This was used to distinguish the settlement from Lytchett Minster and arose because, following the Norman Conquest, William I granted the manor to Hugh Maltravers, attested as the owner of the estate in the Domesday book.

)[2][3][4]: 294 An alternative derivation of the name Lytchett is from the word lynchet or linchet, which is an earth terrace found on the side of a hill.

[citation needed] Following the Norman Conquest, the Maltravers family held the village for about 300 years, until the Black Death reduced the population in the second half of the 14th century.

[citation needed] The estate was later bought from the Arundels by the Trenchard family, who demolished the former manor house and built a new one that incorporated, amongst other facilities, a ballroom and a tower.

[citation needed] Lytchett Matravers has developed over the 20th century from a settlement of mostly scattered cottages with large curtilages to a village with a moderately high housing density.

[citation needed] Recently some modern developments have included a smattering of thatched houses in an acknowledgement of the local vernacular architecture.

[5] The village is on higher ground in a landscape of small valleys, open fields and woods about 5 miles (8 km) northwest of Poole and a similar distance north of Wareham.

[11] The village Primary School is situated in a large modern building on the Wareham Road, having moved from its former home near the central crossroad.

The Cadets also run sessions every Monday and Thursday [18] The Sports Pavilion and Scout Hut sit centrally off the High Street between the lower and upper car parks and overlook the large, tree lined recreation ground.

[20] The Lion Hall and old British Legion buildings were demolished to make way for new housing estates [21] A small number of businesses run in or from the village.

For children there are Beavers, Cubs, Brownies, Scouts, Guides, an Army Cadet Force Detachment and a Youth Parish Council.

Lytchett Matravers Detachment (The Rifles), Dorset Army Cadet Force, is located opposite the Chequers Inn.