Wimborne Minster: A Brief History

From whichever direction Wimborne is approached the two towers of the Minster can be seen. On closer inspection, it is quite obvious that the Church was built by loving hands to the glory of God rather than by great architectural expertise.

The Minster is dedicated to St. Cuthburga - sister to King Ina, King of the West Saxons. St. Cuthburga founded a Benedictine Nunnery here in c. A.D. 705. There was also a monastry located here.

The Abbey Church most probably stood on the site of the present Minster. St. Cuthburga was succeeded by Quinburga (her sister) and then by Tetta. At one time 500 women were being trained and it was from Wimborne that St. Boniface from Devon (c. 680-755) recruited missionaries to aid him in the task of evangelising the pagan tribes of Germany.

In 871 Alfred the Great buried his brother Ethelred (not the Unready) in the Minster. Ethelred was mortally wounded in a battle at Martin, near Cranborne.

The Nunnery was destroyed by the Danes in 1013 during one of their incursions into Wessex and never rebuilt.

In 1043 Edward the Confessor founded a college of secular (that is, non-monastic) canons, consisting of a dean, four prebends, four vicars, four deacons, and five singers. A list of Deans from 1224 until the last in 1537 is in the Baptistry, containing many notable names, not least of which is that of Hugh Oldham, 1499, later Bishop of Exeter and co-founder of Corpus Christi College, Oxford and founder of Manchester Grammar School.

The greater part of the Church, as we know it today, was built by the Normans between 1120 and 1180, to support that college of secular canons.

In 1318 Edward II declared the Minster a Royal Peculiar which exempted it from all diocesan jurisdiction. The choir used to wear scarlet robes, a legacy of this 'Peculiar'. Similar robes are worn in Westminster Abbey and St. George's Chapel, Windsor.

In 1496 Lady Margaret Beaufort, Countess of Richmond, grand-daughter of John of Gaunt and mother of Henry VII, founded a small chapel in the Minster and the priest attached to it was solemnly adjured to be in permanent residence and 'to teach grammar to all comers'.

In 1562 a grant was obtained from Queen Elizabeth I by which part of the property formerly belonging to the college, together with all ecclesiastical rights and prerogatives was returned to Wimborne and vested in twelve governors. The grant included tithes, lands and property. The charter was surrendered to James I and a new charter was obtained from Charles I at a cost of £1000 with the addition of an organist and singing men.

There were many problems in Wimborne during the Civil War, but the church did not suffer any severe damage. When Charles I was beheaded his coat of arms was painted out, but on the restoration of Charles II the arms were speedily replaced and have now been restored. Wimborne did not go out of its way to oppose either King or Protector.

The 18th century saw years of sleepiness and duties were very much neglected, both in the town and the church, but in the 19th century a revival took place which included the extensive restoration of the fabric from 1855 to 1857. In 1846 the Royal Peculiar was abolished, and now all that remains of the old order is the control by 12 Governors of some of the Minster affairs.