This work examines the minster churches of Dorset in relation to their immediate and intermediate environs within the context of the recent Saxon minster debate. It begins with the identification of 'high-status' churches, and goes on to compare the parochiae of minsters with the units of royal demesne. The various layouts of minster settlements are then explored, and the volume concludes with a study of the implications of the Dorset minster system over the Saxon period.