Listed Building record MDO37995 - St Mary's church, Melbury Bubb

(ST 59600655) St Mary's Church [NAT]. (1)

Church of St Mary. Late C15th South tower, perhaps by W Bakeler, rector, 1470-80. Nave and Chancel C15th, but both rebuilt in 1854. perhaps by Withers of Sherborne. Several of the C15th windows were reset. (See ST50 NE 12 for the pre-conquest stone now used as a font). Grade I. (2-4)

Melbury Bubb (Monograph). SDO18182.

Le Pard, Gordon, 1998, Medieval sundials in Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 119, 78 (Article in serial). SDO21411.

<1> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 158 (Monograph). SDO97.

‘(1) PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MARY stands in the N.W. part of the parish. The walls are of local rubble with freestone dressings and the roofs are slate-covered. The South Tower was built late in the 15th century, perhaps by Walter Bokeler, rector c. 1470–80, whose initials appear on it. The rest of the church seems to have been rebuilt about the same time but was rebuilt again in 1854, probably by Withers, architect, of Sherborne, several of the older windows being incorporated.
The pre-Conquest stone, now a font, is highly remarkable and the 15th-century glass is also noteworthy.
Architectural Description—The Chancel (18 ft. by 13 ft.) is modern but incorporates parts of the head of a 15th-century window, in the E. wall, of three cinque-foiled ogee lights with tracery in a two-centred head with moulded reveals.
The Nave (32½ ft. by 16¼ ft.) is modern but incorporates parts of five 15th-century windows. The S.E. window is of three lights and retains parts of old tracery; the second window on the N. has an old head of three trefoiled lights with vertical tracery; the western pair of windows have old heads of three cinque-foiled ogee lights with vertical tracery; the W. window has a partly old head of four lights with flowing tracery.
The South Tower (9 ft. square) is of the 15th century and of four storeys (Plate 3), with an embattled parapet with a pinnacle in the middle of each side. The ground-stage has a doorway in the N. wall with moulded jambs and two-centred head. The doorway in the S. wall has jambs and two-centred head of two chamfered orders. The stair-turret is an addition of later date than the remainder of the tower. The second storey has in the E. wall a window of one trefoiled light. The third storey has on the middle of each wall a diagonal projection or shaft, resting on half-angels holding shields; the upper part of the shafts has trefoiled panels; the shaft on the N. forms the mullion of a window of two square-headed lights. Between this storey and the next is a frieze of quatrefoils enclosing paterae, shields, the initials B. and W.B., etc. The bell-chamber has in each wall a window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head; the stone louvres have quatre-foiled and geometrical piercings.
Fittings—Bells: four; 1st, from the Wiseman foundry, 1638, cracked; 2nd, with a shield and coin, perhaps by John Kebyle of London, 15th-century, cracked; 3rd, perhaps by John Lott, 1641; 4th, by Robert Wiseman, 1616. Bier: with moulded framing and draw-handles, 17th-century, dilapidated. Bracket: In tower—over inner doorway, moulded semi-octagonal bracket, 15th-century. Chest: In nave—plain, with panelled front and ends, early 18th-century. Churchyard Cross: S. of nave—square base and stump of square to octagonal shaft, mediæval. Font (Plate 15): cylindrical tapering bowl, formerly part of circular shaft (28 in. high and 22½ in. to 19 in. diam.) reversed, face carved with continuous design of beasts and interlacement; beasts include stag, horse, wolf and lion (?) with three small beasts, 10th or early 11th-century. Glass: In chancel—in tracery of E. window, shields-of-arms of Warre and Maltravers, symbols of the four Evangelists, crowns, inscription " D[omi]n[u]s Walterus Bokeler Rector isti[us] loci" (instituted 1466). In nave— in tracery of middle N. window, the Annunciation (Plate 17) with figures of the Virgin and St. Gabriel, with inscriptions, also a jumble of fragments; in N.W. window, small head of Christ, with inscription from Matt. xxv. 13, four panels with wise and foolish virgins (Plate 16) with inscriptions from the same chapter verses 8 and 9; the main lights had a figure of Christ with the five wounds from which rays were carried to the other panels showing representations of the seven sacraments; of this the upper part of the figure of Christ, the rays and the panel representing Orders survive (Plate 1). In tracery of W. window, (a) a Trinity, (b) lions with censers, (c) Christ enthroned, (d) God the Father, (e) the Dove, (f) to (p) the Apostles including Mathias with their names (Plate 16), (q) Evangelists' symbols, parts of (r) a Last Supper and (s) subject with two soldiers. All the above late 15th-century. Monuments: In churchyard—at E. end, (I) to Richard Handleigh, rector, 1646 and John Handleigh, 1689, table-tomb; (2) to Richard Hanleigh, 1699, table-tomb; S. of church, (3) to William Goring, 1711, headstone; (4) to Thomas Baker, alias Williams, murdered 1694, and John his son, 1681, headstone; (5) to Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Baker, 1705–6 (?), and others, table-tomb; (6) to Jane (Husey), widow of John Foy, 1693–4, table-tomb; (7) to John Foye, 1685–6, and John Foye, 16[3]8, table-tomb; (8) to Thomas Buckler, 1634, table-tomb; (9) to Alexander Buckler, 1568, erected 1622, table-tomb. Plate: includes a cover-paten of 1705 and a cup of 1728 with gadroon ornament. Scratching: On E. respond of S. doorway of tower, the words "Dns. Walt. B. . . ." for Walter Bokeler, 15th-century.’

<2> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 272-273 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<3> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1979 (Map). SWX1197.

(ST 59600655) St Mary's Church [NAT].

<4> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1990, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1989, 128-129 (Serial). SDO89.

<5> Ordnance Survey, 20-JUL-1989, OS OS/89388 043-4, 195720 (Aerial Photograph). SDO14379.

Record last edited

May 1 2025 12:09PM