Wareham

Market town in Dorset, England, on the River Frome, near Poole Harbour, 24 km/15 mi east of Dorchester; population (2001) 5,700. There are stone, clay, and lime quarries in the area. Wareham has remains of earthworks of Anglo-Saxon origin, and was an important port until the Frome silted up in the Middle Ages.

The church of Lady St Mary contains a stone coffin said to be that of King Edward the Martyr, king of England 975-978. The small Anglo-Saxon St Martin's church contains a statue of the British soldier and writer T E Lawrence (of Arabia).

Wareham

Town in Plymouth County, southeast Massachusetts; population (2000 est) 20,400. It is situated at the head of Buzzards Bay, 26 km/16 mi northeast of New Bedford. Located in a summer resort area, it has beaches and other tourist facilities. Industries include cranberry raising and canning, oyster fisheries, and some manufacturing. The town was incorporated in 1739.

Wareham was a wooden shipbuilding centre in the 18th century. It comprises the villages of Onset, Wareham, East Wareham, South Wareham, and West Wareham.