A History of Christhurch

Christchurch clearly has a long history as a settlement although much of its early history is obscure. Barrows on St Catherine’s Hill, to the west of the present town, provide evidence of settlement during the Bronze Age (about 1800 BC – 600 BC) and there are traces of occupation during the Iron Age (600 BC – AD 43), particularly on Mill Plain. It was during the Iron Age (first century BC) that Hengistbury Head became an important trading centre dominating the area around what is now Christchurch.

In the Roman period (AD 43 – AD 410), Hengistbury Head became a small settlement possibly known as Dunium. Little is known of Christchurch after the departure of the Romans in AD 410. King Alfred, who came to the throne in AD 871, developed the strategy of fortified places – known as burhs – to enable the population to concentrate and resist Viking raiders and Christchurch was one of the burhs of Wessex. The first written records of Christchurch is in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle which refers to it being captured by Ethelwald in AD 900. Excavations during the 1970s uncovered part of the Saxon defences and the entrance to the defences is believed to have been sited near where Bow House now stands in the town's High Street. Excavations by the Mill Stream in the town centre have also revealed a Saxon cemetery.

The Domesday Book of 1086 described Christchurch as a small market town. Mention is also made of a Saxon monastery in the Church of The Holy Trinity occupying the site of the present Priory Church. The Normans launched the building of the magnificent Priory Church. At around the same time that the Priory was being constructed, Twynham Castle was built as a stopping place for journeying forces. The castle, standing on an artificial mound or motte, dominated the countryside. In the absence of the Lord of the Manor, the Castle was left in the charge of a bailiff or constable and in about 1160 a domestic building (known as the Constable’s House) was erected at the foot of the mount to house the Constable. The ruins of both remain today and are open for public viewing.

The Castle was originally made of wood but was gradually rebuilt in stone, the Keep being erected in about 1300. The Castle’s active life continued until 1656, although it had fallen into decay by the mid-1500s and was apparently used as a pound for cattle.

The town appears to have been prosperous in the early medieval period but seems to have declined temporarily from about 1350, possible due to the Black Death. After 1600 the town was small but not unprosperous, making its living from agriculture and fishing.

During the Civil War of 1640-1645, Christchurch was captured by Cromwell’s parliamentary forces who then resisted two attempts to recapture it by the Cavaliers. After the war the Keep was partly destroyed in order to render it useless for military purposes and was never restored to its former condition.

In the 17th and 18th centuries Christchurch became a centre for smuggling, whole communities were involved in this clandestine trade. Christchurch remains a generally small town, expanding very little beyond its medieval suburbs until the present century when the growth of Bournemouth, to the west, made it part of a much larger urban area. During the Second World War it was at Christchurch that Donald Bailey in 1941 gave the first demonstration of erecting a Bailey Bridge.

There has been a church on the present site since about AD 700. In the Domesday Book of 1086 the building is referred to as ‘The Monastery of the Holy Trinity of Thuinam’ and was administered by a Dean and 24 secular canons. When Ranuolph Flambard, a chief minister of William II, persuaded the King to give him the Saxon church and its land, it appears that his original intention was to build a new church on St Catherine’s Hill but, so the story goes, after the day’s work was finished, materials disappeared during the night to be found later on the ground where the Priory now stands. Eventually the Saxon church was destroyed and in 1094 the present magnificent building was begun.

During the building of the Priory there worked a carpenter who never mixed with his fellow workers, drew no pay and never appeared at communal meals. One day it became necessary to fashion a beam to support the roof. The place where it was to be fitted was measured and the wood cut to the required length. However, when the beam was raised into position it was found to be several inches too short. Disappointed with the work, the carpenters lowered the beam to the ground and, as evening had come, went home expecting to have to cut a new beam in the morning. When they arrived the next day the beam was already in position in the roof and of the right length. The mysterious carpenter was not seen again, and so the people imagined that it must have been Christ the carpenter working on His church. Thereafter the church became known as Christ’s Church of Twynham and the name of the town Christchurch-Twynham. Over the years the Twynham has been dropped and the name of this ancient borough changed to Christchurch.

It is thought that the church originally had a central tower over the crossing which is believed to have collapsed in about 1415 and in so doing destroyed the quire which was later rebuilt in the Perpendicular style and completed in 1510. A Lady chapel had been added a little earlier, and about the same time the existing tower was built at the west end. The tower contains a peal of 12 bells plus a flat 6th; two of these date from 1370. In 1539 King Henry VIII decided to destroy the power of the monasteries. Orders were given for the destruction of the Priory, including the Priory church. The latter had always been the parish church, and so a petition was sent to the King asking him to spare it. Uncharacteristically, King Henry acceded to this request and he gave the church in perpetuity to the churchwardens and inhabitants of Christchurch. However, he destroyed the conventual buildings (only the porter’s lodge and parts of the walls remain), purloined the church plate and, it is believed, some valuable statues. At 311ft 4in long, the Priory church claims to be the longest parish church in England. Apart from the tower at the west end, the most outstanding feature of the exterior is the turret at the eastern end of the north transept. It has unique Norman carving and a decoration of blind Romanesque arches. The North Porch is the main entrance to the church. One of the largest porches in the country, it was used by the priors as a place to transact business with the townspeople. The nave, with its massive Norman pillars, was completed about 1150 and is divided from the Great Quire by a screen which dates from 1320 and is carved with many different fruits and animals. The Great Quire was originally built in the same style as the nave and incorporated a fine 14th century reredos known as the Jesse Screen, which was moved to its present position in the Great Quire during the rebuilding c 1510. It depicts the figure of Jesse and the family tree that descends through David and Solomon to the infant Christ, shown in the central panel with his parents, the Magi and the shepherds. This is known as the Epiphany panel. Above the Jesse Screen is a mural depicting the Ascension which was painted by Hans Feibusch in 1967. The Quire contains remarkable misericords, some dating back to the 13th century, and there are richly-carved and canopied stalls for the prior, the sub-prior and the precentor.

The Lady Chapel, built in the early 15th century, contains a much-restored reredos dating from 1450, and the tombs of Sir Thomas West, a constable of Christchurch Castle, and his mother Lady Alice. Above the ambulatory on the south side is the famous Miraculous Beam, not in its original position, but housed there for safe-keeping. At the west end of the church is the War Memorial Chapel and near it are the Books of Remembrance. The church has many other memorials and tombs on which are interesting inscriptions.