England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Hermitage St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Hermitage lies in northern Dorset roughly 7 miles south of the market town of Sherborne. Hermitage sits just over a mile west of the A352 road which links Sherborne with Dorchester. Hermitage is a tiny place, little more than a hamlet, a short run of properties sits between two fork-junctions in a meandering lane headed westwards from the A352, it sits below the escarpment of High Story as a spring-line settlement. Hermitage is and was a farming parish, largely pastoral with patches of arable and woodland in extensive blocks in its eastern part of the parish, the latter would have been managed for traditional woodland products such as poles, hurdles and charcoal. Hermitage is drained northwards by a small stream which grows to become The Cam, renamed after passing Bishop's Caundle as Caundle Brook now headed east, the River Lydden is met just before that river meets the Stour which heads southeast and then east to reach Poole Harbour and the English Channel. Hermitage is sited at around 110 metres above the sea but is overlooked by the escarpment rising to 258 metres on High Stoy and 265 metres on Telegraph Hill. Hermitage was one of the smaller parishes in its county covering just 751 acres which would have supported a population of close to 150 parishioners. Hermitage is not mentioned in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Mary's church stands on the eastern edge of the tiny village, accessed by a dead-end lane headed east from the southernmost fork in its main lane. It is not often that Pevsner struggles to date a church, this is the case with St Mary due to a lengthy series of rebuilding that has happened since its first construction. Pevsner gives a caveated 14th century date to the church but it would appear little remains of medieval fabric to confirm that dating. A date-stone in the western gallery dates the first major rebuild to 1682 and much of the remaining tracery dates from that work, albeit in a Perpendicular style. A further major repair occurred in 1800 and Pevsner attributes the large bell-turret and the barrel-vaulted and ribbed ceilings to this event. Finally a typical Victorian restoration of 1889 lead to further work as well as refurnishing the interior fixtures and fittings. The access lane heads eastwards from Hermitage Lane and is lined with properties on its southern side, it terminates with a large gravelled parking area on the northern side from  where it is a short walk to the church, a few trees are present within the churchyard and the southern aspects are impeded but most angles are available for the photographer.