The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
I love this place – the church is so very old and solid. It’s in Romanesque style, was built around 1050, with later alterations, and is a mixture of Saxon and Norman styles.
It has some very naughty carvings, if you know what you are looking at. See this link and this link for more on that “rude” aspect, although I will touch on it below…
Studland village, Dorset - Bankes Arms pub and National Trust stall...
There is a National Trust car park in the middle of the village, right next to the church, and nearby is The Bankes Arms pub, which is also home to the Isle of Purbeck Brewery.
Studland village, Dorset - view of Old Harry Rocks in the distance (zoomed)
Some of my Purbeck ancestors going back to maybe 1615 were christened here, with surnames including READ/REED, CORBIN/CORBAN, BRANNE, BAYLEY/BAILY, MOWLAM, RIGHTBRAD/RIGHTHEAD, PAYNE, TOMBS and CHATTOCK.
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - I think this stretch of carvings under the roof is known as a corbel table
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - sorry, but this is a rude one of a woman with hugely exaggerated naughty bits. She's called a 'Sheela Na Gig' and is thought by some to hark back to paganism
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - magnificent yew tree
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - interior
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - stained glass
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - interior
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - stained glass
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - stained glass
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - stained glass
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - interior
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - the baptismal font
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - war memorial
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - list of rectors, from the year 1300...
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - view from the church
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset - magnificent yew tree
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
The Church of St Nicholas, Studland, Dorset
Studland village, Dorset - view of the sea from village car park (zoomed)
Shell Bay, Studland, Dorset - chain ferry that shuttles back and fore from Studland to Sandbanks
Shell Bay, Studland, Dorset - looking across to the hotel on Sandbanks
Shell Bay, Studland, Dorset - near here is a naturist beach
Shell Bay, Studland, Dorset - looking across at Brownsea Island (zoomed)
Shell Bay, Studland, Dorset
:Lovely pictures.My maternal ancestors livedaround here in the early and mid 19c. My 3x great grandmother was Charlotte Read, born 1800 in the IOW but her father Matthew Read, mayhave been born in Swanage or Hythe Hants. Other relatives are Burt, Bridle, Hyde in this area ,Worth Matravers, Lychett and Stoborough,and in Church Knowle
Thanks for commenting. Although I doubt it, I wonder if we have some distant connection? My 5-great grandfather was John Read (or possibly Reed), born about 1738 and died 5 Dec 1822 at Greenlands Farm. As far as I can tell, he was married to Jane Saunders of Langton Matravers.
His son, born 1777, was another John Read, fisherman of Swanage. I can’t go back beyond 1738 and I know absolutely nothing about that John Read’s parents
I also have Burt ancestors, but they are from the area around Romsey in Hampshire.
Good luck with your researches. Let me know if you find anything
You may like to know that I am descended from JOHN READ of swanage. He aquired lands at Greenland which passed to one of his two daughters Harriet Read on his death, he left a will. She married HENRY CHURCHILL and John Read lived with them. They were farmers and fishermen. Henry had quite a few children and married for a second time after harriet died. Both Henry and Harriet are buried at St Nicholas. I am descended from their son JOB.
Hi Ruth!
We have communicated before via Genes Reunited – in 2009. I still have all the lovely information you gave me then. I am descended from Ann Read, who married Richard Hayes in Poole.
Since we last communicated, I have been to Greenlands and posted on this blog. But perhaps you can look at my photographs and confirm for me where in the field the old farm stood? I expect I have missed taking a picture of the spot, as I usually do miss the main point on my trips!
Lovely to see you here
Best wishes…
I have just found your comments about Richard Hayes and Ann Read, who were my 3 x great grand parents, my fathers mother being Edith Winifred Hayes 1898 to 1950, of Poole. So I guess we are in some way related.Myself and my father aged 89, have been visiting Poole a lot recently (his bother and one of his sister still live there) and have found some old (c1915-18) photo’s of the Hayes family at a wedding. the Hayes family in late 19th century to mid 20th, were fishermen and members of the Poole lifeboat crew. In the RNLI museum at Poole there are photos and commemoration of the Hayes. I have also traced the Read family back to John in 1738. if you have any other information , I would be pleased to hear about it.
