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Bere Regis

St. John Baptist – Parish Church of Bere Regis

If there were one parish church in Dorset which could be said to have had an illustrious and historic pedigree, then St. John Baptist at Bere Regis would rank very high as a worthy contender. As in many other parishes in the county, there has been a church here since Saxon times; but that simple structure now lost in time has become the nucleus of the present building, with fragments buried deeply within the enclosing fabric, a palimpsest for all later additions and elaborations.

The Saxon church, although mainly of timber, may have had some stonework possibly incorporated into the new church later, for there is an odd alignment of the old north transept, to be seen in the most easterly arch of the north arcade. The first stone church is believed to date from about 1050. It was cruciform in plan and some evidence of a north transept exists; though there is no evidence of a south transept. Much of the south wall of the north transept remains; the arch between the nave and the north transept seems to have been modified in the 12th century. The stone corbel to be seen above it once supported a lower nave roof at a time when the tower was higher.

Nothing remains of the original chancel, but an excavation in August 1963 proved its foundations and dimensions. For a purpose not understood the present church was built with its central axis a little north of that of the nave. This left the first chancel’s south wall footing lying a little beyond the present chancel’s south wall, where excavation proved it to be about one foot below ground level.

In the mid-12th century the cruciform church was enlarged by the addition of a south aisle and a three-arch arcade in the nave’s south wall. The south aisle has disappeared through later enlargement, but the arcade remains. The font, originally thought to be Norman, is now considered to be 12th century. The bowl is original, shallow-carved with inter-lacing semi-circular arches bearing floral patterns.

By the 14th century the Turbeville family were Lords of the Manor and are believed responsible for the alterations and additions of this period. This was to extend the nave and both aisles westwards by adding additional arches to the arcades. A new west wall was also built at the end of the nave. It was about this time that the south hagioscope (squint) was added to give a view into the chancel. The squint on the north side is no more than a tunnel-like aperture of unknown date. The Turbervilles used the south aisle for their tomb vault.

The roof loft appears to have been added in about 1485 when the old nave roof was removed, probably to allow the construction of the present ornate and guilded “Twelve Apostle” roof built by Cardinal John Morton, who also inspired much of the rest of the work carried out in the last quarter of the 15th century. (See Archived Articles for a biography of Cardinal Morton.) Six trusses, each with large tie-beams are carried on wall posts and corbel springers, with vertical posts above and cusped and arched braces supporting principal rafters. One of the guilded bosses bears Morton’s seal. The old north transept and tower were retained, and the old narrow north aisle rebuilt to its present width with cinquefoil-headed windows.

It is probable that in either the 13th or 14th centuries the original north transept was heightened to form a tower, and would account for the retention of this part of the building until the west tower was built about 1500. This tower and the Morton Chapel were then added. Work carried out on the north aisle and nave at the end of the previous century must have been completed before 1500, as there is a distinct difference in the style of the work. It is noticeable that in the north aisle and nave clerestory the earlier 15th century windows have cinquefoil and trefoil-headed lights, whereas the windows of the Morton Chapel and associated nave clerestory windows have plain heads. The old west wall of the nave seems to have been re-built or thickened.

The tower, in three stages, was a simple addition. It is faced with chequered ashlar and flints, embattled and pinnacled. The stair turret is on the north-west corner and there are buttresses on each face. By 1552 the tower had 4 bells, increased to 5 in 1609. None of these bells have survived, though some of their metal has been re-cycled in casting the present ones. Simultaneously the old tower at the east end of the north aisle was dismantled. The south porch is thought to have been added early in the 16th century, but as it was mainly re-built in 1875, the origin cannot be stated with certainty; it seems to be later than the widening of the south aisle.

Early in the 16th century the 14th century east window of the south aisle was replaced with a square-headed window with five lights, but this was itself replaced in 1875. As a condition of his will of 1535, John Turbeville appears to have instigated the Turbeville Window – one of the special features of this church – and the altar-tomb memorial beneath it. Some 16th century bench ends still exist.

During the 17th century the church was brought to its full development and all work since has been mainly that of maintenance and repair. It is interesting that during the Reformation the capstone of the altar was disguised as a paving slab in the floor and not re-discovered and restored until 1875. The pulpit, with its six panels of intricate carving also dates from this century, but was removed in 1875 to be re-mounted as panelling in the vestry.

