Listed Building record MDO17115 - Parish Church of St John The Baptist, Bere Regis

A parish church incorporating the remains of a cruciform church thought to have been built around the middle of the eleventh century with twelfth-century alterations; an aisle was added to the south around the middle of the twelfth century. Later alterations include the lengthening of the nave and addition of aisles to north and south in the thirteenth century, and again in the fourteenth century, and the addition of a porch and re-building of the chancel in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century. The building was restored around 1875 by the architect G E Street. The walls of the church are built of various materials including Portland and Purbeck stone ashlar, limestone rubble, flint and brick. The roof is covered in stone slates.

The church originated in the 11th century as a cruciform church. This was enlarged circa 1160 by demolishing the south wall and rebuilding it, the enlargement being repeated in the 13th century with the north wall. The nave was extended to the west in the late 13th century. The north and south aisles were extended to the east in the 14th century by demolishing the transepts. In the later 15th century, the west tower was built, the chancel rebuilt and enlarged. There is good evidence that Bere Regis was a late Saxon minster. Listed.

Parish Church of St. John the Baptist, Bere Regis with walls of various material including stone ashlar, rubble and flint. Enough evidence survives to show that the present building incorporates the remains of a cruciform church dating from circa 1050. The architectural development after this period is shown in the accompanying plans. <3>

"In 1086 Dorchester and Bere Regis were held by Bristwold, a royal chaplain. Bere was a weathly church holding one hide of land; the entry can only imply a minster" according to Ralegh Radford <4>. The actual Domesday (1086) entry shown in VCH <2> states that "Bristuard the priest has the church of Dorecestre and the church of Bere and 1 hide and 20 acres of land and the tithes belonging to them… worth #4 a year".

Le Pard, Gordon, 1998, Medieval sundials in Dorset. Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society 119, 73 (Article in serial). SDO21411.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1963 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 84749475) St John the Baptist's Church (NAT)

<2> Pugh, R B (ed), 1968, The Victoria history of the county of Dorset 3 1968 - Domesday Survey, 40, 45, 84 (Monograph). SWX2915.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume II (South East) Part 1, 13-18 (Monograph). SDO148.

<4> Ralegh Radford, C A, 1973, Pre-conquest Minster Churches. The Archaeological Journal 130, 137 (Article in serial). SWX3046.

<5> Pitfield, F P, 1983, Bere Regis Church, Dorset (Monograph). SDO18216.

<6> Aston, Michael, and Lewis, Carenza (eds), 1994, The medieval landscape of Wessex, 53 (Monograph). SWX1296.

<7> Bere Regis Church (Monograph). SDO18230.

<8> Historic England, Historic England Archive, BB68/05267 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of carved beams in the nave roof of St John's Church, Bere Regis

<9> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24469 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of carved beams in the nave roof of St John's Church, Bere Regis

<10> Historic England, Historic England Archive, OP24470 (Index). SDO14738.

A view of carved beams in the nave roof of St John's Church, Bere Regis. This print was accessioned by the Royal Commission on Historical Monuments in England on 5th July 1968.

<11> National Record of the Historic Environment, 456342 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

May 1 2025 10:44AM