Paul Cowper
Excellent! I will get in touch by email when I get my thoughts together!
As far as I can tell, Edith was the daughter of Harry Richard Hayes, who was younger brother of my great grandmother Alice Hayes (1861-1932). Their parents were Richard and Maria Hayes.
On the Read front, I have John Read born around 1738 (by his death date) but haven’t found his christening. I wonder if you have…
Best wishes
I have just stumbled across your website with these most lovely pictures of St. Nicholas Church in Studland. I am researching my husbands grandfather, Frank Masters who was born in Studland in 1890. As a young lad he worked at the Studland Dairy of which I have a photograph. His parents were Thomas Walter Masters and Mary Anne Keats. He was one of 13 children, he came to Canada in 1911 and was later followed by two of his brothers, Reginald and Edward. I would appreciate hearing from anyone who may be viewing these pictures and could be related to this family. Please e-mail me , Pat Masters, pitpat@telus.net Thank you…….once again the pictures are stunning!
I am happy to “host” your inquiry!
And thanks for the kind words about my pictures – I love that church…
I see from the 1911 census that Mary Ann came from Swanage (see my pix here). I expect you have full access to all the censuses going back to 1841, but if you don’t, just let me know and I will email you and do any lookup you may need. I get very little use out of my subscription at the moment as I have reached as far back as I can in most of my ancestral lines…
We had neighbours called Keats here in Wales when I was a child. I suspect they may have come from Dorset, as did so many of our neighbours, although I didn’t realise it at the time. It was because we had connections with the Royal Navy Cordite Factory at Holton Heath near Poole…
Best wishes
if anyone has facebook access you might like to know that there is a group called Purbeck Past, which has lots of members with links to many of the old Purbeck families. There is always someone who has a little gem of information and there are many old family photographs posted. You have to ask to join, it is a private group which means that your personal details remain private and there is plenty of good chatter and help with search enquiries. There is also a seperate facebook group solely dedicated to Tyneham. Both have friendly members always willing to help and are a wealth of fascinating items. Ruth x
Excellent! I may be in touch
Hello Pat,
How lovely for you to respond to my query. The pictures of the church in Swanage are stunning as well. It would be interesting to learn if perhaps my husband’s grandfather or great grandparents ever set foot in these churches…….viewing your pictures of the inside certainly gives me food for thought! If at you happen to come across any information on the Masters or the Keats I would be so pleased if you could kindly send it along to me.
Also, I have noted that your last name is English, I take it this would be a married name. We recently had a query in our local newspaper from a Mari Rose English from England who was looking for information on her grandfather who lived here in Campbell River (British Columbia) Myself and others from our genealogy society were able to send her all of the information relating to the English’s here which were her relatives. She was thrilled to hear from us as we were able to provide her with many pictures as well as I myself lived in the very house that once was her grandfather’s. It really is a small world.
I now have your blog on my “favourites”, so reading and viewing all that you have posted is just a click away….am so enjoying it all, thank you. Pat Masters
English is my married name. I have traced this particular line back through the South Wales Valleys to Bitton and Kingswood in South Gloucestershire, part of greater Bristol. These are both coal mining areas and they were a mining family.
Best wishes
Hello again Pat,
Well, you will be surprised to know that both my husband’s great grand parents are buried in the St. Nicholas church yard, Thomas Walter Masters in 1920 and Mary Ann Masters in 1939, (Grave Ref. F83). You have included some very nice photographs of the churchyard…..thank you kindly!
Pat Masters
Great! And those sound recent enough for the stones to remain readable, too! I have had very little luck finding any of my ancestors’ graves.
Best wishes