"[5] The houses in Portesham comprise a mix of old grey stone cottages and more modern buildings in various styles.

It was in Uggescombe Hundred and the lords and tenants-in-chief were Abbotsbury Abbey and Hawise, wife of Hugh son of Grip.

Portesham quarry operated in the 19th and early 20th centuries, producing stone that was used in domestic and ecclesiastical buildings within the local area, including Abbotsbury Abbey.

[13] Portesham is in the Chesil Bank electoral ward, which also includes the neighbouring settlements of Abbotsbury, Litton Cheney and Rodden.

[14] The ward is one of 32 that comprise the West Dorset parliamentary constituency, which is currently represented in the UK national parliament by Edward Morello, a Liberal Democrat.

Captain Thomas Hardy, one of Lord Nelson's commanders at the Battle of Trafalgar, lived in the village.