One of Britain’s biggest country estates, that has four villages, a cricket club, a church and a magnificent mansion, has reportedly gone on the market for £100 million.

The Crichel estate in Dorset, which spans 5,000 acres, also comes with 100 workers tied to it and more than 150 other properties.

It has been owned by the same aristocratic family for the last 300 years.

Its last owner was Mary Marten OBE, goddaughter of the Queen Mother and child playmate of Princess Margaret.

Mrs Marten died last year aged 80.

Since then the estate has been passed down to her six children – Victoria, Charlotte, Georgina, Amabel, Napier and Sophia.

Rumours have been rife for some time that the family have been looking to sell the estate.

Last year a stunning collection of Chinese jade ornaments Mrs Marten and her father had collected were auctioned off for a combined total of £12.5 million.

It has now been reported that the estate in its entirety is being sold.

Local gossip has it that Prince Charles may be looking to snap it up as a marital home for his newly-married son and daughter-in-law.

The Prince of Wales’s Duchy of Cornwall already owns Cranborne Chase estate, which the Crichel estate almost borders. Wimborne Mayor Robin Cook said: “Wimborne has been rife with rumours that the estate is going to be sold for some time now.

“This has come about since the honourable Mary Marten passed away and might be due to the impact of inheritance tax, which is sad but understandable.

“Rumours that Prince Charles or William and Kate might buy it have also been flying around but this is purely conjecture.”

Crichel House itself dates back to the 18th century and is Grade I listed.

It has more than 25 rooms, a ballroom, a wine cellar and overlooks an ornamental crescent-shaped lake.

Parts of the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, were filmed there.