In the 18th century Morton’s roof was repaired and re-painted in its original colours; the east gable and south clerestory walls were re-built. For the latter the former windows were re-used, and the south arcade columns and capitals were repaired with new stone inserts. All the flagstone flooring was lifted and renewed with boards, joists and glazed tiles (during this work it was discovered that the nave and south aisle floors had been raised to the level of the north aisle and chancel.)

The west gallery, box pews, pulpit and vicar’s desk were renewed as part of the Victorian restoration, the new fittings in oak being the work of Harry Hems of Exeter. The font, which had been positioned in the north aisle, was moved to its present position in 1875. But the restoration of that year resulted in the loss of several ancient features, though others came to light as well: the altar stone, squints, first chancel arch, arch stone, carved stone capital of 1200 and four stones now incorporated into the north aisle. The unstable north wall of the chancel was underpinned by a concrete foundation and the upper part of the east window was renewed, as was the entire chancel roof. The whole of the north wall of the north aisle – except for the east bay – was rebuilt. In the south aisle the 15th century square-headed east window was removed and replaced by the present one. The east gable was also re-built and the south aisle roof renewed. The flooring had to be replaced again in 1894 with concrete, due to attack of the wood floor by dry rot.

In September 1901 a fund was established for re-building and renewing the organ and in 1905 an oak screen was erected in place of curtains formerly hanging on the south side of the vestry. This screen was a memorial to George Hibbs, a former chorister, churchwarden and barrel-organist. In 1906 the roof over the south aisle and nave had to be repaired after it was found to be leaking in ten places. More fundraising was started in 1907 towards the provision of an oak reredos behind the altar. By the 1918 war repair work was outstanding, most urgent being the re-tuning and hanging of the bells and renewal of the bell-frame. A new treble bell was added, bringing the peal to six and the tower itself was found to be in need of repairs. The chandelier paraffin lamps, which had previously lit the church, were replaced by electric lighting in 1925.

In 1931 the lead on the north aisle roof was re-laid, and extensive repairs to the tower carried out. By the Second World War Death Watch Beetle had become well established in the nave roof, necessitating repair and preservation treatment. The slates of the chancel roof were re-hung in 1950, and the whole church was re-wired. The chancel choir stalls were removed to the east end of the nave in 1966 to accommodate a larger choir. The tower was cleaned in 1971 and in 1999 the addition of a concealed kitchen unit at the west end of the south aisle and a toilet for the disabled bring the developments at St. John Baptist fully into the 21st century.

Charlie Brown

“Speak up boy.” The sound of Mr Justice Burrough’s bellowing voice travelled round the Dorchester court room at the Summer Assize court of 1818.  The instruction was addressed to the eight year-old boy standing in the witness box. The boy was Charles Brown, a witness for the prosecution at the trial of 28 year-old John Gallop accused of “feloniously, wilfully, and maliciously, and with malice aforethought, assaulting a woman with both his hands at the parish of Bere Regis and by squeezing her throat, mouth and nose, caused a suffocation, whereof she almost instantly expired.” The murdered woman was Priscilla Brown, the boy’s mother; she was killed on the 14th of May 1818. It seems days earlier Priscilla had told John Gallop that she was pregnant with his child.

Charlie, his head, just visible over the witness box, was examined by Mr Banks, counsel for the prosecution. Charlie told the court that he knew the prisoner and had often seen him at his mother’s house. On the Wool Fair Day, Charlie went on, “The prisoner called him out – I was pretty sure it was he by his voice; it sounded from the back door, which leads to the garden.” His mother was at work in the house and there were stones flung three times against the door. Charlie said “my mother went first to the front door then to the back door. Then the prisoner spoke to her; she went out at the back door and went up the garden.”

John Gallop called Thomas Clinch to contradict Charlie’s evidence even though the Judge advised him to consider what he was doing before he called the witness. After Clinch had given evidence Mr Justice Burrough observed that instead of contradicting the evidence of the boy he had confirmed it. Gallop had sealed his own fate.

