Sherborne

Sherborne is a town in Dorset, England. The town is famous for its history, including its abbey, castle and private school.

History

The town was named scir burne by the Saxon inhabitants, a name meaning "clear stream" (see: Bourne). The town was made the capital of Wessex, one of the seven saxon kingdoms, and King Alfred's elder brothers King Ethelbert and King Ethelbald are burried in the abbey. When the diocese of Winchester was split in 705, St Aldhelm became bishop of Sherborne. The Bishop's seat was moved to Old Sarum in 1075 and the church at Sherborne became a Benedictine Monastery. In 1539 the monastery was bought by Sir John Horsey and became a conventional church. See the article Sherborne Abbey for more on the history of the of the abbey and town.

In the 12th century Roger de Caen, Bishop of Salisbury and Chancellor of England built a fortefied palace in Sherborne. The palace was destroyed in 1645 by General Fairfax, and the ruins are owned by English Heritage.

In 1594 Sir Walter Raleigh built an Elizabethan mansion in the grounds of the old palace, and it is today known as Sherborne Castle.

In 1550 King Edward's school was founded, using some of the old abbey buildings. The school remains one of the top fee-paying schools in Britain. Its long-standing day schools (for many years grammar schools, although I think they ended their life as comprehensives) - Foster's School for boys and Lord Digby's School for girls - were closed in 1992 and replaced by a new mixed comprehensive, the Gryphon School.