Sixpenny Handley

Sixpenny Handley or Handley is a village and civil parish in north east Dorset, England, situated on Cranborne Chase ten miles (16 km) north east of Blandford Forum. In the 2011 census the parish had a population of 1,233.ToponymyThe village name is derived from two medieval hundreds: "Sexpena" and "Hanlega", which by the 14th century were united as the hundred of "Sexpenne et Henle". The village was originally known as Handley, or Handley St Mary. The use of the name Sixpenny Handley to describe the village and parish is fairly modern, and was being used as an alternative name by the middle of the 19th century.HistoryOn Woodcutts Common in the north of the parish is the site of a 4-acre Iron Age and Romano-British settlement, probably a farm. It was excavated by General Pitt Rivers in 1884–5.The Great Fire of Handley 1892On 20 May 1892, the village suffered a major fire which resulted in most of it having to be rebuilt, after nearly two hundred people were left homeless. Well-wishers subsequently sent gifts to aid the villagers; so much clothing was donated that it was said a man could be identified as being from Handley because he wore two or even three waistcoats. This generosity was celebrated in 2014 by the Heritage Lottery–supported Sixpenny Handley Waistcoat Festival.