Several people from Bere Regis were called to give evidence for the prosecution including Thomas Homer, a farmer; John Sexey, Ann Loveridge, Elizabeth Rose and Benjamin Romain with whom John Gallop lodged. Page Ross, a servant, Elizabeth Harris who lived at Affpiddle and Sarah Welch of Bere Regis also testified against Gallop.

Charlie had concluded his evidence saying “She had no bonnet on; she never came back any more. Some time afterwards she was brought home dead.” Gallop was found guilty of murder and hanged.

Eight years earlier his arrival into the world was announced with these words; “16th of December 1810 Charles, bastard son of Priscilla Brown,” They appear in the register of baptisms at the church of St. John Baptist, Bere Regis. Here he spent his life, a life that spanned the allotted three score years and ten and three more, all spent working as an agricultural labourer and bringing up a family.

There was little doubt Priscilla’s boy would be a charge on the parish chest and the Churchwardens and the Overseers to the Poor would have examined Priscilla Brown to establish who Charlie’s father was. On the 15th of June 1811 six months after Charlie’s baptism the Justices made an order against Thomas Welch who they were satisfied was the boy’s father.

Welch was ordered to pay the sum of forty shillings “towards the costs of the lying-in of Priscilla Brown and the maintenance of Charlie to the date of their order.” Additionally, the father was to pay two shillings a week for Charlie’s maintenance.

After the death of his mother he would have had little option but to get on with his life. Any counselling amounting to little more than sympathetic whispering behind his back and this would have quickly evaporated. We don’t know who looked after Charles in the years to adulthood and the events of 1818 were, it seems, quickly forgotten, overtaken by the instinct to survive.

The next milestone in Charlie’s life was his marriage. The church registers inform us that on the 3rd of March 1834 Charles Brown and Elizabeth White were married. According to censuses Elizabeth was born at Bloxworth or Kingston, both places near to Bere Regis. Their marriage was witnessed by George Phillips and Isabella Stickland and sealed a partnership that was to last half a century.

Charles named his first child after his mother. The 1841 census has Charles (30); Priscilla (25); with Elizabeth (7); William (4), and Charles (2). (We have to accept the enumerator switched Priscilla and Elizabeth when listing the family.)

Priscilla earned a living as a button maker and in 1851 she was living in Bere Regis but not with her parents and siblings. By 1861 she was working as a cotton Glover and is back with her family at No.1, Tower Hill, Bere Regis. A search of the records at Bere Regis revealed nothing further about her only that she witnessed the marriage of her brother George Brown in 1865.

Priscilla had three sisters and five brothers. The sisters were Maria born in 1849; Sarah born in 1855 and Charlotte born in 1857. We know that Maria and Sarah died and were laid to rest at Bere Regis on the 7th of October 1855 and the 24th of August 1862. Charlotte moved away. The brothers were William born in 1837; Charles 1840; James 1843; George 1846, and Thomas born in1852.

Elizabeth Brown who survived her husband by 17-years, lived to see the dawning of the 20th century and could look back with some satisfaction over the half century she spent with Charles. Two of their children died in their single years and she out-lived at least one of her grown-up children but for the times this was not unusual. She was blessed with seeing grandchildren married and the arrival of several great grandchildren and it is worth looking back over some of their lives.

Of the boys, William was the first to marry in 1862. Next was Charles in 1863, his bride being Mary Hawkins of Winterbourne Kingston. Charles and Mary had two sons and four daughters. Then on the 15th of March 1865 George married Agnes Cheesman of Winterbourne Kingston. We know from the 1881 census that William married Mary a girl from Wool and in 1881 they were living in Battersea where William was working as an Engine Driver at a factory. Records show they had taken in two lodgers.

In 1871 Charles and Elizabeth were living at 7 West Street, Bere Regis; their daughter Charlotte who was working as a cotton Glover, was with them. Ten years later Charlotte was in Holdenhurst, Hampshire, where she was employed as a domestic servant to a wholesale grocer. Next door at 8 West Street was their son George, his wife Agnes, and their three children: Henry James, Amelia Mary and George – in 1882 another son, Tom, was born.

