Reforne
Reforne is a settlement in Tophill, within the centre of the island. It was formed as a hamlet west of Easton Square and is now considered part of Easton. Many of Reforne's dwellings date to the 18th and 19th centuries.
As with most of Portland's villages and settlements, Reforne is a conservation area for its special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974 with boundary extensions in 2017.
History
Reforne's origins as a settlement, in similarity to Easton and other settlements in Tophill, probably dates back to the Roman or early medieval period. With the area's natural springs providing a water supply, a pond and various wells were most likely created during the time of Roman Britain. Reforne was served by the large pond in the northern region of Easton Square, as well as a smaller one at the western end of the hamlet, and another to the south-west at Merry Well. The hamlet remained small into the late 18th century, when it was recorded in 1792 that Easton, Reforne and Straits had sixty-four houses collectively.
The west extremity of Reforne notably became the site of Portland's parish church, St George's, which was built in 1754-64 to replace St Andrew's at Church Ope Cove. Thomas Gilbert, who produced the plans for the "extensive and well defined church", suggested building it on open land at the end of Reforne owing to the site's centralised position and ample space for burials. The parish clerk's residence was established in Reforne by merging three dwellings into one in 1765. The residence later became the George Inn, which has served as a public house since at least 1840.
The first half of the 19th century saw new dwellings built in Reforne and by 1841, it was the location of approximately 60 houses, many of which were occupied by quarrymen and their families. Further development was seen from the mid-19th century, at a time when Portland's population was experiencing a large increase. The transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge, along with the other government works linked to it and an enlarged military presence on the island, accounted for much of the increase to the population. By 1871, Reforne had approximately 105 houses.
St George's National School opened at Reforne in 1857. The Crown Commissioners granted the land for the school in 1846 and it was built from the funds of a large compensatory sum given to Portland by the government for the loss of common land purchased in connection with the creation of a harbour of refuge and other public works on the island. St George's closed in 1969 and was later transformed into a community centre by the Island of Portland Heritage Trust in 1984.
In the early 20th century, Reforne was incorporated into the expanding and increasingly urbanised village of Easton. During this period, new housing was constructed at Grosvenor and Channel View Roads to the south of Reforne, and connected to the hamlet by Railway Road (now Station Road). Meanwhile, quarrying at Inmosthay began encroaching on the northern region of Reforne. In the 1960s, a small estate was established off Reforne as Reforne Close, while the demolition of Fancy's Garage in 1989 allowed the land behind it to be developed as Fancy's Close in the early 2000s. The open workings of Inmosthay Quarry are now disused, although quarrying continues below ground in Jordan's Mine, which opened in 2008. Today much of Reforne is residential, with community activities concentrated at St George's Centre and the YMCA.
Grade listed features
Other notable buildings
Public houses (past and present)
Murder of Emily Burden
95 Reforne (now replaced by a modern build) was the scene of tragedy on 11 February 1902 when gardener Frank Burden (aged 31, from Semley) murdered his wife Emily (aged 24, from Hindon). The couple, who married at Hindon in April 1899, lived at 95 Reforne from April 1900. The house was split in half to accommodate two families, and the Burdens also let their attic space out to two lodgers; John Roberts lived there from November 1900 to January 1902, and Ernest Burden, Frank's brother, from August 1901.
Despite their initial happiness, Burden developed "a mad and groundless jealousy of his wife" after she announced she was pregnant in November 1901. Burden, who believed he was unable to father a child due to a spinal deformity, began accusing his wife of infidelity, which she consistently denied. He assumed Roberts to be the father and gave him notice to leave the house over the Christmas period. He never confronted the lodger with his suspicions, but claimed he wanted the room. Burden then went on to accuse his wife of having affairs with two other local men, Jack Pearce, a rent collector, and Abraham Winter, a monumental mason.
On 11 February, Burden returned home for his evening meal and another argument developed, prompting Mrs. Burden to head upstairs in preparation to leave her husband. Burden locked the front and back doors to his part of the house, then followed her to the bedroom where he stabbed her multiple times with a razor and knife. Mrs. Damon, who occupied the other half of the house with her family, heard the commotion and a scream and went to investigate. She discovered Mrs. Burden's body after Burden left the house and jumped over the garden wall. Mr. Lano and his son of 93 Reforne arrived at the scene shortly after and alerted the police and a local doctor. Search parties were deployed across Tophill and a constable placed at Victoria Square, overlooking the train station and causeway, to prevent Burden leaving the island.
