The village was known as Cilterne in the Domesday Book of 1086, which is a British hill name including the element celto meaning high. The second part of the name was after the Domer family, who held one of the manors. The other was held by the Vagg family and was known as Chiltorne Vagg.[2] This survives in the name of Vagg farm[3] southeast of the village.[2]
The parish of Chilthorne Domer was part of the StoneHundred.[4]
The current manor house was built in the 17th century and has its own well.[5] In the garden about 70 feet (21 m) south of the house is a six-seater privy built about 1720.[2] It was used until 1939.[6]
Governance
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
Stanley Adams, former pharmaceutical company executive at Hoffmann-La Roche and corporate whistleblower, lived in Chilthorne Domer from the late 1980s to 1993, when he was convicted of hiring a hit-man in a failed attempt to kill his second wife for insurance money.
