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St Peters Dorchester |
The story of this building is linked with the story of
several notable people who are commemorated here. It is, however, really
the story of countless others who have met here for at least seven
hundred years to worship God and follow Jesus.
The Norman's had a church on this site. The arch round the door in the
porch with the characteristic zigzag pattern of the 11th century may
have come from the church or the castle or priory nearby. Norman arches
are usually round and this one was probably remodelled to the pointed
shape when the church was rebuilt.
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| The medieval knights on the window
sills of the south chapel are also older than the present
building, dating from the 14th century, though their relaxed pose
is unusually naturalistic for the period It is not known who they
are. |
In 1420, in the reign of Henry V, Robert Grenelefe left
twenty marks to “the fabric of the new construction of the body of the
church”. Much of the present building dates from around this time. It is
a fine example of the Perpendicular style, built of grey Portland stone
trimmed with golden Ham Hill stone which weathers to a darker brown
colour. The gargoyles on the tower, functionally just water-spouts, show
the skill and imagination of the 15th century stonemasons, as do the
carvings on the corbels (where the roof timbers rest on the top of the
pillars) in the north aisle. The splendid bosses in the ceiling of the
nave are also from this time.
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| The Williams Memorial erected in 1628 is a fine
example of an Jacobean family tomb. It is now difficult to see as
it was moved and raised above ground to make way for the organ,
built by Henry Jones in London in 1892 (but now incorporating pipe
work from an earlier period), which now ‘shamelessly’ (as Pevsner
puts it) fills the north or Williams chapel. |
A more famous character from this period was Revd John
White, Rector from 1606 to 1648. He was worried by the increasing
restrictions on religious freedom by the Stuart monarchy and so
organised an emigration of Puritan Christians to found a colony in
Massachusetts, New England. The colonists from the ship ‘Mary and John’
settled at New Dorchester, now part of Boston, from where groups later
went to found other Dorchester’s in South Carolina and Georgia. They
were instrumental in the development of Salem, which became notorious
for its Witch Trial
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| White himself remained at St Peter’s, helping
to rehouse his parishioners after the fire of 1613 which destroyed
much of the town centre. John White is commemorated by a Plaque
above the spot where he is buried in the porch. You can see his
House in Colliton Street (outside the church turn left, left again
into North Square and first left again.) |
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| Denzel Lord Holles, whose monument
stands at the back of the North Aisle, was also deeply involved in
the politics of the 17th century. When Charles 1 tried to dissolve
the troublesome Parliament, Holles was one of MPs who forcibly
held the Speaker down in his chair so that the House of Commons
could go on sitting. He fought for Parliament against the King,
but went on to lead the movement for peace between Monarch and
Parliament. He was a courageous critic of Cromwell, after whose
death he played a. leading role in the restoration of the
Monarchy.
There is a remarkable contrast in
styles between the Holles memorial of 1699 and the Williams
memorial only seventy years earlier. |
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The Thomas Hardy
Memorial on the south wall does not commemorate the famous writer
but a much earlier gentleman who in 1579 re-founded the town’s
grammar school. it was originally in the south chapel, known as
the Hardy chapel as it was used by the boys of the grammar school.
The north and south chapels are separated from the rest of the
church by late 15th century panelled arches and were probably
extensions to the original building.
The famous poet and novelist is connected with St Peter’s. In
1856, the church was restored by the local architect Hicks whose
16 year old apprentice Thomas Hardy drew the plans which now hang
in the south chapel. The restoration, relatively sympathetic by
Victorian standards, included a new East Window, and the choir
vestry. |
The octagonal pulpit decorated with two
tiers of blank arches is from the early 17th century, and is unusual in
having its entrance through the pillar The doorway originally gave
access to the medieval Rood Screen which divided the chancel from the
nave and a blocked entrance can be seen on the stairs. Nearby is a 17th
century oak bible box on which are Bibles in French German and Danish as
Dorchester is twinned with towns in those three countries.
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| The Reredos behind the Elizabethan
oak communion table commemorates the Seventh Earl of Shaftesbury
who campaigned in Parliament for the abolition of child labour in
Victorian mines and factories. It is an alabaster relief based on
Leonardo da Vinci’s Last Supper, and shows the origins of the
service of Holy Communion which we celebrate round the table. The
opus sectile panels on either side date from 1922. On the 17th
century oak communion table are fine wrought iron candlesticks
made by local blacksmith Leslie Philips in 1976 in memory of
churchwarden William Christopher. |
Under the tower at the rear of the church
are three Royal coats of arms. The large one is Charles II and came from
All Saints church when it closed in 1971. The smaller wooden one is
Stuart [ and came from Holy Trinity. The one above the west door came
from the old post office There are several flags reflecting Dorchester’s
past as a garrison town, including one of the Old Contemptibles. The
tower contains a fine ring of eight bells cast in 1734 and 175O The
tenor bell (E flat) weighs 2lcwt.
Henry Moule whose memorial is on the
North Aisle wall is the son of the Vicar of Fordington mentioned by
Hardy, in Kilvert’s Diaries, and more recently the subject of David
Edgar’s play “Entertaining Strangers”. Moule Senior was very unpopular
at first for his strict views but became a local hero after he and his
sons struggled to alleviate the suffering and remove the causes of
outbreaks of cholera in the slum district by the iron foundry at the
bottom of the High Street.
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Outside the church is a statue to William Barnes, the dialect poet
best known outside the county for “Linden Lea”. Barnes started as
a solicitor’s clerk and educated himself to become a schoolmaster
and clergyman, ending his life as Rector of Winterbourne Came, a
small church to the south of Dorchester. He was for a time
churchwarden at St Peter’s. His wife, Julia, is buried in the
churchyard. |
Simon Peter to whom this church is
dedicated was a Galilean fisherman whom Jesus chose to become the first
leader of the Christian Church. The stained glass windows (1887-1903)
show scenes from his life. The full dedication of the church is to the
Holy Trinity, St Peter and All Saints. Despite its size Dorchester was
divided into three parishes with the three churches a stone’s throw from
each other in the High Street. All Saints is now a storehouse for the
County Museum and Holy Trinity is now a Roman Catholic church. When the
three Anglican parishes were combined St Peter’s took on the dedications
of the others.
The church was extensively, but sensitively, restored between 1991 and
1994. This included restoring the gargoyles and pinnacles on top of the
south wall, and replacing a considerable amount of stonework, roofing
and flooring. The completion of this work is commemorated by the two
stone faces either side of the south porch. On the left is the Rector
who initiated the restoration, Revd Jimmy Hamilton Brown and on the
right, the verger, Richard Duke who had the task of keeping the church
clean and ready for worship while the work was going on.
One final item is worth noting. On the north side of the sanctuary, by
the Communion Table, is a medieval tomb originally from the Williams
chapel. It is known as an Easter Sepulchre - an empty tomb. This church
is here because Jesus Christ died on a cross and rose to life again to
give all of us the opportunity of a new and eternal life. Thousands of
people famous and unknown have showed their faith in Him by worshipping
here, by maintaining this building and by working for the benefit of
others in their community.
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