Wootton Fitzpaine

96 WOOTTON FITZPAINE (A.d.)

(O.S. 6 in. (^a)XXVII, S.E. (^b)XXVIII, S.W. (^c)XXXVI, N.E. (^d)XXXVII, N.W.)

Wootton Fitzpaine is a parish 2 m. N.E. of Lyme Regis. The church and Wootton House are the principal monuments.

Ecclesiastical

^d(1) Parish Church (dedication unknown) stands on the E. side of the parish. The walls are of flint rubble with freestone dressings and the roofs are slate-covered. There is some 12th-century material reused in the building, but the Crossing, N. and S. Transepts and Nave were rebuilt probably in the second half of the 13th century and the Chancel early in the 14th century. In the 15th century the South Chapel with the South Transept were built and the South Porch added; the upper part of the Tower was perhaps built at the same period. The church was restored in 1872 when the North Transept (destroyed in the 17th century) was rebuilt and the Vestry added.

Architectural Description—The Chancel (27½ ft. by 15½ ft.) has an early 14th-century E. window of three trefoiled ogee lights with net-tracery in a two-centred head with moulded labels and head-stops. In the N. wall is a window of the same period and of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head and labels with head-stops; further W. is a modern arch. In the S. wall is a window similar to that in the N. wall; further W. is a 15th-century arch with moulded and shafted responds and moulded four-centred head.

The Central Tower (11¾ ft. square) is of three stages with a plain parapet. The crossing has four 13th-century arches, two-centred and of two chamfered orders, the outer continuous and the inner springing from modern corbels except in the W. arch where the inner order is continued down the responds in modern work. The N.E. stair-turret communicated by a doorway over the N. arch with the former rood-loft. The second stage has a small square-headed light in the N. and S. walls. The much restored bell-chamber has, in each wall, a window of two pointed lights in square heads; the S. window is a modern restoration.

The South Chapel (30¾ ft. by 11½ ft. at E. end and 13 ft. at W. end) is of the 15th century and has a restored embattled parapet. The E. window is modern except for parts of the jambs and mullions. In the S. wall are two almost entirely modern windows each of four cinque-foiled ogee lights with vertical tracery in a square head.

The Nave (27 ft. by 13½ ft.) has, in the S. wall, a modern window; the early 15th-century S. doorway has moulded jambs and two-centred head. In the W. wall is a partly restored late 13th-century window of two trefoiled lights with a quatrefoil in a two-centred head with a label and decayed stops.

The South Porch is of early 15th-century date and has an outer archway with moulded and shafted jambs and moulded two-centred head.

Fittings—Bell: one, by Thomas Roskelly, 1755. Bell-frame: perhaps 17th-century. Chairs: In vestry— two, with turned legs and stretchers and scrolled heads, late 17th-century. Font: plain octagonal bowl with chamfered lower edge, mediæval, cylindrical stem with scalloped capital and moulded base, late 12th-century. Monuments: In chancel, on N. wall, (1) to Agnes Tucker, 1823, and four children, 1821–2, white marble wall-tablet. In S. chapel—on W. wall, (2) to Thomas Rose Drewe of Wootton House, 1815, and Betty, his wife, 1846, who erected the monument, white and grey marble wall-monument with swags, cornice, acroteria and pediment-shaped top with shield-of-arms; (3), just N. of (2), to Sarah Palmer, 1818, servant to the Drewe family for sixty-four years. In churchyard—E. of chancel, (4) name illegible, 1690, headstone. Piscina: In chancel—recess with cinque-foiled head, drain cut back, 14th or 15th-century. Plate: includes cup with band of engraved ornament and the date 1570, cover-paten with the date 1577, stand-paten and flagon (Plate 31) of 1706 given by Mrs. B. Rose Drewe in 1825, alms-dish of 1668 and a stand-paten of 1715. Pulpit: made up with early 17th-century material including two ranges of enriched arcaded panels and arabesque frieze. Miscellanea: On N. and S. walls of chancel—twelve reset corbels, late 12th or early 13th-century.

