Monument record MDO4630 - Medieval Church of the Holy Trinity (demolished), Bimport, Shaftesbury

The Church of the Holy Trinity lay within the north eastern part of the abbey precinct and may have its origins as an extra-mural chapel of Shaftesbury Abbey. It was demolished and rebuilt 1840-1842. Remains of the south wall of the medieval church have been found beneath the South Aisle of the present church – see MDO12712 – which was rebuilt on the same site.

(ST 8614 2297) Holy Trinity Church [NAT]. <2>

Church of the Holy Trinity. Built 1842 on an earlier site. Cruciform church in 'Transitional' style by Gilbert Scott. Chancel 1908 by Doran Webb. Grade B. <3, 8>

Trial excavations within the church, recently declared reduvilant, revealed the greensand wall-foundation and flagstone floors of the earlier church. Its alignment appears to have been slightly to the north of the Scott church. <6>

Holy Trinity, Bimport. <4>

The Church of the Holy Trinity lay within the northeastern part of the precinct of Shaftesbury Abbey and may have its origins as an extra-mural chapel of the abbey. It is first mentioned in 1302. <7>

The parish rights in the nave of the Abbey Church were transferred to Holy Trinity in 1364. <3>

A sketch of the abbey ruins made in about 1553 illustrates the medieval church of Holy Trinity as having a simple nave and chancel with a tiled roof and a buttressed west tower topped by a squat spire. <3>

It is described by Hutchins as " a chancel, body, and two aisles equal with the chancel and body, and leaded, supported by four arches on each side; and in the body, above the aisles, are three windows on each side : now fastened with shutters, as is also the east window, which is modern. The tower is embattled and pinnacled, and contains four bells. A handsome organ was built by subscription 1764." The church was enlarged, probably by Sir Thomas Arundel in the beginning of the reign of Elizabeth I. <1>

A print of this church dated c 1840 suggests it was a similar size to the present building on the site. <6>

The church was demolished and replaced by the present church building in 1841-2. Trial excavations within the nineteenth century church in 1978 after it had been declared redundant revealed the Greensand wall footings of the south wall of the earlier church beneath the South Aisle. This was associated with a stone flag floor. <6>

<1> Hutchins, J, 1868, The History and Antiquities of the County of Dorset. Volume 3. 3rd edition, 49 (Monograph). SDO11486.

<2> Ordnance Survey, 1:2500 scale, 1965 (Map). SWX1197.

<3> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 64, plate 58 (Monograph). SDO99.

(3) The Parish Church of The Holy Trinity, some 80 yds. N. of the abbey site, has ashlar walls and slate-covered roofs. The Nave, Aisles, North and South Chapels, and West Tower were rebuilt in 1840–2, to designs in the 'Early English' style by Gilbert Scott (Plate 63). The Chancel, by Doran Webb, was added in 1908. The mediaeval church appears in a sketch in the Wilton terrier of c. 1553 (Plate 58).

Fittings—Bells: treble, 2nd and 3rd by Mears, 1844; 4th by John Wallis, inscribed 'Praise the Lord I.W., 1597'; 5th by William Purdue, inscribed 'God is all my hope, 1641, WP', with 'John Buckton, John Masters' in smaller letters, the words of the two inscriptions alternating; tenor by Mears, 1844. Churchyard Cross: S.W. of tower, with moulded square base on two steps, and tapering chamfered shaft with run-out stops; probably 15th century, cross-head modern. Glass: reset in N. window of N. Chapel, shield-of-arms of Whitaker, with rectangular inscription panel 'Good men need not marble wee dare trust to glass the memory of William Whitaker Esq. who died the 3rd of October 1646 '.

Monuments and Floor-slabs. Monuments: In N. chapel, (1) of Maria Buckland, 1822, marble wall tablet with shield-of-arms, by Hiscock of Blandford. In S. chapel, (2) of Abraham Gapper, 1733, marble and stone cartouche with scroll-work surround (Plate 18); (3) of Elizabeth Atchison, 1766, and her mother Honor, 1769, wall-monument with scrolled cheek-pieces, shaped cornice and gadrooned apron; (4) of John Bennett, 1676, metal plate in oval stone cartouche with heavily enriched and gilded surround, and shield-of-arms of Bennett and Ashlock quarterly, impaling Hall (Plate 18). In N. aisle, (5) of Christopher Erle, 1817, and his wife Margaret (Bowles), 1807, tablet with shield-of-arms of Erle impaling Bowles, by T. King of Bath; (6) of John Mill, 1821, sarcophagus-shaped marble tablet with shield-of-arms of Mill, by Osmund of Sarum. In S. aisle, (7) of Henry Edwards, 1803, and Mary (Ernly) his wife, 1796, marble tablet surmounted by urn, with shield-of-arms, by Waddilove, London. Erected 1805; (8) of Matilda Mill, 1833, wall-monument with kneeling figure beside urn, and shield-of-arms of Mill impaling another coat, by Osmund, Sarum; (9) of William Collins, 1810, marble tablet by T. King of Bath. Reset in S. porch, (10) stone effigy of priest with hands together in prayer (Plate 15), late 13th century (W.A.M., VII (1862), 261); adjacent, tablet recording discovery of effigy in 1817. In churchyard, some 50 paces S. of tower, (11) of Margaret Swyer, 1745, her husband Robert, 1767, and others of same family, table-tomb (Plate 19) with balusters at corners and moulded top slab with dentil enrichment; also, dispersed in churchyard, several 17th-century headstones. Floor-slabs: In N. chapel, adjacent to N. wall, (1) of William Bowles, 1717, slate slab with shield-of-arms. In N. porch, (2) of Arundell B[ennett, 1682]. In S. porch, (3) of George Howe, 1666, with shield-of-arms of Howe.

Plate: the plate listed in St. Peter's church (2) may include items which belong to this church, proper attribution being no longer possible; items which belong certainly to Holy Trinity are—silver cup inscribed 'This chalic belongeth to the holy trinity of Shaston, 1670 ', with stand-paten designed to act as cover, foot hanging inside cup; silver stand-paten with date-letter of 1709, donor's inscription of Humphrey Bishop, and shield-of-arms of Bishop; silver flagon with date-letter, donor's inscription and arms as on foregoing.

Royal Arms: formerly in (2), painted on canvas, with cypher GR and inscription 'Ed. Buckland and Willm. Everett Ch. Wardens, M. Wilmot fecit, 1780' (Plate 27). Miscellanea: reset in ringing chamber of W. tower, 17th-century wood panelling with moulded stiles and rails.

<4> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 364 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<5> Shaftesbury and District Archaeological Group, 1977-80, Shaftesbury and District Archaeological Group; Interim Report 1977-80 (Serial). SDO11483.

<6> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1980, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1978, 116-117 (Serial). SDO78.

<7> Penn, K J, 1980, Historic Towns in Dorset, 85 (Monograph). SWX1202.

<8> DOE (HHR), List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest: North Dorset, 17 (Scheduling record). SDO17666.

<9> National Record of the Historic Environment, 913539 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Jun 27 2023 2:55PM