Of Charles’ grandchildren we know that Sarah Ann, the eldest child of his son Charles, had a child, Alfred Charles, in 1881; he died in 1882. On the 3rd of February 1887 Sarah Ann married John Bright, a widower. Sarah’s grandmother, Elizabeth, signed the register as a witness.  John was 12 years-older than Sarah and brought a son and two daughters, all under 10, to the marriage, so Sarah had to adjust in short order to being a wife and a mother. She would have had some experience with children as her siblings were between 10 and 18 years younger than she was. In 1891 John and Sarah Ann had a child they named Edwin John. Over the next decade they had another son Charles and two daughters; Louisa and Florence.

Neither her father nor her grandfather was alive to witness the marriage of Mary Jane Brown, a dressmaker, the daughter of Charles Jnr (he passed away in 1892) to grocer’s assistant Walter Langdown. The ceremony took place at Bere Regis on the 15th of August 1898 and a year later they had a son, Frederick, and early in 1901 a daughter, Mabel.

There can be little doubt Charlie knew who his father was but he chose to be known throughout his life by his mother’s name. He passed away on the 1st of August 1884 aged 73, just five months after celebrating with Elizabeth 50 years of marriage. He died of a diseased heart and his death was registered three days later by his daughter-in-law, Agnes, wife of his son George. Elizabeth, who was known as Betsy, lived for another seventeen years passing away early in 1901 aged 92 years; she spent the last few years of her life living with her son George and his wife Agnes.

His mother’s death is recorded in the registers of the church of St. John Baptist at Bere Regis without mention of how she met her death and whether or not she was with child. The entry reads “Priscilla Brown was buried May 17th 1818, aged 32 years.”

The Parish of Bere Regis

“A half-dead townlet” was how Thomas Hardy once described Bere Regis. Perhaps this townlet, situated amid woodland and heath at the junction of the A31 and A35 may indeed have not changed much in the eyes of locals since Hardy expressed his opinion.

The ‘Bere’ part of the name derives from the river, and possibly the drink, while other authorities consider the origin to be Saxon byri, meaning a fortified place, or byre, the Norse word for a group of buildings. But most likely it derives from the Old English word for a wood or copse. It is said King John, who visited the estate several times, drank beer, suggesting the connection with name. The ‘Regis’ element simply indicates the royal connection.

Long before King John the area clearly saw intensive prehistoric settlement, for 50 Bronze Age round barrows have been recorded, including the un-excavated Hundred Barrow, 75 metres south of the church.  Nearby Woodbury Hill was early fortified with one rampart as an oppida during the Iron Age, and the area has further been identified with the site of the Roman Station of Ibernium, Wood Fort being the Castra or summer camp. The Hill still retains traces of the encampment, which on clear days commands strategic views of Purbeck and Poole.

Bere was anciently a Royal demesne. The Saxon Queen Elfrida had a seat here to which she retreated after the murder of her son-in-law Edward (the Martyr.) As Bere was already a Royal estate at the time of Domesday in 1086 it was not included in William 1’s famous land survey, but the manor remained a Royal possession until 1269. From the 13th century the Lords of the Manor were the Turbervilles, and Simon de Montfort, father of the English Parliament, made his home here.

There has been a stone church at Bere since the mid 11th century, but the present church of St. John Baptist was fully developed through additions and alterations by the 17th century. The two most notable features of the church are the Turberville Window in the south aisle and the “12-Apostle” hammer-beam roof, constructed by Cardinal John Morton about 1485. The village also has a Wesleyan chapel, a hall for the independents and two meeting houses for dissidents.

Bere Regis owes its first market to King John, who granted a charter in 1215, though today the market has fallen into disuse. At Woodbury a fair was held from 1267. By this century however the village had grown to town status, but at no time since has its development reached town status by modern standards. Today the parish incorporates Shitterton (a hamlet at the west end of Bere;) Roke (or Roake;) Hollow Oak and Bec Heath.

Cottages in the village are predominantly two story with thatch, and walls of cobb or flint and brick courses. Barns are of similar building materials. During the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries some houses were built, but one 19th century thatched cottage survives. At the peak of its prosperity Bere once had twelve shops and six filling stations. Today there are just two general stores, two pubs (especially the Drax Arms, named after a land-owning family in the district;) one post office, and one filling station on the bypass; a health clinic, dentist and chiropodist. But the village was twice nearly consumed by fire, first in 1634 and again in 1788. Because of the fires the present centre of Bere mostly dates from the late 18th century, when the properties along the high street were re-built as terraces of plain Georgian cottages. Along the street at Shitterton, which was less affected by the fires, more of the original cottages survive. Thomas Williams founded a charity school for the education and clothing of eight boys.

