Registration Districts in Dorset

REGISTRATION DISTRICTS IN DORSET

The list below shows the civil registration districts in Dorset (sometimes known as "Dorsetshire") since 1837. The same districts were used to compile the census returns for the years 1851 to 1921.

For the purposes of these pages, "Dorset" refers to:

the ancient county of Dorset (1837–89), including the county of the town of Poole
the administrative county of Dorset (1889–1974)
the non-metropolitan county of Dorset (1974–2019)
the unitary authorities of Bournemouth (1997–2019), Poole (1997–2019), Dorset (from 2019) and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (from 2019).

Click on a district name in the table below to see the places and dates covered, or see the Index of Place Names for the whole of England and Wales.

Registration District	Registration County	From	To	Comments
Axminster	Devon	1837	1936	Partly in Dorset until 1.7.1936.
Beaminster	Dorset	1837	1937	Abolished 1.4.1937 and added to Bridport registration district.
Blandford	Dorset	1837	1956	Abolished 1.7.1956 and added to Poole registration district.
Bournemouth	Dorset	1974	2019	Transferred from Hampshire on 1.4.1974. Abolished 1.4.2019 and added to Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole registration district.
Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole	Dorset	2019		Created 1.4.2019 out of Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole registration districts.
Bridport	Dorset	1837	1997	Renamed 1.4.1997 to become West Dorset registration district.
Cerne	Dorset	1837	1838	Abolished 15.1.1838 and added to Dorchester registration district.
Chard	Somerset	1837	1895	Partly in Dorset until 30.9.1895.
Dorchester	Dorset	1837	1949	Abolished 1.7.1949 and added to Weymouth registration district.
Dorset	Dorset	2005		Created 17.10.2005 from East Dorset, North Dorset and South & West Dorset registration districts.
East Dorset	Dorset	1997	2005	Created 1.4.1997 out of Bournemouth and Poole registration districts. Abolished 17.10.2005 and added to Dorset registration district.
Mere	Wiltshire	1837	1896	Partly in Dorset until 1.11.1896
North Dorset	Dorset	1974	2005	Created 1.4.1974 out of Poole and Sturminster registration districts. Abolished 17.10.2005 and added to Dorset registration district.
Poole	Dorset	1837	2019	Abolished 1.4.2019 and added to Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole registration district.
Shaftesbury	Dorset	1837	1937	Abolished 1.4.1937 and added to Sturminster registration district.
Sherborne	Dorset	1837	1937	Abolished 1.4.1937 and added to Sturminster registration district.
South Dorset	Dorset	1997	2001	Created 1.4.1997 out of Weymouth and Poole registration districts. Abolished 1.10.2001 and added to South & West Dorset registration district.
South & West Dorset	Dorset	2001	2005	Created 1.10.2001 from South Dorset and West Dorset registration districts. Abolished 17.10.2005 and added to Dorset registration district.
Sturminster	Dorset	1837	1974	Abolished 1.4.1974 and added to North Dorset registration district.
Wareham	Dorset	1837	1937	Abolished 1.4.1937 and added to Poole registration district.
West Dorset	Dorset	1997	2001	Created 1.4.1997 by renaming Bridport registration district. Abolished 1.10.2001 and added to South & West Dorset registration district.
Weymouth	Dorset	1837	1997	Abolished 1.4.1997 and added to South Dorset registration district.
Wimborne	Dorset	1837	1937	Abolished 1.4.1937 and added to Blandford registration district.
Wincanton	Somerset	1837	1895	Partly in Dorset until 1.6.1895.

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