Listed Building record MDO9565 - Church of St Mary, Sixpenny Handley
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Summary
A parish church with chancel and south porch of fourteenth-century date. The rest of the building was rebuit or added in 1877. An early medieval font and tympanum of around 1130-50 are inside the church.
Map
Type and Period (1)
Full Description
The Church of St. Mary, rebuilt in 1877, retains a 14th century chancel and south porch. The font and a capital used as a stoup in the porch indicate a 12th century building. <2>
Church of St Mary. The plan consists of a C14th chancel and south porch, the rest comprising the west tower, north and south aisles, north vestry and north organ chamber were rebuilt or added in 1877. <3>
A panel reset in the north wall of the north aisle shows a seated figure of Christ in majesty, of ca 1130-50. Badly damaged. Judging from its size, this would originally have formed the centrepiece of a tympanum. Allowing for the framing, such a tympanum would have been larger than any other in Dorset, and it is unlikely that it was intended for a church of the status of Handley. <4>
There have been suggestions that the church originated as a minster on the grounds that it had been a separate parish before its annexation to Iwerne Minster in 1327. However, while the church controlled a large area, most of it was part of the estates of Shaftesbury Abbey. <5>
Sources/Archives (6)
- <1> SDO18658 Map: Ordnance Survey. Ordnance Survey map 1:10,560. 1:10 560. 1963.
- <2> SDO136 Monograph: Royal Commission on Historic Monuments. 1970. An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2. 2. 64-65.
- <3> SWX1290 Monograph: Newman, J, and Pevsner, N. 1972. The Buildings of England: Dorset. 392.
- <4> SDO84 Serial: Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. 1985. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1984. 106. 20.
- <5> SDO10264 Monograph: Hall, T A. 2000. Minster Churches in the Dorset Landscape. 304. 100.
- <6>XY SDO14739 Digital archive: National Record of the Historic Environment. 209810. [Mapped feature: #633682 ]
Finds (0)
Related Monuments/Buildings (0)
Related Events/Activities (0)
Location
| Grid reference | Centred ST 99557 17303 (26m by 21m) |
|---|---|
| Map sheet | ST91NE |
| Civil Parish | Sixpenny Handley; Dorset |
| Unitary Authority | Dorset |
Protected Status/Designation
Other Statuses/References
- Legacy UID: Dorset Sites and Monuments Record: 3 020 001
- Legacy UID: National Monuments Record: ST 91 NE 49
- Legacy UID: National Record of the Historic Environment: 209810
- Royal Commission Inventory Reference: Sixpenny Handley 1
Record last edited
Sep 7 2022 4:53PM