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Lytchett Matravers

On a clear day the views from Lytchett Matravers span woods and moorland and take in the Isle of Wight and Old Harry Rocks. Visible through a gap in the hills is Corfe Castle, disabled for centuries but still standing sentry. In the spring air are the memories of times past: the Maypole, the fairs, dancing and feasting on the green all become almost tangible.

Tholi, a Saxon, once owned the manor but was dispossessed by William the Conqueror. The Domesday Book records that the manor of Lytchett was held by Hugh Maltravers from William de’Eu.  Sir John Maltravers (1266-1341) spent much of his youth in Ireland; he was knighted with the first Prince of Wales in 1306 and he was a conservator of the peace in Dorset in 1307,1308,1314 and 1329. His first son, also John, was born in 1290. John was also knighted in 1306 and he became the first Baron Maltravers.  The younger Maltravers probably fought at Bannockburn and in 1319 he was returned as a knight of the shire for Dorset. He is most famously remembered for being implicated in the death of Edward II at Berkeley Castle. He lived in exile on the Continent for several years following a charge of treason against him in connection with another plot. After serving with distinction in the Flemish Wars he returned to England, having been pardoned by Edward III. He died in 1365 and is buried in Lytchett Matravers church, reputedly in his full body armour.

Later the Earl of Arundel held Lytchett through marriage to the heiress of the Maltravers and by a subsequent marriage the property came to the Norfolks. In 1651 the manor passed to the Trenchard family. An entry in the vestry book 1826 records that William Trenchard offered land and timber for the building of a school.

The early population lived in dwellings round the church, which is situated in the north-west corner of the village near to the manor house. The Black Death took a heavy toll here and the village came close to extinction. Nowadays the church is isolated from the rest of the village which has grown and been rebuilt to a haphazard plan. The parish extends to nearly 3,500 acres and lies about six miles from both Poole and Wimborne.

The Parish Church is dedicated to St. Mary the Virgin. Its walls are of carstone rubble with dressings of Purbeck and greensand; the roofs are covered with tiles and slates. The church was built c.1200 and consists of a chancel, nave and west tower (with six bells) with a north aisle that was added in the mid 14th century, but this and the north arcade of the same date were completely taken down in alterations of c.1500. In c.1400 the chancel was enlarged. Near the altar is a small brass of a 15th century priest in a shroud and there is a brass plaque in the floor that tells us that Margaret Clements, who died in 1505, financed much of the rebuilding work. The font is of Purbeck Marble decorated with the badges of Maltravers and Arundel. St. Mary’s was again restored in 1873, the north vestry and organ chamber were added in 1876.

The Manor House was built by one of the Earl’s of Arundel sometime before the 17th century and later became the seat of the Trenchard family, though little remains of the original structure. In the village there are several late 18th century cottages built of cob mostly faced with brick or stucco and with thatched roofs.

Within the church is an interesting Coat of Arms to George IV that records him as George IIII. The large brass in the north aisle records the death in 1365 of John, Baron Maltravers and commemorates his life; a life spent largely plotting and scheming the downfall of others.

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