52 CHURCHES IN THE RURAL DEANERY OF DORCHESTER. 



that the church had become ruinous as early as the year 1648, when 

 divine service ceased to be celebrated in it, and the services for the 

 parish were held in the domestic chapel belonging to Herringstone 

 House. Hutchins, who died in 1773, further says : "The tower 

 and some of the walls remained a few years since." Forty years 

 later, as we learn from a drawing now in the possession of 

 E. W. Williams, Esq., of Herringstone House, portions of a turret 

 of the tower and of some of the walls still existed. 



11. WHITCOMBE. 



SOUTH SIDE, PORCH ARCH : 13th century. CHURCH DOORWAY, 

 Norman. WINDOWS, 15th century. 



EAST END: EAST WINDOW, 13th century, hood moulding 

 original and very good, the windows well restored. 



NORTH SIDE : WINDOWS, 15th century. NORTH DOORWAY (built 

 up), Norman. CHANCEL DOORWAY, 15th century. 



TOWER : Embattled and well proportioned, 15th century. The 

 grilles in the windows are remarkably good. The seats of pinnacles 

 remain on the battlements. 



FURNITURE. FONT : 12th century, the basin of Purbeck 

 marble, and the central pillars are original, the small pillars later. 

 There is a stone seat on the north side of the chancel. The floor 

 of the chancel was originally lower ; it was raised 20 or 30 years 

 ago. In the head of the north chancel window are fragments of 

 ancient glass of the 15th century. 



There was formerly a rood beam supported by piers of rough 

 stone plastered ; probably when the rood was removed in 1561 the 

 thin partition wall was carried up to the roof and plastered. This 

 wall with its supporting piers was taken down a year or two ago, 

 when a portion of the moulded rood beam was found in situ ; the 

 beam with the piers formed a square opening, which was unsightly ; 

 possibly it would have been taken down in 1561 had the command 

 been less stringent to remove the roods and lofts, but to leave the 

 partition between chancel and nave. Over-officious churchwardens 

 who removed these divisions were required to replace them. In 



