Older documents sometimes refer to the village as Caundle Bishop, although the origin of the name is unclear.[2]
The original settlements that are still present within Bishop's Caundle parish are Bishop's Caundle and Wake Caundle. Until 1886 the parish contained parts of the neighbouring parish of Caundle Marsh, and there were parts of Bishop's Caundle parish within Caundle Marsh and Folke parishes.[3]
Cornford Bridge over Caundle Brook dates from around 1480 and is one of less than 200 medieval multi-span bridges to survive in England.[4]
According to Douglas Adams' humorous 1983 dictionary "The Meaning of Liff", a Bishop's Caundle is "An opening gambit before a game of chess whereby the missing pieces are replaced by small ornaments from the mantelpiece."[5]
In national parliament and local council elections, Dorset is divided into several electoral wards.[7][8] In county council elections, Bishop's Caundle is in Sherborne Rural Electoral Division, one of 42 divisions that elect councillors to Dorset County Council.[9]
The team rector asserts that parish church has no known dedication although many mistakenly confuse it with the church of St Peter and St Paul at Caundle Marsh a mile and a half away. Parts of the building date from the 14th century and it has been designated as a Grade I listed building.[10] The parish is part of the Three Valleys benefice within the Diocese of Salisbury.[11]
