Weymouth originated as a settlement on a
constricted site to the south and west of Weymouth Harbour, an outlying part of
Wyke Regis. The town developed from the mid 12th century onwards, but was not
noted until the 13th century. By 1252 it was established as a seaport and
became a chartered borough. Melcombe Regis developed separately on the
peninsula to the north of the harbour; it was mentioned as a licensed wool port
in 1310. French raiders found the port so accessible that in 1433 the staple
was transferred to Poole.
Melcombe Regis is thought to
