Whitcombe Church
 |
The hamlet of Whitcombe
is located about two miles South East of Dorchester. The hamlet
consists of cottages, a farmhouse, and a 17th century tithe barn. It
was mentioned in Domesday.
The church, of no known dedication, dates from the 12th century, the
chancel and tower are from the 15th and 16th centuries. A pair of Saxon
cross were found within the church. |
The church was, up until the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries, a daughter chapel of Milton Abbey.
Sir John Tregonwell then purchased it in 1540, together with the rest
of the Milton Abbey Estate, for a total of £1000, and took up
residence, with his family, in the Abbey. Sir John, a lawyer, had,
earlier, helped to arrange Henry VIII's divorce from Catherine of
Aragon.
|
 |
 |
|
Between 1847-85, the poet William Barnes held the living, and he preached his first and last sermons in the church.
The church is now in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, and occasional services still take place there. |
| The nave contains some fine 13th century murals, including a painting of St. Christopher. |
 |
|
|
