Tolpuddle

Tolpuddle is a village in Dorset, England, on the River Piddle 8mi east of Dorchester, the county town, and 12mi west of Poole. The estimated population in 2013 was 420.The village is famous as the home of the Tolpuddle Martyrs who were sentenced to be transported to Australia after they formed a friendly society in 1833. A row of cottages, housing agricultural workers and a museum, and a row of seated statues commemorate the martyrs. The annual Tolpuddle Martyrs festival is held in the village in the third weekend of July. An ancient sycamore tree on the village green, known as the Martyrs' Tree, is said to be the place where the Martyrs swore their oath. It is cared for by the National Trust.Tolpuddle has a public house, The Martyrs Inn, which is owned by nearby Athelhampton House, a Tudor house open to the public approximately 1mi to the west.Tolpuddle parish church is dedicated to St John the Evangelist and dates from the 13th century.In 1999, the A35 trunk road, which cuts through south Dorset, was moved to bypass the village.