Listed Building record MDO10448 - Church of St John the Baptist, Plush, Piddletrenthide

A church built in 1848 to a design by the architect Benjamin Ferrey. The building is in the Decorated style with walls of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, and tiled roofs.

A church built in 1848 to a design by the architect Benjamin Ferrey. The building is in the Decorated style with walls of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, and tiled roofs.

Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1908, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Antiquarian Field Club for 1907, li-lii (Serial). SDO17439.

Canon Ravenhill, addressing the party in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, said
The tithing of Plush is a detached portion of the parish of Buckland Newton, called Boclande Abbas in olden days. The late Dorset poet, Mr. Barnes, said that " Newton" described Buckland as the new enclosure, Alton, the adjoining parish, being the old enclosure. " Boclande," according to Blackstone, means land held by book or charter, as opposed to Folcland, land held by common consent. Plush is mentioned under the name of "Plis " in the Rentatia et Custom - arium of Glastonbury Abbey. It formed part of the Manor of Buckland Newton, and it was given with it, according to John of Glastonbury, by King Ethelwolf (833-857) to the Abbey of Glastonbury. The late Canon C. W. Bingham told him that the word "Plis" meant a coomb or dell, but he did not know what authority he had for this derivation. In the year 851 a great Danish invasion took place, and, if Nettlecomb Tout and the Roman fosse at Plush could speak, they would probably tell some stirring stories of those terrible times. Ethelwolf was the father of Alfred, whose tower forms a striking object from Nettlecomb. The grant was made to Glastonbury a century before the extermination of wolves, which must have had a goodly run in the Forest of Blackmore adjoining Plush. The roe deer are still to be seen wild in this district, and are on the increase. They peep their heads occasionally from the coppice opposite the new church. The old chapel was built on a very picturesque knoll about three quarters of a mile to the north of the present building and about the same distance from Monkwood Hill, where the name reminds one of the connection with Glastonbury. In the return in the Commission of 1650 the church was described as a chapel of ease to Buckland, three miles distant. Plush then contained 32 families and desired to be made a parish. Mr. Guilliam, the curate, led a very disorderly life. His salary was 14 per annum and " other unlawful advantages." The tithes of this tithing were £35 per annum. In the old church more than half a century ago the Rev. William Butler, better known as Parson Billy Butler, was cautioned not to enter the pulpit to preach, or he would disturb a hen that was sitting there. The late Lord Digby told him this, and he had it from Mr. Butler himself. The building, having fallen into decay, was pulled down in 1847, and the materials were worked into the new church, which was built nearer the hamlet and opened in 1848. The ancient carved stone font narrowly escaped disappearing altogether. The Rev. Canon Bingham had a great affection for it. It was now placed unrestored in the new building.

<1> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 215-216 (Monograph). SDO136.

'(2) The Church of St. John the Baptist, Plush (71770227), over 1¼ m. N.E. of the parish church, has walls of coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, and tiled roofs. It was designed by Benjamin Ferrey in the 'Decorated' style, and was built in 1848 to replace an earlier church which formerly stood ½ m. to the N.E. …'

<2> DOE (HRR), 1984, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: District of West Dorset amendment 1984, May-1984, 86 (Scheduling record). SWX1372.

<3> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BF061724 (Index). SDO14738.

ST JOHN THE BAPTIST'S CHURCH, PIDDLETRENTHIDE: File of material relating to a site or building. This material has not yet been fully catalogued. Copyright, date, and quantity information for this record may be incomplete or inaccurate.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 536414 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Aug 4 2025 1:00PM