Local author reveals interesting and little-known facts about our churches

A recently published Dorset book relates some fascinating, little-known facts about seven churches in the lovely Tarrant Valley, just outside Blandford.

The author, Brian Ash, calls them Ten Secrets of the Tarrant Valley, and they could form the basis for interesting walks and day trips for anyone living locally.

Brian’s ten teasers to get you thinking are listed below – if you want more detail you’ll need to purchase his book, Churches of the Tarrant Valley and other stories, which is available on Amazon now!

1 St Mary’s church in Tarrant Crawford is home to Medieval wall paintings that are 650 years old.

2 Three nuns volunteered to be entombed for life in a Tarrant Valley church… These three aristocratic ladies became known as anchoresses.

3 Have you heard of an Easter Sepulchre? There’s one in Tarrant Hinton, one of very few that survived the reformation.

4 A beautiful, miniature copy of one of the world’s most important artworks is hidden in the corner of a Tarrant church. It’s a quarter-sized copy of The Adoration of the Mystic Lamb. The original is the altarpiece at St Bavo’s Cathedral in Ghent. It was painted in 1432 by the brothers Jan and Hubert Van Eyck.

5 A church in Tarrant Rushton, near the site of the leper hospital of St Leonards (now long demolished) features a window built to allow lepers to view church services.

6 Have you heard of the young girl murdered for her Christian faith at 15 years old? St Margaret of Antioch was murdered in about 304CE because she would not marry the Roman Provost and recant her Christian faith. Her story is depicted on the 650-year-old wall paintings in St Mary’s, Tarrant Crawford.

7 Archbishop Poore, who built Salisbury Cathedral, was born and died in Tarrant Crawford and is buried in the Valley.

8 Queen Joan, wife of Alexander II of Scotland and daughter of King John of England, is buried in a Tarrant church.

9 Have you heard the legend of the ‘three live and three dead men’? Their story is depicted in the medieval wall paintings in Tarrant Crawford.

10 St Mary’s church at Tarrant Rushton is home to two medieval hi-fi acoustic pots. They were supposed to amplify the voice of the celebrant so the congregation could hear them better.