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murdered at Corfe Castle, was brought from Wareham and 
interred in the north aisle, and a little later, after Edmund’s 
canonisation, the church became known as the Abbey Church of 
our Lady and St. Edmund the Martyr, and was the resort of 
pilgrims until the dissolution, 23rd March, 1539, when the Abbess, 
Elizabeth Zouche, surrendered the Abbey to Henry VIII. From 
the fragmentary remains above ground and the results of 
excavations, the Abbey Church consisted of a nave, with north 
and south aisles, transepts and a crypt; its walls were thick 
and substantially built, its arcading formed of light and elegant 
columns adorned with delicate carvings, whilst the floor was 
a tesselated pavement. On some of its tiles the armorials of 
the great baronial houses of Clare, Monteacute, Brian, Stourton 
and Cheney are still visible. After a short visit to the Castle, 
the members had tea and motored home, reaching Bournemouth 
between 7 and 8 p.m. 
Athelhampton The second general excursion took place on 
Puddletown and Wednesday, May 28th, when 53 members 
Bere Regis. motored to the beautiful old Manor House, 
Athelhampton Hall, by the kind permission of 
A. C. de Lafontaine, Esq., J.P. As the name indicates, 
it was originally the home of a Saxon noble whose personality 
has not been identified; but one of the early families holding 
the estate—the Pydells—are said to be descendants of the old 
Saxon kings of Wessex, whose armorial bearings (four kites 
heads erased) are to be seen in the stained glass of the hall 
window. The oldest portions of the Hall and its courtyards were 
probably built in the reign of Henry VII, and form a unique 
example of Early Tudor domestic architecture. 
The Hall became the property of the family of Martin, by 
marriage, in the time of the Early Plantagenet kings, who held 
it until the end of the sixteenth century, during the reign of 
Queen Elizabeth. 
The banquetting hall is surrounded with rich panelling, arms 
and armour, it has a huge Tudor fireplace, the large window 
is filled with stained glass of heraldic shields, and the roof is very 
fine. A ramble was made through the old-world gardens, where 
the rare old culverhouse, or dovecote, was much admired. 
The party next visited Puddletown Church, by the courtesy 
of the Vicar. The church and vicarage belonged to the 
Twynham Monastery from the twelfth century, and possibly 
earlier. The font and a few fragments of Norman work remain, 
but the nave seems to indicate the beginning of the sixteenth 
century, and may have had some connection with the erection 
of Athelhampton Hall. The south transept, or Athelhampton 
Chantry, contains the tombs and brasses of the Martins and their 
alliances. 
