| Summary : The present church appears to incorporate fabric from the Saxon minster. The West wall of the church is Saxon, possibly 8th century, the South chapel is 12th century, the chancel 14th century, the West tower 15th century, the West porch and North vestry are early 16th century. Generally restored 1841-2. Anglo-Saxon inscribed commemorative stones of the 7th and 8th centuries were found when the church was restored in 1841-2. |
More information : (SY 92498719) St Mary's Church (NAT) (1)
Parish Church of Lady St Mary at Wareham formerly incorporated
the remains of the Saxon minster.
A minster church is referred to as 'monasterium of holy virgins'
in Asser's account of the Danish raids on the town in 876 AD. The
associated nunnery here (see SY 98 NW 27) was presumably dispersed
by the attack although the physical survival of the church is
generally accepted as at Repton, Derbys (see SK 32 NW 3). The
importance of the minster church is suggested by the burial here of
King Brihtric in 802 and presumably the temporary resting place of
King Edward in 978, before his translation to Shaftesbury Abbey.
By 1086 the church was held by St. Wandrille Abbey but in the early
12th century it passed to the Abbey of Lire who replaced the canons
by a cell of Benedictine monks (see SY 98 NW 27) (3) (5).
Architectural: A substantial portion of the aisless nave of the
minster church, incorporated in the later parish church of Lady St.
Mary, was demolished in 1840. No pre-Conquest fabric now survives
(but see RCHM plan) although details of the nave have been
reconstructed from pre-1840 illustrations and descriptive records;
Taylor and Taylor gave a possible dating, between 950-1100 AD.,
but RCHM and Arch J. ascribed the work to the time of St. Aldhelm -
early 8th century. The earliest feature now surviving in the present
church is the St. Edward's Chapel of circa 1100 with an upper floor
added in the 13th century. The remainder of the church contains
14th to early 16th century and 1841-2 work. (See RCHM plan).
Five stones with Christian British inscriptions, ranging in date
from the 7th century to circa 800 AD or later, were all found built
into the nave of the earlier church at the time of its demolition in
1840. They are considered to be memorials, originally in the cemetery
of the Saxon minster church; two of the stones occur on re-used
Roman architecture fragments. Grade A. (2-6).
Description of St Mary's Church. In the nave is a rare lead Norman font. (7)
Description of the several fragments of Saxon stonework found in the church. When the church was restored after 1841, several fragments were found built into the fabric of the Early Mediaeval church. Although the date of construction of the Early Mediaeval is not precisely known, it was not built until the 10th century. The fragments span the entire Early Mediaeval paeriod until the 9th century, and are commemorative fragments. (8) |