The Parish Church of the Holy Trinity

The first documentary evidence is contained in Domesday and is a record of a gift of land to the church. The record reads that in 1085 Humphrey the Chamberlain gave half a hide (roughly seventy acres) to the church. A fragment of this gift of nearly nine centuries ago existed in our century and is known as “Clerke's Acre”, i.e. Priest's Acre. Over the years various renovations have been carried out. Sometime in the fifteenth century the nave and tower were pulled down and new ones in the Perpendicular style of the time were erected. The tower still remains and the aisle-less nave was extended to about two thirds of the present nave. In the eighteenth Century a small window was put in between the porch and the tower. The chancel and nave were filled with large square pews all held by the farmers and there were benches for “the others”. Stourpaine must have passed through some distressing times in subsequent years as sadly the church became dilapidated. The severity of the dilapidation was such that during the nineteenth Century it was decided to call in T.H.Wyatt. He pronounced that with the exception of the tower, complete rebuilding was necessary. Many repairs have been undertaken in the 20th Century. Floorboards at the rear of the church were replaced due to beetle infestation. The War Memorial was moved into the churchyard when the main road was widened in the 1970s. Two choir stalls have been removed, altar frontals replaced and most recently the major renovation of the Grade II listed Lychgate. Today Holy Trinity is well maintained and plays a prominent role in the life of Stourpaine. The work amongst the children of the village is flourishing. There is at least one service every Sunday, utilising both the modern forms of Common Worship and the well-loved traditional services from the Book of Common Prayer. A small group of worshippers meets every Friday for evening prayer and the church is open every day during daylight hours for private prayer and reflection. There is an active band of bell ringers.

Bell

Weight

Nominal

Note

Diameter

Dated

Founder

Canons

1 5-0-9 1281.0 E 28.25" 1965 John Taylor & Co F 2 5-1-2 1142.0 D 30.63" 1871 Mears & Stainbank R 3 6-0-22 1016.0 C 31.75" 1970 John Taylor & Co F 4 6-2-25 959.0 B 33.63" 1876 Mears & Stainbank R 5 7-3-25 856.0 A 35.63" 1721 William Tosier R 6 12-2-4 761.0 G 41.63" 1499 Salisbury foundry Y Source: CJND(Dorset, p645); CBC; Andrew Higson; Philip Denton

Grid Ref ST860093 Lat, Long 50.88370, -2.20011 Postcode DT11 8JZ Bells 6 TowerBase 4792 Tenor 12cwt - 2qr - 4lb (1404lb or 637kg) in G (761.0Hz)

Please see the online church news sheet to see to check on services: http://www.psdbenefice.org.uk/pews -news