The Royal Commission for Historic Monuments survey for Dorset records nine 17th century houses; nine 18th century houses/cottages, and eight houses of the 19th century, together with some 19th century barns. Roke Farm is a listed building on an L-shaped plan originally built in the 18th century, but altered in the 19th. Little evidence remains today of the influence of King John and the Turbervilles.

Other than agriculture, Bere’s traditional industries have been building, brick-making, cutting wood for faggots, and cress-growing in beds to the south fed by the Bere stream. In its demographics Bere reflected a national trend, with its greatest spurt of population growth occurring during the 19th century. The ten-yearly census records a rise from 936 in 1801 to 1,170 in 1831 and thence to a peak of 1,494 in 1851. But industrialisation of the north precipitated a rural decline thereafter. Indeed, rural riots which erupted in 1830 first broke out here (they were ruthlessly suppressed by James Frampton, who would be the chief prosecutor of the Tolpuddle Martyrs only four years later.) The decline did not begin to reverse until after World War 1, when the population began a steady rise, which continues today.

But over twenty years ago Bere’s then present and future development and housing needs were thrown open to public consultation. In May 1982 – incidentally the year the bypass was opened – the Parish Council set up a sub-committee to consider the development of the Regis in the closing decades of the 20th century. After consultation with Purbeck District Council, Dorset County Council, and COSIRA, the committee studied the Dorset Structure Plan and organised a survey of the villager’s opinions/ Sections on Environment, Housing, Public Services, Employment, Youth and Recreation were all included. Although the questionnaires were distributed to most homes, fewer than 50% of them were returned completed. This made the accuracy of the results which were obtained rather suspect.

The survey did find however, that over thirty buildings were listed. It appeared that many residents thought there were too many council houses and at too high a density, though most (90%) thought the newest housing was visually compatible with the older traditional buildings. An overwhelming demand for low-cost private homes (though not flats) also emerged from the survey, as did the opinion that there were too few shops. Building materials, the participants stated, generally harmonised with the vernacular building fabrics. Influenced by the results the survey committee aimed to site all future homes on brownfield land or inner waste ground to avoid village sprawl. Some lost shops have been restored. But today the bypass has gone some way to preserving Bere Regis as a quiet precinct relatively unflustered by tourists.

A Cardinal’s Progress – The Life of John Morton of Stileham

On Easter Sunday in April 1471 a small ship docked at Weymouth after a stormy crossing of the Channel from Brittany. Queen Margaret of Anjou was returning to England with her son Prince Edward of Lancaster on a mission to raise an army against the Yorkists at Tewkesbury. Their escort inland for this critical event in the Thirty Year’s War was a rising Dorset born clerical statesman soon to have an important influence on the course of England’s dynastic history – John Morton.

Morton was born in Stileham, Milton St. Andrew, Dorset, in 1420. On his mother’s side he was a descendant of the Turberville family of Bere Regis (the D’Urbervilles of Thomas Hardy’s Tess. Who are commemorated by a stained glass window in the Church.) His grandfather and other members of the family are also buried in the church.

Educated at Cerne Abbey and Balliol College, Oxford, young John graduated in law and went on to study for the priesthood. By 1446 he had become one of the University’s commissioners and was subsequently appointed Moderator of the Civil Law School, Master in Chancery and Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall by the time he was about 30. From here on Morton emerged as a most distinguished clerical lawyer, holding several preferment positions, including that of Vicar of Bloxworth. He was to have an important effect on the country’s affairs in the latter half of the 15th century.

This chiefly came about through Morton becoming committed to supporting the Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses. He probably realised that the cause of the Lancastrian Henry VI was lost, but held office under him and lent his support nevertheless. But after the Yorkist victory at the battle of Towton in 1461, the Earl of Warwick deposed Henry and put Edward IV on the throne. The new king took Henry prisoner and Morton escaped to France wit Henry” other followers, spending several years in exile there with Queen Margaret.

