Lytchett Minster

Lytchett Minster Church (no dedication)
© Dorset OPC 2018

Lytchett Minster is a village in the Purbeck district of Dorset, England, in the outer suburbs of Poole. Today it is part of the Lytchett Minster and Upton parish, which has a population of 7,500+. Traversed by the A35 road, the main route between the towns of Poole and Dorchester, it lies 4 miles from Poole, 4 miles from Wareham and 1 mile from the eponymous Lytchett Matravers. In terms of ecclesiastical geography, it is bounded by Lytchett Matravers, Sturminster Marshall and Corfe Mullen to the North, Hamworthy to the East, Wareham (St. Martin) to the South and Morden to the West.

The “Lytchett” in this and neighbouring Lytchett Matravers is derived from an old Celtic name meaning “grey wood”: led meaning grey and ced meaning wood. “Minster” is from the Old English mynster , meaning large church, probably with reference to the church at Sturminster Marshall, of which Lytchett Minster was a chapelry (until 1857).

According to A.D. Mills' work on Dorset place-names, the village appears in historical documents as Licheminster in 1244, Lechet Ministre in 1269, Lychet Minystre in 1280, Luchet Mynstre in 1314. In the 16 th century it was sometimes known as South Lytchett (in relation to Lytchett Matravers) or as Bere Lytchett (from Bere Farm). It was also sometimes referred to as Lower Lytchett in the registers of other parishes.

Lytchett Minster is small and rural with many cottages. The church, of unknown dedication (OS grid reference SY960931), has a 15th century brown heathstone tower with 6 bells of tenor 9-3-13 (1,105lb, 502kg) in G. The rest of the church was rebuilt in 1833 in pale brick. (For more information on the Church, please see the link below to the account by Rev. Jean de Garis.) About 100m from the Church is an inn called the St. Peters Finger, an anglicised corruption of the original Latin name, St. Peter ad Vincula (St. Peter in chains).

The St Peters Finger
© Dorset OPC 2018

Tenants and cottagers paid their dues to the Lord of the Manor at this inn on June 29, a commemoration day of St. Peter.The South Lytchett Manor House, the former elegant Ham stone Georgian residence of Sir John Lees and Madeleine, The Lady Lees, now houses Lytchett Minster School . Three generations of the Lees family have been Lords of the Manor at Lytchett Minster, and lived in the big house until the death of Sir John Lees in 1955. The house and park were sold to Dorset soon after for £10,000. Madeleine, the Lady Lees, was much loved in the village and started to produce locally made religious films that became famous. At one time, she made headlines with a roadside cafe at the gates of the big house and brought out the family silver to serve the teas.

The OPC for Lytchett Minster is Kim Parker

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