Church History
The church stands high on a hill top, the tower is 15th century
and is embattled with pinnacles. This church has a great treasure, a
Roman stone,
a block of Purbeck marble, engraved and the earliest
inscription known in the county. A tribute to a Roman husband and father
exiled in Britain from his family and reads:-
'To Gaius Aristobulus, a Roman Citizen, aged 50. Rufinus and Marina and
Avita his children. Erected by Romana his wife.' In the valley of the
river Frome below are the graves of German soldiers who were held prisoner
here during the Great War.
The entrance hall (Narthex or some denominations refer to it as the
vestibule) has a
Tympanum stone situated above the door leading into the church.
It is said to be of great antiquity and may have been given to the church by
William Belet who was rewarded with the 'Manor of Fordington' by William the
Conqueror. It is recorded that St George came to the assistance of crusaders on
both the first and the third crusades.
If Belet went on the first crusade then it seems he was being hard pressed by
Saracens at the battle of Dorylatum 1097, when St George came to his aid. He and
his squire have fallen on their knees in thankfulness. There are some small
differences in the armour of the two groups.
Just inside the main
entrance is a small font like object. The author Thomas Hardy lived within
this parish and was a member of the restoration committee of the time. He
visited the church many times to speculate on this object, which is too
small to be a font and also too large to be a holy water stoup. Both it's
date and it's use are uncertain.
Hardy's reports maybe found in the records of the society for the
protection of ancient buildings. |
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