Listed Building record MDO9305 - Church of St Michael, Stinsford

The earliest parts of the church appear to be 13th century, though a carved stone relief of an angel of pre-Conquest in date may hint at an earlier building on the site. The relief was incorporated into the outside of the church, but has been moved inside the building. The chancel and parts of the nave were built in the early 13th century, and the west tower was built and other alterations made in the 14th century. Further rebuilding and alterations took place in the 15th century, in 1630 and in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The walls of the building are of coursed rubble, with ashlar dressings, and the roof is covered with slates.

Parish Church of St. Michael, Stinsford, built of roughly squared and coursed rubble with ashlar dressings, has a chancel and north and south arcades of the nave dating from the early 13th century. The west tower was added early in the 14th century and the west wall of the south aisle appears to have been rebuilt at this time; however the remainder of the south aisle is mainly of the 15th century. In 1630 the north aisle was rebuilt but considerably altered in the 19th century and the whole church was restored in 1868, 1883 and 1910. The north vestry is of 1868. The most important feature of the church is a reset pre-conquest relief of an angel, which Newman and Pevsner <3> refer to as outside of the west tower and representing St. Michael with spread wings and striding to the left. In the churchyard, Thomas Hardy's heart (1840-1928) is buried. <2-3>

Parsons, referring to the relief of the angel on the west wall of the tower at Stinsford, stated that the "complicated layers of its drapery … remind one forcibly of the drawings of the mid-eleventh century…". <4>

The Romanesque sculpture of `St Michael overcoming the Serpent' is probably an Anglo-Norman piece of the late C11th/early C12th, and originally formed part of a tympanum. <5>

Full description of the figure panel of St Michael, which is of early 11th century date. <6>

The carved relief of an angel is now inside the church.

<1> Ordnance Survey, Ordnance Survey Map 6in, 1902 (Map). SWX1540.

(SY 71149099) St. Michael's Church (NAT)

<2> Royal Commission on Historic Monuments, 1970, An Inventory of Historical Monuments in the County of Dorset, Volume III (Central) Part 2, 252 (Monograph). SDO136.

'(1) The Parish Church of St. Michael stands on rising ground N. of the R. Frome and about half-way between the E. and W. boundaries of the parish. The walls are of roughly squared and coursed rubble, with ashlar dressings; the roofs are covered with slates, stone-slates and lead. The Chancel and the N. and S. arcades of the Nave are of the early 13th century. The West tower was added early in the 14th century and the W. wall of the S. aisle appears to have been rebuilt at this time; however, the South Aisle is mainly of the 15th century. The North Aisle was rebuilt in 1630 and was considerably altered in the 19th century. The church was restored in 1868, 1883 and 1910; the North Vestry is of 1868.

The most important feature of the church is a reset pre-conquest relief of an angel. The 18th-century communion plate was made by Paul Lamerie.'

<3> Newman, J, and Pevsner, N, 1972, The Buildings of England: Dorset, 398 (Monograph). SWX1290.

<4> Parsons, David (ed), 1975, Tenth-Century Studies, 196 Plate XXb (Monograph). SDO17639.

<5> Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society, 1985, Proceedings of the Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society for 1984, 16-17, 21 (Serial). SDO84.

<6> Cramp, R, 2006, Corpus of Anglo-Saxon Stone Sculpture: Vol VII. South-West England, 113-4 (Monograph). SDO17427.

<7> National Record of the Historic Environment, 455073 (Digital archive). SDO14739.

Record last edited

Apr 17 2025 11:38AM