Listed Building record MDO27947 - St Mary's church, Tarrant Crawford

The chancel was built in the 12th century, the 13th century alterations include the addition of the nave and some refenestration. Further refenestration was carried out in the 15th century and the porch was added. The west tower and the nave roof date to the early 16th century. Built of flint and rubble, in part blended with ashlar dressings and part rendered, with tiled and stone slate roofs. The church is notable for its early 14th century wall paintings of the life of St Margaret of Antioch. It is possible that Tarrant Crawford was a minster in the late Saxon period. There is a reset fragment of Saxon window frame in the north nave wall.

The church of Saint Mary at Tarrant Crawford has a 12th century chancel with windows enlarged in the 13th century. The nave is 13th century, the north porch is later 15th century, and the west tower appears to be 16th century. The absence of windows in much of the south wall of the nave suggests that a building formerly adjoined it on this side, perhaps part of the former nunnery. <1-2>

The church is noteable for its C14th wall-paintings. These are of around 1350. PDNHAS cited by NRHE with page no 416 BUT no volume or year given.

The church was probably a minster in the late Saxon period. <3>

Within the North porch and adjacent to it, east of the doorway, on the South side of the North nave wall, is a fragment of Saxon window frame. It is a curved fragment with three deeply incised lines. <5>

Le Pard, Gordon, 1998, Medieval sundials in Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 119, 70 Fig 1.1, 81-82 (Article in serial). SDO21411.

<1> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1918, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1916-17 (Serial). SDO26.

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 86-87 (Monograph). SDO99.

'(1) The Parish Church of St. Maryin the N. of the parish, has walls of flint and of rubble, in part rendered, with dressings of Greensand and of Heathstone ashlar ; the roof covering is of tile and stone-slate. The Chancel is of 12th-century origin, with windows enlarged in the 13th century (Plate 68). The Nave is of the 13th century and its walls retain 14th-century painted decorations, including scenes from the life of St. Margaret of Antioch (Plates 67-9). The absence of windows in much of the S. wall suggests that a building formerly adjoined the nave on this side, perhaps part of the former nunnery. The North Porch is of the second half of the 15th century. The west Tower appears to be of the 16th century, perhaps c 1508 (Hutchins III, 122), and the nave roof is of about the same period.'

<3> Aston, Michael, and Lewis, Carenza (eds), 1994, The medieval landscape of Wessex, 53 (Monograph). SWX1296.

<4> Cotton, J, 1995, An Archaeological Investigation prior to Remedial Drainage Works at the Church of St Mary, Tarrant Crawford, Dorset (Unpublished document). SDO14262.

<5> Guide to the Church of St Mary the Virgin, Tarrant Crawford (Monograph). SDO20148.

<6> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF096575 (Index). SDO14738.

ST MARYS CHURCH, TARRANT CRAWFORD

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 209643 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 1 2025 12:15PM