Old St Cuthbert's Church, Oborne
Encyclopedia
The Old St Cuthbert's Church in Oborne
, Dorset
, England was built in 1533. It has been designated by English Heritage
as a Grade II* listed building and is now a redundant church
in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
. It was declared redundant on 18 December 1973, and was vested
in the Trust on 23 July 1975.
Only the chancel
remains of St Cuthbert's Church, which would have been one of the last to be built before the Reformation
, following the demolition of the nave
in the 1860s. The neglected chancel was restored in the 1930s, when a new incumbent began to restore it, taking advice from A. R. Powys (secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
) who was also responsible for the restoration of St Andrew's Church
at Winterborne Tomson
.
The parish of Oborne had been given to Sherborne Abbey
by the Saxon King Edgar in the 10th century and it remained a chapel of ease
to the abbey until the Dissolution
in 1539.
The interior includes mediaeval slip tiles and communion rails, pulpit and monuments from the 17th century. The pillar piscina
and font
were brought to St Cuthbert's from North Wootton
. Above the lintels of windows on the east and north sides are inscriptions entreating prayers for the good standing of Abbot John Myer (1533) and Sacristan John Dunster of Sherborne.
A new parish church, designed by William Slater, was built on a fresh site in the village and consecrated in 1862.
Oborne
Oborne is a village in north west Dorset, England, situated in the Blackmore Vale close to the border with Somerset, on the A30 road adjacent to the town of Sherborne. The village has a population of 115 . Oborne is in the group parish of Yeo Head together with the three villages of Castleton,...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England was built in 1533. It has been designated by English Heritage
English Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
as a Grade II* listed building and is now a redundant church
Redundant church
A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. The phrase is particularly used to refer to former Anglican buildings in the United Kingdom, but may refer to any disused church building around the world...
in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust
Churches Conservation Trust
The Churches Conservation Trust, which was initially known as the Redundant Churches Fund, is a charity whose purpose is to protect historic churches at risk, those that have been made redundant by the Church of England. The Trust was established by the Pastoral Measure of 1968...
. It was declared redundant on 18 December 1973, and was vested
Vesting
In law, vesting is to give an immediately secured right of present or future enjoyment. One has a vested right to an asset that cannot be taken away by any third party, even though one may not yet possess the asset. When the right, interest or title to the present or future possession of a legal...
in the Trust on 23 July 1975.
Only the chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...
remains of St Cuthbert's Church, which would have been one of the last to be built before the Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
, following the demolition of the nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...
in the 1860s. The neglected chancel was restored in the 1930s, when a new incumbent began to restore it, taking advice from A. R. Powys (secretary of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris, Philip Webb and J.J.Stevenson, and other notable members of the Pre Raphaelite brotherhood, in 1877, to oppose what they saw as the insensitive renovation of ancient buildings then occurring in Victorian...
) who was also responsible for the restoration of St Andrew's Church
St Andrew's Church, Winterborne Tomson
St Andrew's Church in Winterborne Tomson, Dorset, England, was built in the 12th century. It has been designated by English Heritage as a Grade I listed building, and is now a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust...
at Winterborne Tomson
Winterborne Tomson
Winterborne Tomson is a village in Dorset, England.- Overview :The first name of "Winterborne" comes from the River Winterborne, which flows from west to east through the village.The river only flows overground during the winter, hence the name....
.
The parish of Oborne had been given to Sherborne Abbey
Sherborne Abbey
The Abbey Church of St Mary the Virgin at Sherborne in the English county of Dorset, is usually called Sherborne Abbey. It has been a Saxon cathedral , a Benedictine abbey and is now a parish church.- Cathedral :...
by the Saxon King Edgar in the 10th century and it remained a chapel of ease
Chapel of ease
A chapel of ease is a church building other than the parish church, built within the bounds of a parish for the attendance of those who cannot reach the parish church conveniently....
to the abbey until the Dissolution
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1539.
The interior includes mediaeval slip tiles and communion rails, pulpit and monuments from the 17th century. The pillar piscina
Piscina
A piscina is a shallow basin placed near the altar of a church, used for washing the communion vessels. The sacrarium is the drain itself. Anglicans usually refer to the basin, calling it a piscina. Roman Catholics usually refer to the drain, and by extension, the basin, as the sacrarium...
and font
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
were brought to St Cuthbert's from North Wootton
North Wootton, Dorset
North Wootton is a village in Dorset, England....
. Above the lintels of windows on the east and north sides are inscriptions entreating prayers for the good standing of Abbot John Myer (1533) and Sacristan John Dunster of Sherborne.
A new parish church, designed by William Slater, was built on a fresh site in the village and consecrated in 1862.