xl. STURMINSTER NEWTON. 



socket stone of what was probably the churchyard cross, 

 now converted into and used as a font. 



The party then visited the Manor House, by permission 

 of Mr. Crouch. This Elizabethan dwelling, with a roof of 

 thatch and an ornate Jacobean porch, has been said to be 

 " the most picturesque of its kind," a description with which 

 the members were well content to agree. 



IBBERTON. 



A drive through Okeford Fitzpaine brought the Club to 

 Ibberton, where they were met by the RECTOR, the Rev. 

 L. S. PLOWMAN. The church, dedicated to St. Eustachius, 

 stands high on the slope of the downs, and is reached by a 

 flight of 47 steps. The Rector, in the course of his remarks, 

 said that the fifteenth century fabric was in a sorry state 

 before its restoration in 1900, being partially roofless and 

 used for marriages only. The windows contained several 

 pieces of stained glass of Tudor days, among which were 

 medallions displaying the royal Arms of Elizabeth with the 

 dragon of Wales as one of the supporters, the Arms of Milton 

 Abbey, and other armorial fragments attributed to painter- 

 stainers of the sixteenth century. There is also to be seen a 

 chained volume of Homilies, dated 1673. Below the 

 church rises a spring known as Stachy's Well, a local corruption 

 of the name of the patron saint ; the waters of this spring 

 now supply the town of Sturminster. 



BELCHALWELL. 



This church was subsequently visited under the guidance 

 of Mr. Plowman. The late -Norman doorway is an admirable 

 piece of work, with chevron and dog tooth ornamentation, 

 and the four gargoyles on the tower are also worthy of notice. 

 In the interior, the rood-loft doorway and staircase, the 

 hagioscope, and the panelled arch under the tower are the 

 more remarkable features. 



