POOLE, Dorsetshire, a sea-port, a market-town, a municipal and parliamentary borough, a county in itself, and the seat of a Poor-Law Union, is situated on the south coast, in 50°42'N. lat., 1° 59' W. long., distant 31 miles E. from Dorchester, 106 miles S.W. from London by road, and 123 miles by the South-Western railway. The population of the borough of Poole in 1851 was 9255. The borough is governed by 6 aldermen and 18 councillors, one of whom is mayor ; and returns two members to the Imperial Parliament. The living is a perpetual curacy in the archdeaconry of Dorset and diocese of Salisbury. Poole Poor-Law Union contains 8 parishes and townships, with an area of 27,023 acres, and a population in 1851 of 12,890.
Poole is supposed to have been a port in the time of the Romans, as traces of one of their roads appear between it and Winchester. Its earliest charter is of the time of Richard I. Edward III. made it a magazine for his wars in France. Elizabeth constituted the town a county in itself. During the civil war it was held for the Parliament. In the reign of Charles II. the fortifications were destroyed.
The town occupies a peninsula on the north side of Poole Harbour, which is noticed under BORSETSHIRE. The modern part of the town is well built. The streets are lighted with gas and paved, and the town is well supplied with water. It contains the parish church of St. James, which was rebuilt of Purbeck steue iu 1812; a chapel of ease ; places of worship for Independents, Baptists, Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists, Roman Catholics, Unitarians, and Quakers; a Free Grammar school; a British and a National school ; a public library, erected in 1830 by the members for the borough; a savings bank ; and two or three well-endowed almshouses. The other public
buildings are the custom-house ; the guildhall, which was built in the middle of the last century ; the town-hall ; the king's-hall, or wool house, an edifice of some antiquity ; the jail; and the Union work house. Tho peninsula is lined with wide quays and extensive warehouses, close to which vessels of light burden lie afloat at low water. Ship-building is carried on, particularly the constructiou of sailing yachts. Sail-cloth, ropes, and twines are extensively manu factured. From a bank near the mouth of the harbour large quantities of oysters are taken to be fattened in the creeks of Essex and Kent. There is an important. fishery of plaice and herrings. Corn is largely exported to London, and considerable quantities of Purbeck clay are shipped for use in the Staffordshire potteries. The number and tonnage of vessels registered as belonging to the port of Poole on December 31st 1853, were as follows :—Under 60 tons, 33 sailing vessels of 871 tons, and one steam-vessel of 22 tone ; above 50 tons, 75 sailing vessels, of 13,429 tons. During 1853 there entered the port, in the coasting trade, 620 vessels of 48,383.tons, and there cleared 797, of 33,284 tons; in the colonial and foreign trade there entered 149 vessels of 15,418 tons, and cleared 123 vessels of 14,592 tons. Quarter-sessions and a county court are held in thu town. Fairs, continuing eight days each, are held commencing May let and November 2nd. Monday and Thursday are the market-days. The neighbourhood of Poole is remarkable for earthworks, barrows, and other primeval or early antiquities.