Listed Building record MDO14023 - Abbey church of St Peter, Church Street, Abbotsbury

The site of the fifteenth century abbey church of St Peter was identified during partial excavations in 1871 when fragments of the north wall, along with stone coffins and tiled floors, were discovered to the south of the parish church. The remains consist of one bay of the north nave aisle which stand circa 20 centimetres above ground and 3 metres from centre to centre of the responds, which are moulded and shafted, with an internal stone bench between.

The site of the 15th century abbey church of St Peter was identified during partial excavations in 1871 when fragments of the north wall, along with stone coffins and tiled floors, were discovered to the south of the parish church. The remains consist of one bay of the north nave aisle which stand circa 20 centimetres above ground and 3 metres from centre to centre of the responds, which are moulded and shafted, with an internal stone bench between. The length of the north wall is 32 metres in total. <1>

The abbey church was dedicated to St Peter. <2>

In a stone coffin found in 1934, in the present graveyard, was a lead crozier-head about 7 ins long, of 12th century date. The position of the coffin was probably under what was the south arcade of the nave of the conventual church. <4>

This stood to the south of the parish church, and the surviving fragment is 22 ft. south of the church, and parallel to it. It stands a few inches above ground level and consists of one bay of the north wall of the Abbey church, probably of the north nave aisle. It is only 10 1/2 ft. wide, and appears to date from the 15th century.

In the 1871 excavations the wall was traced a considerable distance to the west, and the line is now marked by a row of loose stones in the churchyard. At the same time remains of the south wall of the nave were found. From time to time patches of tile pavement, and two or more stone coffins have been found within the area.

The line of the south and west walls of the nave may be indicated by pronounced drops in the level of the modern churchyard. <5>

The only remains of the Abbey Church now visible, in situ, is a course of worked stones, some loose and others embedded in the ground and standing a few inches above ground level. As shown on 1:2500 plan. The slight lynchet like bank, also shown on plan, is of doubtful origin. The area within these limits is used a a modern burial ground. <6>

One bay of the North wall was excavated 1967-71. Octagonal bases of two piers on the aisle side have moulding typical of the 15th century, and resemble larger examples of the period 1438-71 in the retrochair of Peterborough Cathedral, and it seems reasonable to assign that at Abbotsbury to the same date. <7>

The south wall of the chancel, its east end and south west corner buttress were exposed during building work in 1983. <8>

Remains of north wall of abbey church, parallel to and 7 metres south of Parish Church. C15. One bay of north nave aisle stands c.20 cm above ground and 3 metres from centre to centre of the responds, which are moulded and shafted, with an internal stone bench between. North wall, traced westwards in 1871, line marked by row of loose architectural fragments. Length of north wall in total 32 metres. <10>

<1> Moule, H J, 1886, Abbotsbury Abbey. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society (Article in serial). SDO10224.

<2> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey 1 to 25 inch scale map, 1902 (Map). SDO18020.

[SY 57728520] Abbey Church [NR] (Remains of) [NAT]

<3> Page, W (ed), 1908, The Victoria History of the County of Dorset 2, 48-53 (Monograph). SWX1805.

<3.1> Gerard, T (Coker, J ), 1732, A Survey of Dorsetshire. (Cartographic materials). SWX8143.

<3.2> Dugdale, Sir William, 1693, Monasticon Anglicanum or The history of the ancient abbies, and other monasteries, hospitals, cathedral and collegiate churches in England and Wales. With divers French, Irish and Scotch monasteries formerly relating to England, 35 (Monograph). SDO19710.

<4> Society of Antiquaries of London, 1935, The Antiquaries Journal 15, 203 (Serial). SWX3914.

<5> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments England, 1952, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume I (West), 3 (Monograph). SDO97.

<6> Swatridge, G C, Various, Field Investigators Comments GCS, F1 GCS 22/03/1955 (Unpublished document). SWX1169.

<7> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1971, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1970, 151-3 (Serial). SDO70.

<8> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1983, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1983, 152 (Serial). SDO83.

<9> Royal Archaeological Institute, 1983, Archaeological Journal 140, 23 (Serial). SDO16977.

<10> Department of the Environment, 1985, List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: District of West Dorset, 442 (Scheduling record). SDO16361.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 450430 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 15 2025 11:25AM