St Michael's Church, Over Compton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids St Michael's Church
Religion
Affiliation	Church of England
Ecclesiastical or organizational status	Active
Location
Location	Over Compton, Dorset, England
Architecture
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Perpendicular

St Michael's Church is a historic Church of England church. You can find it in Over Compton, a village in Dorset, England. This church is very old, with parts dating back to the 1400s! It has been changed and fixed up many times over the years. St Michael's Church is so important that it's a Grade I listed building. This means it's a very special historic place. In the churchyard, there's also an old stone tomb from the early 1700s. It's also listed as a Grade II building.

History of St Michael's Church

The church you see today was mostly built in the 1400s. The main part of the church, called the nave, was likely rebuilt around this time. The tall tower was also built early in the 1400s.

In 1776, a man named Robert Goodden, who lived nearby at Compton House, added a new chapel on the north side of the church. He also paid for a big restoration of the church between 1821 and 1822. During this work, a room called the north vestry was added. The baptistery, where baptisms happen, was also built or rebuilt. It might have been used as a porch before.

Robert Goodden passed away in 1828. A few years before, in 1825, he had a marble statue of himself placed in the north chapel. He even wrote the words for the statue's plaque, leaving the date of his death blank. The statue was kept hidden until after he died. He also had a special vault and a stone coffin made for his body.

In 1857, a new organ was put into the church. This was a gift from John Goodden, another member of the Goodden family from Compton House. The organ was made by Mr. Hayter and first played by Mr. Loaring on December 27, 1857. The chancel, which is the area around the altar, was restored in 1877.

The church tower and its four bells needed repairs in 1935. Problems with the tower were first noticed in 1908. All the bells were retuned and put back in place. One bell was cracked and had to be replaced with a new one. The money for the bells came from the Emma Barron Trust Fund. A company called John Taylor & Co did the work on the bells. The tower repairs were paid for by the Church Bell Fund. The bells were officially blessed by the Bishop of Sherborne, Gerald Allen, on June 30, 1935.

More repairs were done to the church around 1961. These repairs were designed by Charles William Pike. A group called the Incorporated Church Building Society helped pay for the work.

Church Architecture and Design

St Michael's Church is built from local stone. Some parts are smooth stone blocks, while others are rougher. The roof over the nave is made of clay tiles. The chancel roof uses stone slate. Inside, the roof looks like a barrel, with curved wooden supports. You can also see carved decorations and stone figures of angels.

The church has several main parts:

• The nave: The main area where people sit.
• The chancel: The area near the altar.
• North and south chapels: Smaller rooms for prayer or special services.
• North vestry: A room often used by the clergy.
• South porch: The entrance area.
• West tower: The tall tower at the west end of the church.

The north and south walls of the nave each have two windows from the 1400s. These windows have three sections. The doorway to the vestry uses some older materials. The vestry also has a window from the 1400s that was moved there. The arch leading to the north chapel was built in the early 1800s. The west tower is 63 feet tall and has three levels. It has a clock and a decorated top with battlements, pointed decorations called pinnacles, and carved figures called gargoyles. The weather vanes on top are thought to be from the 1700s.

The church's font, used for baptisms, has an eight-sided bowl from the 1600s. It has carved designs. The bottom part and stem of the font are from the 1400s. You can see the initials N. B., C, W. and the date 1620 on its edge. The pulpit, where sermons are given, is from the 1600s. It has six sides and carved details. The reader's pew, a special seat, also has carved panels from the 1600s. The communion table in the north chapel is from the 1600s and has decorated top rails. Two of the church's bells are dated 1596 and 1618. Another bell was made in the early 1500s. The cracked bell, which is not used, is from the 1600s.

Church Monuments and Memorials

The north chapel has a white marble monument dedicated to Wyndham Goodden, who passed away in 1839, and his wife Mary, who passed away in 1844. This was put up by their oldest son, John. This chapel also holds the white marble statue of Robert Goodden, which stands on a base in a special space. Other monuments on the walls remember John Harbin Goodden, who died in 1766, and his sisters Elizabeth and Anne, who died in 1768. There is also a monument for Robert Goodden, who died in 1764, and his wife Abigail. Their son Robert put this up in 1777. In the south chapel, there are wall monuments for Onesiphorus Bicknell, who died in 1805, and his wife Susanna, who died in 1821. Robert Goodden put these up.

The chancel has wall monuments for Charles Abington, who died in 1726, and his wife Isabella, who died in 1720. There are also stone slabs on the floor for Margaret, wife of W. Somers (from the 1600s), Mary Abington (died 1599), George Keate (died 1698), and Barbara, wife of George Abington (died 1688). In the nave, there are wall monuments for Mary, who died in 1812, and Rev. John Culliford Goodden, who died in 1813. A brass plaque lists the names of six local men who lost their lives in World War I. On the wall to the right of the altar, there is a marble monument for Canon Edward Wyndham Goodden, who was the rector of Nether and Over Compton and died in 1924. This monument was made by Laurence Arthur Turner and blessed by the Bishop of Sherborne, Robert Abbott, on January 25, 1926.

There are five special painted shields, called hatchments, in the church. They are all from the 1700s or early 1800s. One in the north chapel shows the Goodden and Harbin family symbols together. In the nave, there are four more hatchments, showing different combinations of family symbols, including Goodden, Harbin, Bishop, and Culliford families.