Monk Sherborne
During the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-66) the vill was held by
Alnod Cild and passed to Hugh Port (d.1096) by Domesday. Later Hugh's
son, Henry (d.1133/53) granted the priory he founded at Monk Sherborne to St
Vigor of Cerisy in Normandy.
The original church seems to have consisted of chancel and nave and was
built with the exception of the east wall of the chancel and the west
end of the nave in herringbone masonry.
There may have originally have been an apsidal end to the chancel
and internally there are traces of a nearly destroyed arch which may
have matched the chancel arch to the west. The replacement east
wall consists of various architectural fragments probably from the
herringbone build and have a fourteenth century window set within them.
The only other early features of note would seem to be a blocked
window above and to the west of the north doorway, which must occupy
part of its original position. The doorway is reckoned to be mid
twelfth century.
Copyright©2021
Paul Martin Remfry