Listed Building record MDO4773 - Parish church of St Michael and All Angels, Stour Provost

A parish church probably built in the 14th century with later additions and alterations. The nave and chancel are of 14th-century date, while a small window in the nave appears to be 13th century style, and may indicate be evidence of an earlier building on the site. The building has walls of rubble, squared rubble and ashlar. The roofs are covered with stone slates and in part with welsh slates.

Parish Church of St. Michael, Stour Provost, has walls of rubble, squared rubble and ashlar with nave and chancel arch dating from the early 14th century; a small lancet window in the nave appears to be of 13th century style and could be a late survival or perhaps from an earlier building. The south tower is 15th century with 17th century rebuilding of the upper part and 19th century repairs. The north arcade of the nave and north aisle are early 16th century but the chancel and south porch date from the first half of the 19th century. <2>

<1> Ordnance Survey, 1900, Ordnance Survey 25-inch map, epoch two (Map). SDO11594.

(ST 79402156) St Michael's Church (NAT)

<2> Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England), 1972, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume IV (North), 79-82 (Monograph). SDO99.

‘(1) THE PARISH CHURCH OF ST. MICHAEL stands near the centre of the village. It has walls of rubble, squared rubble and ashlar; the roofs are covered with stoneslates and, in part, with Welsh slates. The Nave and chancel arch are of the early 14th century; a small lancet window in the nave which appears to be more in the style of the 13th century could be a late survival, or perhaps is from an older building. The South Tower is of the 15th century with 17th-century rebuilding of the upper part, and 19th-century repairs. The N. arcade of the nave and the North Aisle are of the early 16th century. The Chancel and the South Porch are of the first half of the 19th century.
Architectural Description—The Chancel has an E. window of three lights with reset 18th-century tracery in a four-centred head; the lights have two-centred heads and the tracery lights have trefoil heads. The rear arch is outlined by a roll moulding and the jambs have attached shafts with moulded caps and bases. In the N. wall is a window of two trefoil-headed lights with a central quatrefoil above; the jambs and mullion are shafted externally and internally; a painted inscription implies that the opening dates from 1845. The S. wall has two lancet windows with shafted and hollow-chamfered jambs and detached rear arch shafts; the shafts have moulded caps and bases and moulded collars at half height. Two stone steps with moulded nosing in front of the communion rail are mediaeval, but reset. The chancel arch is two-centred and of two chamfered orders springing from hollow-chamfered imposts; the responds are three-sided and appear to have been partly recut; at the base are shaped and run-out stops. Weathered stonework seen externally, N.E. of the N. respond, is probably part of a rood stair turret.
The Nave has, on the N., a four-bay arcade with uniform two-centred arches of 16th-century date. Each arch has two orders, the inner order wave-moulded and the outer order hollow-chamfered. The piers and responds have attached shafts alternating with hollow chamfers, with plain conical capitals and hollow-chamfered bases. The shafted E. respond appears to be formed partly from reused 14th-century stonework with thin courses; the adjacent masonry is probably part of the original N. wall. On the S. side of the nave is the tower arch (see below); adjacent, on the W. and above the porch roof, is a 19th-century window of two pointed lights with a plain spandrel light. The 14th-century S. doorway has a moulded two-centred head with continuous jambs, partly recut, but terminating on the E. in small base mouldings and a crude broach stop; above is a moulded label with returned stops. To the W. of the doorway is a lancet window of 13th-century form, with a chamfered surround, a moulded label, deep internal splays and a segmental rear arch. The W. wall has been extensively rebuilt, but it is probably of 14th-century origin. At the S. corner is a diagonallyset buttress of two weathered stages. A similar buttress, but square-set, strengthens the N.W. corner of the nave and provides abutment for the 16th-century arcade; there is evidence that the buttress is part of a former angle-buttress and the reason for its contrast with the diagonal S.W. buttress is obscure. The 19th-century W. window incorporates reused 14th-century material; the head is segmental-pointed and ovolo-moulded, with continuous jambs; the opening is of three gradated lights with plain two-centred heads, the centre light being slightly wider than those on each side.
