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HISTORY OF ST. MICHAEL & ALL ANGELS
For
over 900 years a church has stood on this site. The earliest mention
was in the Domesday Book, AD 1086, where we read that ‘The
King holds Cumbe …. Leuric a priest holds the church of this
manor with half a hide, which is worth 20 shillings’. As Leuric
is not a Norman name it is likely that there was a wooden Saxon
church on this site although no trace of it remains. The oldest
part of the church dates from c.1100 when it consisted of a nave,
chancel and a chapel or tower to the south of the nave. The present
chancel was built in the mid 14th century, whilst the tower, north
aisle and transept are 15th century. In 1552, on the order of Edward
VI, all surplus plate was taken to London with only one chalice
and paten being left. In the mid 19th century the church was closed
for a year whilst it was extensively restored. In 1961 the chancel
was re-ordered and the choir stalls and rood screen were removed.
The
family of Byset or Biset gave Cumbe its present name in the 13th
century. The village did not escape the Black Death and work on
the church in the 14th century was almost halted as the population
was ravaged. For several centuries the village was a farming community.
Until 1847 Coombe Bissett and West Harnham was one of the parishes
which were under the ‘Peculiar Jurisdiction’ of the
Dean of Salisbury and not subject to the Bishop or Archdeacon. In
1881 West Harnham became a separate parish. Today St Michael and
All Angels Church is within the Chalke Valley Benefice.
Entrance
Area and South Aisle
The
Porch is c.1845. The South Doorway is Norman although much restored.
Over the doorway is a plaque recording the installation of 190 pews
in 1845 of which 178 were made free.
The
Font dates c.1200-1300. It is moulded like an Early English Capital
(head or cornice of pillar or column), with double bell, and supported
on a central shaft, surrounded by the four smaller ones. It is carved
from a single block of stone. In 1326 an order was issued from Canterbury
that all fonts should have a locked cover and traces of where this
has been are still visible. It was moved to its present place from
the western end of the nave in 1845. Over the south aisle and arcade
are two Norman Arches dating from 1150-1180. The one by the Font
has a perfect Norman Column with richly decorated capitals.
The
Nave
High
up in the nave the old stone Corble Heads (roof supports) of the
original, probably thatched, roof remain. The current roof is dated
mid 19th century. The Ten Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer
and The Creed are displayed at the west end of the nave. These boards
were originally positioned at the east end of the church and are
early 19th century.
The
north arcade of the nave, the north aisle and the north transept
are Perpendicular and dated c.1450. In the north transept is a Funeral
Hatchment with the armorial bearings of the Becher family. There
is also a record of those who served in The Great War, both residents
of Coombe Bissett, Homington, Stratford Tony and Dogdean as well
as pupils of Coombe Bissett School. The date of the stained and
painted window is not known.
The
Pulpit is dated c.1845. The Organ was installed in 1898-99. To the
left of the organ is a Record of Parish Priests dating from 1086.
Above this record is a doorway which provided access to the long
since disappeared rood loft (the rood was a crucifix, especially
one raised on a rood screen between the nave and chancel). To the
right of the organ is a Record of Benefactors. The income from these
charities is currently used to relieve hardship in the parish.
The
Chancel
The
Chancel dates from 1250-1300. On the north side, the 2 lancet windows
remain unaltered. On the south side the 13th century Priest’s
Door remains and there is a Double Arched Recess of the sanctuary
for Piscina (perforated stone basin) and Credence (table for eucharistic
elements).
The
rood screen and choir stalls were removed in 1961. During these
alterations the Medieval Altar Slab was discovered under the sanctuary
floor. It was probably buried there at the time of the Reformation
when wooden tables replaced stone altars. Some of the consecration
crosses can still be seen. On the south side is a Wooden Chest which
dates from c.1580. It is made of soft wood, willow or alder, with
iron bands and chains and was removed from the ringing chamber of
the tower in 1896.
The stained glass East Window was erected in 1901 in memory of Thomas
Kingsbury, Vicar, 1885-1892. It shows the reigning and triumphant
Christ surrounded by Angels and Archangels. The small North Window
is in memory of Ann Isabella, wife of Henry Pollard, Vicar of the
parish who died in 1874.
The
Tower and Churchyard
The
Tower dates from c.1450. There are Scratch Dials on the south buttress
and an old Sun Dial high up on the south west buttress. The Clock
was made by Churchill of Downton and was installed in 1870. There
are 6 Bells dating from 1589, at least 2 of which were made by John
Wallis of Salisbury in the 16th century. The bells were re-tuned
and re-hung in 1979-80.
The
Lychgate was erected in 1989 in memory of Harold and Eileen Willis
and the Memorial Gates were presented in 1978 in memory of Denis
Constanduros. The two Yew Trees on the north side of the churchyard
were planted in 1845 by the then parish clerk, Thomas Kimber. The
Floodlighting was installed in 2000 to mark the new millennium.
Adjacent
to the Lychgate is the recently restored Village Pound. To the north
of the churchyard is the Donkey Field. This is named after 2 donkeys,
Jack and Jane, owned by the Widow Rideout, the village carrier,
who operated the Coombe Bissett Express to Salisbury in the mid
19th century. She is buried in the south west of the churchyard
but no headstone remains.
Churchwardens
-- May 2003 |