Population 80 Sovereign state United Kingdom Local time Saturday 11:36 AM | OS grid reference ST782215 | |
 | ||
Weather 13°C, Wind SE at 14 km/h, 81% Humidity | ||
Fifehead Magdalen is a small village and civil parish in the county of Dorset in southern England. It lies within the Blackmore Vale in the North Dorset administrative district, about 3 miles (4.8 km) south-south-west of Gillingham and 5 miles (8.0 km) west of Shaftesbury. It is sited on Corallian limestone soil and surrounded by Oxford Clay, about 0.25 miles from the west bank of the River Stour. Its name means "the place of five hides dedicated to [St] Magdalene". In 2013 the estimated population of the parish was 80. The village was a venue for stave dances.
Contents
Map of Fifehead Magdalen, Gillingham, UK
Parish Church of St. Mary Magdalene
The Parish Church, dedicated to St. Mary Magdalene after whom the village is named, dates mostly from the 14th century. However its most striking feature is the small "Newman chapel" built onto the north side of the nave in 1693. The chapel was built by Sir Richard Newman of Fifehead, Preston Hall and Evercreech (1676 - 1721), a member of the Newman family which held the Fifehead manorial estates for almost 250 years from c.1530 until 1775. The chapel contains three memorials:
- A small plaque mounted on the west wall, dedicated to Richard Newman (1651 - 1683), father of Sir Richard;
- A large plaque mounted on the east wall, dedicated to Sir Richard's great grandfather, Thomas Newman of Fifehead (c.1560 – 1649) and to his grandfather Richard Newman of Fifehead (1584 – 1664).
- A large funerary monument mounted on the north wall, dedicated to Sir Richard, his wife Frances and his son, Sir Samwell Newman and three daughters, Frances, Barbara and Elizabeth. This magnificent monument was created by the famous Westminster sculptor Sir Henry Cheere sometime after Sir Samwell Newman's death in 1747.
In the churchyard, nearby the entrance gate, is the tombstone of Thomas Newman who died in April 1668, believed to be the great-uncle of Sir Richard Newman.