From Dorset Churches by Sir Owen Moreshead - 2003

‘This is a good church to visit; it has retained the low chance! arch which the Victorians often enlarged, and thus we may still enjoy the three beautifully designed apertures which, in the 14th century, had been pierced for squints, enabling the worshippers to view the altar. Higher in the wall and facing the altar are the only two ‘acoustic pots’ in Dorset, i.e. earthenware vessels laid on their sides to make the service more audible in the body of the church. Unfortunately the flint walls inside have been scraped of plaster, darkening the interior, but the windows have now been equipped with clear glass with beneficial results.

The Leper squint and the Hagioscope to the right of the photo		A small leaded window
The Pulpit		The Font
The Church Coffer and an ornately carve chair

Over the inside of the church door is a curious stone carving. This odd representation of the Lamb of God in the early 12 century forms the ponderous lintel. To decorate that space was not unusual, nor was the A gnus Dei an unfamiliar subject; but were it not for the Cross with which the creature is engirdled the design would have posed one more enigma than it does.’

Notes from a paper written by the Rev.J.Penny, a former Rector in 1896
The church consists of a chance!, nave, and north and south transepts, forming a Greek cross, 50 feet long from east to west and 45 feet from north to south.

The chancel arch is Norman, or Romanesque, very plain and massive. It is considered by competent judges to have been built before the Conquest, certainly not later than 1150. The north transept belongs to the Early English period and may probably be dated from 1220 to 1270. The rest of the church belongs to the decorated period, probably about 1370.

Mr Penny also states that when he became Rector In 1877 the walls were almost entirely covered with plaster, ‘probably several hundred years old’, which was removed during his incumbency. The ‘leper door’ in the north transept had been blocked up and it was opened to form the inner entrance to a new vestry.

The 'Leper window’ and ‘squint
The Rev. Penny felt that the north transept might have been the chantry for the hospital. It had a separate entrance immediately facing the hospital and originally it was from one to two feet below the level of the nave. If the lepers were not admitted to the church it may be that they could only see through the leper window and the squint to a small portion of the altar. To see the altar a small stone tunnel was also built to connect the squint and the chance! wall. On the outside of the leper window are deep grooves cut which local tradition declares might have been made by the hands of the lepers as they endeavoured to follow the services within the church.

The ‘acoustic’ vases These are two earthenware vessels in the easte face of the chancel wall. They were probably inserted when the wall was built arid were revealed when the plaster was removed. Vessels such as these have been found in other churches and it is believed that they were put there ‘to enrich the singing voice’! Presumably if the small choir was up in the chance! that is why they would have been included in that wall. The Rev Penny gives a long and interesting history of other acoustic vases

The hagioscopes
According to the Rev Penny ‘when the church was restored in the time of the Decorated period, the jambs of the Norman chancel arch were pierced and traceried hagioscopes inserted’. The chancel arch is not large and presumably these openings were installed to give the congregation a better view of the altar.
Sir Alan Cobham lived in River House, just below the church, in the 1960’s. He did much to preserve the church. New pews were installed, and a new east window. He is buried in a tomb in the far north east corner of the churchyard.

In 1997 our beautiful altar frontal was designed for us by Jane Lemon, now famous for the Millenium altar frontals in Wells cathedral, and worked in her workshops. This design is taken from the two hagioscopes in the chance! arch. Since then a group of ladies from the village have worked the altar Icneelers, the cushions on the church chairs, and even now kneelers are gradually being created.

On 7 May 2000 the ‘Journey of a lifetime - Glimpses into God’ was held in the Tarrant Valley. It was designed to help people understand what Christians believe about God, who 2000 years ago became man. Each church had a different theme. At Tarrant Rushton this was the Song of the Spirit. This was celebrated by a series of recitals during the day. The flower arrangements were in red and green to represent the Spirit. Many people walked the whole length of the Valley this lovely May day and took in all the seven churches.

In June 2000 one of the small ‘Yews for the Millenium’ was planted in the churchyard. These were propagated from an ancient yew in Crowborough estimated to be at least 4000 years old and distributed to many parishes.