Burden initially headed towards Weston and later tried to drown himself at Church Ope Cove in the early hours of the following morning. He was discovered around 6:40am near the gates of Pennsylvania Castle by a local quarryman, Mr. William Elliott, who was aware of the murder, and walked Burden back towards Easton to hand him over to the police. Burden admitted killing his wife and claimed the act was through "men going to my house while I'm away". In a letter to his parents written at Portland's police station on 13 February, he wrote: "She drove me to kill her. She would not stop. Her games nearly drove me out of my mind. I was nearly crazy when I done it. I could not help myself."
When Burden was brought before the magistrates at Weymouth on 19 February, Roberts, Winter and Pearce all appeared to deny Burden's accusations. Burden's two brothers (including Walter who lived at Grove), Mrs. Damon and Mrs. Scard (a former neighbour and friend of Mrs. Burden) all affirmed that they never saw any foundation to Burden's claims. Ernest said of his sister-in-law: "She did her very best that a wife could do for a man". Burden's accusations against her and his claim of infertility were considered unfounded during his trial at Dorchester in June 1902. Two asylum doctors had examined Burden prior to the trial and considered him insane, while research into his family identified insanity on both sides. Owing to the conclusive evidence that Burden carried out the act, and the evidence of his mental state, the judge ordered the jury to return a verdict of guilty but insane.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
3) Dorset OPC - 19th century census records for Portland - website page
4) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
5) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
6) Portland Year Book 1905 - Maister's School - Paul Benyon - website page
7) Portland YMCA - The History of Portland YMCA - website page
8) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 13 - book
9) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
10) The Island and Royal Manor of Portland 1750-1851 - J. H. Bettey - University of Bristol - 1970 - ISBN: 978-0901047052 - pages 75-80 and 97-99 - book
As with most of Portland's villages and settlements, Reforne is a conservation area for its special architectural and historic interest. Easton, Wakeham and Reforne were designated pre-1974 with boundary extensions in 2017.
History
Reforne's origins as a settlement, in similarity to Easton and other settlements in Tophill, probably dates back to the Roman or early medieval period. With the area's natural springs providing a water supply, a pond and various wells were most likely created during the time of Roman Britain. Reforne was served by the large pond in the northern region of Easton Square, as well as a smaller one at the western end of the hamlet, and another to the south-west at Merry Well. The hamlet remained small into the late 18th century, when it was recorded in 1792 that Easton, Reforne and Straits had sixty-four houses collectively.
The west extremity of Reforne notably became the site of Portland's parish church, St George's, which was built in 1754-64 to replace St Andrew's at Church Ope Cove. Thomas Gilbert, who produced the plans for the "extensive and well defined church", suggested building it on open land at the end of Reforne owing to the site's centralised position and ample space for burials. The parish clerk's residence was established in Reforne by merging three dwellings into one in 1765. The residence later became the George Inn, which has served as a public house since at least 1840.
The first half of the 19th century saw new dwellings built in Reforne and by 1841, it was the location of approximately 60 houses, many of which were occupied by quarrymen and their families. Further development was seen from the mid-19th century, at a time when Portland's population was experiencing a large increase. The transformation of Portland Roads into a harbour of refuge, along with the other government works linked to it and an enlarged military presence on the island, accounted for much of the increase to the population. By 1871, Reforne had approximately 105 houses.
St George's National School opened at Reforne in 1857. The Crown Commissioners granted the land for the school in 1846 and it was built from the funds of a large compensatory sum given to Portland by the government for the loss of common land purchased in connection with the creation of a harbour of refuge and other public works on the island. St George's closed in 1969 and was later transformed into a community centre by the Island of Portland Heritage Trust in 1984.
