Compton Abbas (St. Mary)

Compton Abbas (St. Mary)

The current church at Compton Abbas is completely Victorian, designed by George Evans of Wimborne, 1866-67. It replaced an older medieval church, whose tower still stands amongst the remains of the old churchyard a mile to the east. The move seems to have been precipipated by the arrival of the turnpike road that linked Shaftesbury and Blandford through the Iwerne valley in 1821 (now the A350). The commercial importance of the road meant that the main focus of the village moved westwards, leaving the church a little distance away. The local landowner (Sir Richard Glyn) gave both land and financial support, and the new church was consecrated by the Bishop of Salisbury on the 11th February 1868.

Sources:

• Hutchins, J. The history and antiquities of the County of Dorset, 3rd ed., edited by W. Shipp and J.W. Hodson, Westminster: J.B. Nichols, 1861-1873.
• Mee, A., ed., Dorset: Thomas Hardy's country. The King's England. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1939, pp. 70.
• Newman, J. and Pevsner, N., The buildings of England: Dorset. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1972, p. 159.
• Pitfield, F.P., Dorset parish churches, A-D. Milborne Port: Dorset Publishing Company, 1981, pp. 196-198.
• Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), Inventory of historical monuments in the County of Dorset, Vol. 4, North Dorset. London: HMSO, 1972, pp. 13-14.
• Dorset Historic Churches Trust page: http://www.dorsethistoricchurchestrust.co.uk/comptonabbas.htm
• Dorset Historic Churches Trust page (old church): http://www.dorsethistoricchurchestrust.co.uk/comptonabbasold.htm
• Church of England page: http://www.achurchnearyou.com/compton-abbas-st-mary-the-virgin/

Bells:

5, 9-0-0 in A

Three of the bells were moved here from the old church, One is medieval, named "Maria;" the other two are seventeenth century and were cast by the Salisbury founders John Wallis (Searve God IW 1616) and John Danton (Remember God ID 1624).

The old church:

Only the tower now remains of the old church at Compton Abbas. Still standing within the walls of its old churchyard, surrounded by old gravestones and preaching cross, the tower is a evocative reminder of those who lived and worshipped here in past centuries. Both tower and churchyard are now owned by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB).

14th century tower of ruined church, Compton Abbas, Dorset

14th century tower of ruined church, Compton Abbas, Dorset

Stained glass image of the ruins of the old church in the new (with added spider!), St Mary's Church, Compton Abbas, Dorset

To Dorset Churches Index Page

Maintained by Michael Day, Last updated: 22 March 2013.