A HISTORY OF DORSET 



of Wimborne Minster, which constituted a deanery in itself.^*'* The 

 value of the spiritual property of the church in Dorset was assessed at 

 ^1,418 16s. 5^.,^^^ the temporalities were valued at ^^1,929 os. 8;^^'.'^^ None 

 of the benefices were of any great value, only nine amounted to jTao or more, 

 thirty-seven were under ^5 a year with one not reckoned at all ; among the 

 prebends Sherborne was assessed at ^(^40.'" Twelve other vicarages are 

 recorded in addition to those vicarages established in connexion with 

 these churches prebendal to Salisbury : Sturminster Newton in the 

 deanery of Shaftesbury, the church of which was appropriated to the 

 abbey of Glastonbury ; Blandford Forum appropriated to the priory of 

 Christchurch, Cranborne to Tewkesbury, Horton to Sherborne in the deanery 

 of Pimperne ; Canford appropriated to the priory of Bradenstoke, Stur- 

 minster Marshall to the hospital of St. Giles of Pont Adomar, Puddle- 

 town to the priory of Christchurch, Dewlish belonging to Tewkesbury and 

 the vicarage of Buckland, all in the Whitchurch deanery ; in the deanery of 

 Dorchester there was the vicarage of Coombe Keynes ; and the vicarages of 

 Portisham and Abbotsbury, the churches of which belonged to the abbey of 

 Abbotsbury, in the Bridport deanery. Of the twelve, Sturminster Marshall, 

 valued at X^20, was the richest, Sturminster Newton came next valued at 

 jTio, Canford was assessed at ^^6 ly. ^d., Horton, Puddletown and Dew- 

 lish were worth ^^5 a year, Cranborne and Buckland, the poorest, ^4 6s. 8d. 

 As regards chapels, at that period to be found annexed to nearly all large 

 churches,^^^ the following are amongst those entered by name : Hinton 

 St. Mary, in the parish of Iwerne Minster, and Wimborne St. Giles, now 

 parochial churches ; Charlton Marshall annexed to the rectory of Spettisbury ; 

 Studland now a rectory and parish church ; Broadway now a rectory 

 annexed to Bincombe ; St. Aldhelm's chapel, Burton Bradstock, and Little 

 Bredy now erected into parish churches. 



The blight even at that time affecting the spiritual side of monas- 

 ticism, and the practical restraint placed on religious endowments on a 

 large scale by the statute of Mortmain, are the causes no doubt that con- 

 tributed to the particular form adopted by the pious donor of the thirteenth 

 century for the expression of his devotional feelings. Instead of erecting 

 fresh monasteries he endowed chapels attached to existing churches with 

 priests to sing masses for his soul, the souls of his family and all the faithful 

 departed. As the practice of endowing such memorial chapels or chantries 

 spread the ranks of the beneficed clergy, in addition to the parochial 

 chaplains, became further reinforced by the chantry priests to be found in all 

 churches of any size officiating side by side with the parish priests. The 

 conventual churches of the monasteries generally, and in Dorset of the Bene- 

 dictine houses in particular, lent themselves readily to this develop- 

 ment, and the popular nature of it as a means of religious expression is 

 evidenced by its growth during the centuries that preceded and led up 

 to its abolition. The trend of religious feeling may be clearly traced from 

 the foundation of the earlier chantries, ordained simply for the performance 



'" Under the deanery of Shaftesbury 32 churches are recorded, 31 under Pimperne, 38 under Whit- 

 church, 41 under Dorchester, 29 under Bridport ; Poj)e Nich. Tax. (Rec. Com.), 177-80. 



'" Ibid. 180. "^ Ibid. 185. '" Ibid. 182. 



'" Gillingham with its numerous chapels is a striking example. 



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