In the early 20th century, Reforne was incorporated into the expanding and increasingly urbanised village of Easton. During this period, new housing was constructed at Grosvenor and Channel View Roads to the south of Reforne, and connected to the hamlet by Railway Road (now Station Road). Meanwhile, quarrying at Inmosthay began encroaching on the northern region of Reforne. In the 1960s, a small estate was established off Reforne as Reforne Close, while the demolition of Fancy's Garage in 1989 allowed the land behind it to be developed as Fancy's Close in the early 2000s. The open workings of Inmosthay Quarry are now disused, although quarrying continues below ground in Jordan's Mine, which opened in 2008. Today much of Reforne is residential, with community activities concentrated at St George's Centre and the YMCA.
Grade listed features
- Sugar Loaf Cafe (4 Reforne) - Grade II listed since May 1993. A building dating from the late 17th-early 18th century, in use as a cafe.
- 26 Reforne - Grade II listed since September 1978. Dates from the late 18th-early 19th century.
- 28 Reforne - Grade II listed since September 1978. A house dating from the late 18th-early 19th century.
- 30 Reforne - Grade II listed since September 1978. Dates from the early 19th century.
- Apsley House (54 Reforne) - Grade II listed since May 1993. A house dated 1815 above porch, but with later alterations. Originally part of a row, the house survived demolition of the adjoining properties.
- St George's Centre - Grade II listed since September 1978. A former school, opened in 1857 and closed in 1969. Later restored and converted into a community information and activity centre in 1984.
- Assembly hall of St George's Centre - Grade II listed since September 1978. Formerly a school assembly hall, built around 1880.
- Boundary walls to south of St George's Centre - Grade II listed since September 1978. The walls date from 1857 but have been modified.
- 107 and 109 Reforne - Grade II listed since September 1978. Dates from the early 19th century.
- 111 and 113 Reforne - Grade II listed since September 1978. Both houses date from the early 19th century.
- The George Inn - Grade II listed since May 1993. A public house, believed to have been built as three separate dwellings in the 17th century. The building was altered in the mid-18th century to become the residence of the parish clerk of St George's Church.
- 135 Reforne - Grade II listed since May 1993. A house dating from the late 18th century and remodelled in the mid-19th century. Historic England recorded that the building "holds an important place at the west end of Reforne, and immediately adjoins The George Inn".
- St George's Church - Grade I listed since January 1951. A former parish church, built between built in 1754-64 to replace St. Andrew's which had fallen into disrepair. St George's closed in 1914 and was later restored in the 1960s. It is now regularly open to the public by the Churches Conservation Trust.
- Lych gate of St George's Church - Grade II listed since May 1993.
- Graveyard wall of St George's Church - Grade II listed since September 1978.
Other notable buildings
- Portland YMCA - the Portland branch of the YMCA was established at Reforne with the erection of a large wooden hut, opened on 20 December 1919 by the Countess of Malmesbury. The hut had previously been used by the YMCA at Monte Video Camp at Chickerell, which was in use during World War I as a camp for wounded soldiers of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC). The Western Gazette reported in 1919 that the facilities would resolve the issue of there being "few opportunities available for the healthy recreation of young men" on the island. An associated sports ground was established surrounding St George's School. Although part of the ground has given way to quarrying, the rest remains in use as the grounds of the Portland Red Triangle Cricket Club. The YMCA's wooden hut was later replaced by stone-built premises, which was opened by the retired track and field athlete John Wrighton on 14 February 1998.
- Gospel Hall - a corrugated iron building originally opened in 1904 at Grove Road by the Bible Christian Methodists. It went on to be sold to the Open Brethren, dismantled and re-erected at Reforne for use as a gospel hall. It opened in the c. early 1920s and remained active into the late 20th century. The hall was demolished during the 1990s and the site is now occupied by a residence, 127 Reforne.
Public houses (past and present)
- The George Inn (133 Reforne) - a building with 17th-18th century origins and a public house since at least 1840. It remains one of the oldest inhabited buildings on the island.
- The Albion Hotel was built at Reforne in 1857 and opened with Joseph Bird as its first landlord. It closed towards the end of the 19th century.
- The Red Lion (7 Reforne) - an active pub since the mid-19th century. It closed around 1970 and was later taken over by the post office, which in turn closed in 2011. The building opened as the bike shop and cafe Cycleccino in 2014, but closed in 2017. It is now the cafe Vintage 7, which opened in 2018. The former skittle alley at the rear was converted into a chapel of rest for the Weymouth District Co-operative Society by builder George Hansford in 1971.
