The Parish of Fontmell Magna is a largely rural area situated in the Blackmore Vale in North Dorset, approximately 5 miles south of Shaftesbury. The Parish includes the village of Fontmell Magna, the hamlet of Bedchester, and settlements in Hartgrove, Kit Hill and Margaret Marsh. People have been living in the area for over a thousand years, being included in a Saxon Charter of 759 AD (as ‘Funtemel’). Today it has a stable population of 730-740 residents.