a borough town of the hundred of Hasler, in the county of Dorset, 120 miles from London. The castle from which it takes its name is one of the finest piles of ruins of ancient times. It is situated on a conical hill of near half a mile in circuit, with walls twelve feet in thickness. It was formerly a prison and a royal residence. The inhabitants amounted in 1801 to 741, in 1811 to 744, and in 1821 to 823.