West Dorset
Website	Village website
List of places UK England Dorset 50.8465°N 2.6864°W / 50.8465; -2.6864

Corscombe village is sited "into hollows and along sunken lanes"^[2] on the northern scarp slope of the Dorset Downs, approximately 8 miles (13 km) south-south-west from the town of Yeovil in Somerset. Evidence of early human occupation within the parish includes lynchets and, south of the village, three standing stones.^[3]

On the higher ground in the village stands the 15th-century parish church of St. Mary, which was restored in 1875–7.^[2] In 1905 Sir Frederick Treves described the church as a "handsome building" with an "exceedingly fine" situation.^[4] Nearby Corscombe Court dates from the 13th century and is partially surrounded by a moat. It has a 15th-century tithe barn which was once used by the monks of Sherborne Abbey.^[5]

About 2 kilometres to the south of Corscombe village, across the A356, is Toller Down, one of the highest hills in Dorset, with good views of the surrounding countryside.

The musician Polly Jean Harvey is a former resident.^[6]