The church of All Hallows was built in the 14th-century against the west end of Sherborne Abbey and, from 1437 until 1539, it served as the town’s parish church. All Hallows was demolished in about 1540 after the town acquired the adjoining Abbey church for its parish church, although the remains of the north wall of All Hallows can still be seen in the north-west corner of the Abbey churchyard.
In the north ambulatory of All Hallows church was a side chapel known as ‘Our Lady of Northerne’, which Joseph Fowler suggests may have been dedicated to Our Lady, having acquired its name from its location. In the chapel was an altar and an image of Our Lady, where offerings appear to have been made to the Virgin Mary by local women. The All Hallows’ church accounts include details of these offerings, which included bequests of money, rings, buckles, beads and ribbons:
An inventory of All Hallows church made in 1509, includes:
Item a dymy gurdyll of perell & syluer & ou’ gylt. [A woman’s girdle, the front half being of metal & often decorated with jewels, and the back half of silk or other textile or leather. Possibly a votive offering]
Item a peyre of bedes wt oure lady of deleu’ance.
Item a gyrdyll of Redcors wt bokkyll & pendent of sylu’.
Item a ryng ou’ gylde.
Item a golde ryng j amelyd. [enamelled]
Item 2 Rynges of sylu’ & gylt.
Item 1 pere of Bedes of corrall & amber.
Item 9 tuelles of dyaper & 4 pleine tuelles, 3 nouche of golde [a nouche was a clasp, buckle or brooch]
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1512-1513:
John Kellway receiving 2d. ‘for crying off Saynt Mary pardon’ on Easter Eve.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1523-24:
Master Wyllyam Kelwey debet for the be quest off a gentyll woman who came from Tawnton – 6s. 8d.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1524-1525:
Item receuyd off the bequest of Mastser Wyllyam Kelwey for the gyft off the gentylwoman yr. departed in Newlond – 6s. 8d. [William Kelwey of Sherborne married Joan, daughter and heir of Henry Barret of Whiteparish]
Item – for mendyng the dor by for or lady northerne for stapyls and a bar – 9d.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1525-1526:
Item Received of the bequest of Roggar Smyght a Ryng and 12d.
Item Received of Kocmanse wyffe of ye Greyn and Ryng and 12d. [Robert Cockman, churchwarden 1517-18]
Item Received a pane and gurdell ye buckyll and pendant of syluer of ye bequest of Johanna Forchytt 6d.
Item Received a Ryng yt Wyllym Morleys wyffe bequest to owr lady Northeren.
Item Received a sheytt and kercheyr yt Thomas Beckyttes wyff gaue.
Item Received a sheytt yt Wyllym Russell wyff gaue.
Item Received a Ryng yt ye beyr makers mother gaue.
Item Received a Ryng and Rybbyn yt Lucy Barnard gaue to our lady of Norteryn.
Item Received a kercher yt Johanna Gardener bequest.
Item the wyff of John Stronges bequest a Ryng.
Item Received for a Rybbond – 6d.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1525-1526:
Rec’ a Ryng yt Wyllym Morleys wyffe bequest to our lady of Northern.
It’m a Ryng and Rybbyn yt Luce Barnard gaue to our lady of Northern.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1533-1534:
Of John Dyerres wyffe for owre laydye of northeren a ryng.
Of Elen Knygte for owre lady of northeren a ryng.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1526-1527:
Item Receyued of the bequeste of John Maywards wiffe a towell & a Ryng of syluer & gyltte.
Item Receyued of the bequeste of Margrete Hewett for the ryngdyng of the grete bell – 4d.
Item paid for packe threde for the shrine – 2d.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1527-1528:
Item Receyuid of William Mores alias Prydy for the bequeste of his wyffe to the churche a ryng of syluer & gylte.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1533-1534:
At ye gyft of John Hayns wyffe for a ryng – 9d.
For John Dyerres wyffes bequeste to ye cherche – 12 d.
Of John Dyerres wyffe for owre laydye of northeren a ryng.
Of Elen Knygtes for owre lady of northeren a rung.
Of John Dyere for a ryng of hysse wyffes bequeste for the cherche – 15d.
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1535-1536:
Marget Adams of hownstrette gaue a wylet kertell solde to maryon forsse – 5s. [a violet kirtle]
All Hallows’ churchwardens account, 1537-1538:
Item – payd to Thomas Plomer for 3 qts and 12 lbs. of new led and for castying a 103 qts and 12 lbs old led for mendying of our lady ylle.
The site of the chapel of Our Lady of Northerne was excavated in 1967-68 by Sherborne School’s Archaeological Society under the direction of J.H.P. Gibb. The excavation uncovered the grave of a priest in which was found a bronze buckle and a lead chalice. Also found were an iron key (much corroded), and a bead-headed pin.
Rachel Hassall
Further reading:
- Joseph Fowler, Mediaeval Sherborne(Dorchester: Longmans Ltd., 1951)
- Joseph Fowler also published a series of articles about All Hallows’ Church in Somerset & Dorset Notes & Queries(SDNQ) vols.23-24.
- H.P. Gibb, ‘The Anglo-Saxon cathedral at Sherborne’, Archaeological Journalvol.132 (1975), pp.71-110.
- Laurence Keen and Peter Ellis, Sherborne Abbey and School. Excavations 1972-76 and 1990.Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society Monograph Series: Number 16 (Dorchester, Henry Ling Ltd., 2005)