In the North Aisle, diagonal buttresses of two weathered stages stand at the N.E. and N.W. corners and two similar buttresses are set square against the N. wall; all walls have hollow-chamfered plinths, that on the N. being stepped to follow the slope of the ground. The lean-to roof joins the N. slope of the nave roof, but is of lower pitch. The E. window has three plain gradated two-centred lights under a four-centred casementmoulded head with continuous jambs; the lights and a label above are of the 19th century, but the surround and the moulded rear arch with continuous jambs are of the 16th century. The three windows of the N. wall are uniform and of three lights; the 19th-century tracery is uniform with that of the E. window and here the surrounds also are of the 19th century although they incorporate 16th-century material; beneath the central window is a blocked N. doorway. The W. window of the N. aisle is similar to that on the E.
The South Tower, of ashlar and coursed rubble, has two stages separated by a weathered and hollow-chamfered string-course. The lower stage, including the string-course, is of the 15th century; the upper stage is of the 17th century, but it incorporates reused 15th-century material. The S. wall was restored in 1854. In the lower stage, the E. wall has a doorway with a chamfered segmental-pointed head and continuous jambs; inside, it has a wide two-centred rear arch. Adjacent, on the N., is the crease of the roof of a former chancel which appears to have been wider than the present structure. In the N. side of the tower is an archway to the nave, now blocked, with a chamfered two-centred head and continuous jambs; in the blocking is a small doorway with a two-centred head, of uncertain date. The S. wall has a 19th-century window of one light with a two-centred head; above is a square-headed 15th-century window with a moulded surround. The W. wall has no openings in the lower stage. The upper stage of the tower has slender corner pilasters; those on the N.E. and N.W. are divided at half height by moulded strings, the others are plain. In the E. and N. sides are 19th-century belfry windows of one trefoil-headed light; in the S. side is a reset 15th-century window of two trefoil-headed lights with vertical tracery in a casement-moulded two-centred head; in the W. side the belfry window has tracery similar to that on the S., but the surround is of the 17th century and without casement mouldings. At the top is an embattled parapet, with a hollow-chamfered string-course with 15th-century gargoyles to S.E. and S.W., and corner pinnacles with crocketed finials.
The 19th-century South Porch incorporates some mediaeval material. It has an archway with a chamfered two-centred head and continuous jambs. At the S.W. corner is a square-set weathered buttress. Inside, stone wall-seats are reset on the E. and W. sides.
The Roof of the chancel (Plate 66) incorporates 16th-century material, probably from the N. aisle. The raised central area has moulded wall-plates and intersecting beams, forming four bays, each bay being divided into twelve coffers; the coffers have fretted panels similar to those of the nave roof at Marnhull (Dorset III, 151). The surrounding zone of coffering and the coved wall-plates are of the 19th century, but the fretted panels are original.
Fittings—Bells: four; treble by John Wallis, inscribed 'Love the Lord, IW, 1602'; 2nd inscribed 'Regina celi letare' in black-letter, probably 15th-century; 3rd inscribed 'Ave Maris Stella Dei Mater Alma' in crowned Lombardic letters, 15th century; 4th, with inscription of 1683, recast 1902. Bell-frame, modern, incorporating older members, perhaps 16th or 17th century. Brass: In nave pavement, near chancel steps, plate (9½ ins. square) with inscription of James White, 1694. Chests: of oak, one with tapering ends, shaped feet and three locks, 17th-century; another with panelled front and sides, 18th century. Communion Rails: with Tuscan-column posts and turned balusters, late 18th century; moulded rail and sill modern. Communion Table: of oak, with crude cabriole legs, enriched rails, scrolled brackets and moulded top; late 17th century. Door: In S. doorway, of six panels with beaded borders, c. 1800. Font: of Purbeck stone, with octagonal bowl with two trefoil-headed panels to each face, and octagonal shaft with one trefoil-headed panel to each face and roll-moulded and chamfered capping above, on chamfered octagonal plinth; 15th century. Glass: In N. window of chancel, with two panels of scriptural subjects, 1845.
Monument and Floor-slabs. Monument: In churchyard, 5 paces S. of tower, of Richard Snooke, 1606, Joan his wife, 1607, and William Snooke, 1672, stone table-tomb with moulded top and plinth. Floor-slabs: In chancel, (1) of Humphry Newberry, rector, 1712; (2) of William Wray, rector, 1780.
Plate: Silver cup with conical bowl gadrooned at base, knopped stem and gadrooned foot, no marks, probably 17th century; silver stand-paten and flagon, both of 1844; silver alms-dish with donor's inscription of Susannah Newbary, 1728. Royal Arms: In nave, above chancel arch, lozenge-shaped panel with painted arms, date 1707 and initials A.R.; on surround, Psalm 72, V. I. in black-letter.’

<3> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 402 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<4> National Record of the Historic Environment, 202452 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 17 2025 11:34AM