Murder of Emily Burden
95 Reforne (now replaced by a modern build) was the scene of tragedy on 11 February 1902 when gardener Frank Burden (aged 31, from Semley) murdered his wife Emily (aged 24, from Hindon). The couple, who married at Hindon in April 1899, lived at 95 Reforne from April 1900. The house was split in half to accommodate two families, and the Burdens also let their attic space out to two lodgers; John Roberts lived there from November 1900 to January 1902, and Ernest Burden, Frank's brother, from August 1901.
Despite their initial happiness, Burden developed "a mad and groundless jealousy of his wife" after she announced she was pregnant in November 1901. Burden, who believed he was unable to father a child due to a spinal deformity, began accusing his wife of infidelity, which she consistently denied. He assumed Roberts to be the father and gave him notice to leave the house over the Christmas period. He never confronted the lodger with his suspicions, but claimed he wanted the room. Burden then went on to accuse his wife of having affairs with two other local men, Jack Pearce, a rent collector, and Abraham Winter, a monumental mason.
On 11 February, Burden returned home for his evening meal and another argument developed, prompting Mrs. Burden to head upstairs in preparation to leave her husband. Burden locked the front and back doors to his part of the house, then followed her to the bedroom where he stabbed her multiple times with a razor and knife. Mrs. Damon, who occupied the other half of the house with her family, heard the commotion and a scream and went to investigate. She discovered Mrs. Burden's body after Burden left the house and jumped over the garden wall. Mr. Lano and his son of 93 Reforne arrived at the scene shortly after and alerted the police and a local doctor. Search parties were deployed across Tophill and a constable placed at Victoria Square, overlooking the train station and causeway, to prevent Burden leaving the island.
Burden initially headed towards Weston and later tried to drown himself at Church Ope Cove in the early hours of the following morning. He was discovered around 6:40am near the gates of Pennsylvania Castle by a local quarryman, Mr. William Elliott, who was aware of the murder, and walked Burden back towards Easton to hand him over to the police. Burden admitted killing his wife and claimed the act was through "men going to my house while I'm away". In a letter to his parents written at Portland's police station on 13 February, he wrote: "She drove me to kill her. She would not stop. Her games nearly drove me out of my mind. I was nearly crazy when I done it. I could not help myself."
When Burden was brought before the magistrates at Weymouth on 19 February, Roberts, Winter and Pearce all appeared to deny Burden's accusations. Burden's two brothers (including Walter who lived at Grove), Mrs. Damon and Mrs. Scard (a former neighbour and friend of Mrs. Burden) all affirmed that they never saw any foundation to Burden's claims. Ernest said of his sister-in-law: "She did her very best that a wife could do for a man". Burden's accusations against her and his claim of infertility were considered unfounded during his trial at Dorchester in June 1902. Two asylum doctors had examined Burden prior to the trial and considered him insane, while research into his family identified insanity on both sides. Owing to the conclusive evidence that Burden carried out the act, and the evidence of his mental state, the judge ordered the jury to return a verdict of guilty but insane.
References
The following is an A-Z list of references for this page.
1) Ancestry.com - Genealogy - Portland Year Book 1905 - Chronology of the Island of Portland 700 - 1905 AD - Paul Benyon - website page
2) Dorset for You - Appraisal of the Conservation Areas of Portland - PDF document
3) Dorset OPC - 19th century census records for Portland - website page
4) Historic England - The National Heritage List for England - various entries for Portland - website page
5) Ordnance Survey - various maps from the 19th and 20th centuries
6) Portland Year Book 1905 - Maister's School - Paul Benyon - website page
7) Portland YMCA - The History of Portland YMCA - website page
8) Portland: An Illustrated History - Stuart Morris - Dovecote Press - 1985 - ISBN: 978-0946159345 - page 13 - book
9) The British Newspaper Archive - various contemporary newspaper articles - website page
10) The Island and Royal Manor of Portland 1750-1851 - J. H. Bettey - University of Bristol - 1970 - ISBN: 978-0901047052 - pages 75-80 and 97-99 - book
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