It appears that sometime before 1470 Morton decided to seek the King’s pardon. This Edward granted, and Morton returned from France. But as the King was also aware of Morton’s ability and loyalty to a cause, Edward further appointed him Master of the Rolls, then Bishop of Ely (he plays a minor role as such in Act 3, scene 4 of Shakespeare’s Richard III.) After Edward had been on the throne for a few years he quarrelled with Warwick, who deposed him and restored Henry. But at the battle of Barnet in 1471 Warwick was killed and Henry died, presumed murdered, in prison soon after.

It was at this point that Queen Margaret and Prince Edward returned to England to be escorted by John Morton to Cerne Abbey en route to Tewkesbury. But at the Battle there later in 1471 Edward IV inflicted a defeat upon the Lancastrians and Queen Margaret was taken prisoner, but after paying a ransom was allowed to return broken hearted to France.

For Edward, Morton had been a valued advisor whose duties often took him abroad. When Edward died in 1483 his 12-year old son Edward, Duke of York briefly succeeded as Edward V. But his Uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, imprisoned Edward and his younger brother in the Tower where, according to tradition, he had the princes murdered so as to claim the throne for himself as Richard III. The new king’s suspicions about Morton’s loyalty outweighed any regard he had for his abilities as a statesman. On the pretext of some cleverly contrived charge or excuse, Morton was committed to prison, first in the Tower, then later Brecknock Castle. For some months his life would hang by a slender thread, and he faced being murdered, had he not managed to escape.

After this timely breakout Morton joined and sided with Henry Tudor, Earl of Richmond in Brittany, where he helped to plan the Earl’s invasion to oust Richard from the throne. The fatal engagement came at Bosworth, where Richard was killed and Henry came to the throne as Henry VII. As a reward for his loyalty Morton became the first Tudor’s most trusted advisor, being promoted from Commissioner to Chancellor of Oxford University.

Thus Morton helped to establish the Tudor dynasty, but his effect on the course of English history did not end there. He effectively brought the dynastic civil war to its end, ushering in a new age of peace and material progress by advocating in 1486 the marriage of Henry to Elizabeth of York – the future mother of Henry VIII – so symbolically uniting the two royal houses. That year also Morton was appointed Archbishop of Canterbury. The following year he became Lord Chancellor and, in 1493, a Cardinal.

Morton helped Henry accumulate substantial reserves while becoming wealthy himself at the same time. The Cardinal was intensely dedicated to ambitious building and restoration projects, into which he poured much of his personal assets. He rebuilt the palaces of Wisbech and Hatfield, and funded those of Lambeth and Canterbury.

Another re-building venture close to his own heart was the re-ordering of Bere Regis Church, where he constructed the timber roof as a memorial to his parents and also left a legacy for the upkeep of the paintings. He is represented personally in the bosses, the central boss being specially carved to portray the unification of the York and Lancastrian houses. But one of Cardinal Morton’s greatest achievements was the excavation of a great leet or drainage ditch through the East Anglian fens between Peterborough and Wisbech and named Morton’s Dyke after him.

Another facet of the Cardinal’s character was his ingenuity in procuring “benevolences” from the poor and wealthy alike, a practice which gave rise to the expression “Morton’s Fork”. If he heard a nobleman was rich he would say “I hear you are a very rich man, and are surely able to spare some money for the King.” He would then “turn the prong” to the nobleman who lived frugally and say “you are a careful thrifty person who must have saved much money, and some you will be able to spare for the King.” Neither then escaped their obligations to the royal coffers. But Morton did restrain certain financial policies that Henry proposed.

The opinions of contemporary writers about the Cardinal vary considerably however. Many saw him as a strange character, one accusing him of acting “from base and sordid motives,” even of sorcery. As a young man the statesman and writer Sir Thomas More served in the Morton household. He later wrote that Morton was “a man not more venerated for his high rank than for his wisdom and virtue.”

Other writers said he was energetic, sometimes brusque with polished manners, exemplary as a lawyer, one possessed of a great mind and a phenomenal memory. Through discipline and hard study he improved the talents which nature had bestowed upon him. He was a wise man, according to Bacon, but “a harsh and haughty one.” Morton could also be summed up as being accepted by the King, envied by the nobility, but hated by the people.

Cardinal Morton died at Knole, Sevenoaks in Kent in 1500 in his 80th year, and was buried in the crypt of Canterbury Cathedral.