St Mary the Virgin, Lytchett Matravers
Encyclopedia
St Mary the Virgin, usually called St Mary's, is a church situated on the edge of Lytchett Matravers
village in Dorset
, England
, and is part of Salisbury Diocese.
A Sir Walter Maltravers went on a crusade to the Holy Land and it is possible that he ordered the church to be built beside the manor house in his absence about the year 1200. The west tower, the nave and the chancel were built at this time, followed by the North aisle in the 14th century.
It is possible that the Black Death
, which ravaged Dorset in the second half of the 14th century, left few people. The villagers forsook their cottages near the church and moved to the higher ground leaving the church to fall into decay. Sir John Maltravers’ heir, his granddaughter Alianor carried the manor and title to her husband’s family, the Fitzalans, Earls of Arundel, who later became the Dukes of Norfolk and are still Barons Maltravers. A great deal of restoration was carried out at the beginning of the sixteenth century by Dame Margarita Clements. Including the addition of the North Aisle.
The tower is the oldest part of the building – the arch dates from 1200 whilst the pinnacles, which are carved within the Maltravers fret, are circa 1500. There are six bells, some very old, their dates being displayed in the Tower. The arches on the north side of the nave date from about 1350, when the north aisle was added.
There is also an unusually large Hagioscope
or squint giving a view to the chancel and communion table from the north side of the church, although the age and origin of this feature is unknown.
The North transept
was extended in 1993 to give added facilities including a new vestry and small upper room which is used for Sunday school and some meetings.
has led to a number of changes over the church's position in the diocesan structures.
Originally in Poole deanery
Lytchett Matravers has since the mid-90's been part of Blanford Deanery. On 1 January 2010 it was officially rejoined with Poole. In October 2010 Church joined with the 'Lytchett Minster & Upton Team Ministry' to form 'The Lytchetts & Upton Benefice' Largely a resource sharing benefice, St Mary's retains its own Vicar but as part of a wider team of clergy.
Lytchett Matravers
Lytchett Matravers is a large village and civil parish in the District of Purbeck within Dorset, England. The village has a population of 3,309.-Location:...
village in 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
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and is part of Salisbury Diocese.
Foundation
There are no known records giving the date of the foundation of the church at Lytchett Matravers. At Domesday, the manor of Lytchett Matravers was held by Sir John Maltravers. Sir John Matravers who was buried in the church, was Edward II's gaoler and possibly murderer.A Sir Walter Maltravers went on a crusade to the Holy Land and it is possible that he ordered the church to be built beside the manor house in his absence about the year 1200. The west tower, the nave and the chancel were built at this time, followed by the North aisle in the 14th century.
It is possible that the Black Death
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350. Of several competing theories, the dominant explanation for the Black Death is the plague theory, which attributes the outbreak to the bacterium Yersinia pestis. Thought to have...
, which ravaged Dorset in the second half of the 14th century, left few people. The villagers forsook their cottages near the church and moved to the higher ground leaving the church to fall into decay. Sir John Maltravers’ heir, his granddaughter Alianor carried the manor and title to her husband’s family, the Fitzalans, Earls of Arundel, who later became the Dukes of Norfolk and are still Barons Maltravers. A great deal of restoration was carried out at the beginning of the sixteenth century by Dame Margarita Clements. Including the addition of the North Aisle.
The tower is the oldest part of the building – the arch dates from 1200 whilst the pinnacles, which are carved within the Maltravers fret, are circa 1500. There are six bells, some very old, their dates being displayed in the Tower. The arches on the north side of the nave date from about 1350, when the north aisle was added.
There is also an unusually large Hagioscope
Hagioscope
A hagioscope or squint, in architecture, is an opening through the wall of a church in an oblique direction, to enable the worshippers in the transepts or other parts of the church, from which the altar was not visible, to see the elevation of the host.Hagioscopes were also sometimes known as...
or squint giving a view to the chancel and communion table from the north side of the church, although the age and origin of this feature is unknown.
Victorian era
In 1891, the barrel organ was replaced by a pipe organ with two manuals and pedals. Over the next hundred years, it was rebuilt several times and improved. However it filled what is now the Porticorum, then the vestry. This was replaced in 1992 by a Wyvern electronic organ.20th Century
In 1931 the Bells were removed, refurbished and rededicated.The North transept
Transept
For the periodical go to The Transept.A transept is a transverse section, of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In Christian churches, a transept is an area set crosswise to the nave in a cruciform building in Romanesque and Gothic Christian church architecture...
was extended in 1993 to give added facilities including a new vestry and small upper room which is used for Sunday school and some meetings.
Deanery and Parish structures
Being on the edge of a growing conurbation like PoolePoole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
has led to a number of changes over the church's position in the diocesan structures.
Originally in Poole deanery
Deanery
A Deanery is an ecclesiastical entity in both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England. A deanery is either the jurisdiction or residence of a Dean.- Catholic usage :...
Lytchett Matravers has since the mid-90's been part of Blanford Deanery. On 1 January 2010 it was officially rejoined with Poole. In October 2010 Church joined with the 'Lytchett Minster & Upton Team Ministry' to form 'The Lytchetts & Upton Benefice' Largely a resource sharing benefice, St Mary's retains its own Vicar but as part of a wider team of clergy.