^c(2) Church Of St. Andrew, Monkton Wyld, stands at the W. end of the parish 2¼ m. W.N.W. of (1). The walls are of flint and rubble with ashlar dressings and the roofs are slate-covered. It was built in 1848 in 14th-century Gothic style; R. C. Carpenter was the architect. The church is cruciform and comprises Chancel, N. Vestry, Central Tower with stone broach spire, N. and S. Transepts, Nave with N and S. Aisles and S. Porch, the last is of wood; the Sacristy N. of the vestry was added in 1886. Access to the third stage of the tower is by a stair-turret on its N.E. corner. Most of the windows have curvilinear tracery, while the doorways have two-centred heads with the exception of the W. door and the porch entrance which have segmental heads. The arches of the interior are moulded and two-centred and the piers are octagonal. It contains the following fittings:—

Chair: In sacristy, of oak, made up with mediæval tracery-panel back, some 17th-century enriched framing, turned front legs and modern arms. Glass: In chancel, in E. window and three windows in N. and S. walls, figure subjects and mottoes, 1848. In nave, W. window, figure subjects in memory of Alfred Camm, 1843.

Secular

^d3 Wootton House, 25 yards S.W. of the parish church, is of three storeys with attics. The walls are of brick, partly slate-hung, with stone dressings and the roofs are covered with slates. It was built c. 1765 and restored and added to late in the 19th century. The S. front (Plate 109) of the original building is symmetrically designed, it has quoins, flat stone strings at first and second floor levels, cornice and parapet wall; a semi-octagonal window-bay in the middle rises the full height of the house. The bay and the parapet-wall are faced with slate-hanging, apparently contemporary with the building, and there is a shallow band of slate-hanging immediately below the upper string. The windows have moulded architraves. The whole of the W. wall may have been slate-hung. Inside there is some contemporary panelling and in the S.E. room an original plaster ceiling enriched with scrolls, wreaths of flowers and fruits, with a female mask in the centre; the plaster cornice is modern. Two rooms contain original fireplace-surrounds with elaborate carved wood enrichments of foliated side-scrolls, flowers, an eagle, small figure-group, etc.; in one, the frieze decoration is mounted on polished touch.

^d(4) Rectory, on the W. side of the road 820 yards W.S.W. of the parish church, is of two storeys; the walls are of flint rubble and the roofs are tiled. The main block was built c. 1500 but was remodelled in the 18th century and has modern additions on the S. and W. Inside the building, the Dining Room has an original timbered ceiling with moulded beams forming sixteen panels. There is also an original muntin and plank partition. The staircase dates from the 18th century. The roof retains two original trusses of collar-beam type with curved braces under the collars.

Monuments (5–23)

The following monuments, unless otherwise described, are of the 17th century and of two storeys; the walls are of flint rubble or cob and the roofs are thatched or covered with modern materials. Some of the buildings have exposed ceiling-beams and original fireplaces.

^d(5) Knapp Farm, house 720 W. of the parish church, was built c. 1700 and has, inside the building, an original oak door-frame with a shouldered head.

^d(6) Cottage, 110 yards S.W. of (4).

^d(7) Meerhay Farm, house 1,100 yards W. of the parish church, retains an original moulded ceiling-beam.

^d(8) Westover Farm, house 700 yards S.S.W. of (7).

^d(9) Hogchester, house 700 yards S.W. of (8), has an 18th-century addition on the W.

^d(10) Cummins, cottage nearly 1¾ m. W.S.W. of the parish church.

^d(11) Stubb's Farm, house nearly ¾ m. N. of (10), is now used as a barn and cow-house.

^c(12) Elsdon's Farm, house over 2 m. W. of the parish church, has a modern tablet recording that Charles II stayed here Sept. 22nd 1651.

^d(13) Higher Wyld Farm, house ½ m. N.E. of (12), has later additions on the S.W. and N.W.

^d(14) Champernhayes Farm, house nearly 1¼ m. W.N.W. of the parish church.

^d(15) Cottage, 50 yards N.W. of (14).

^d(16) Spence Farm, house ¼ m. N.E. of (15), retains an original stone window with a label. Inside the building is an original panelled partition and another probably of the 18th century.

^b(17) Dodpen Farm, house 1¾ m. N.W. of the parish church.

^b(18) Ridge Farm, house 350 yards N.W. of (17), has been much altered.

^b(19) Matthew's Cottage, ½ m. W.S.W. of (18), was built probably early in the 18th century.

^a(20) Higher Pound Farm, house nearly 2½ m. N.W. of the parish church.

^a(21) Lower Pound Farm, house 150 yards S.S.E. of (20), has a later extension to the S.E.

^b(22) Cottage, 550 yards S.E. of (21).

^b(23) Northwood, house 280 yards S.S.E. of (22), has, inside the building on the upper floor, an original ceiling with an ornamental plaster panel in the middle.