Church Heritage Record 634061

3-bay nave, short chancel under one roof.

Nave 8m (45ft) long, 5m (16ft) wide.

Bronze Age barrows and other possible Iron-Age and Romano-British earthworks are located within 1 mile of this church, there are Medieval field systems and the churchyard is on a promontory, so prehistoric and later archaeological remains are possible at this site, as well as evidence relating to earlier church buildings and burials. The site is clearly of considerable archaeological potential and the Historic Environment Record should be consulted if any development is considered.

The church is one of only three in England dedicated to St Basil. The 'fratrum' in the place name comes from the Knights of St John of Jerusalem (the Hospitallers) who owned the manor from the 12th century until the Reformation.  The farm buildings may have their origin in their manor. Toller comes from the old name of the nearby brook.  This was the mother church of Wynford Eagle St Francis.

The first church on this site would appear to date to the 12th century, the evidence for which is two pieces of Norman carving – a fragment showing Mary Magdalene washing Christ’s feet built into the chancel, and the richly carved font, both of extremely high quality and interest.  The fabric has been substantially rebuilt, possibly several times, see below. The adjacent farm was built largely by John Samways, who acquired the estate in 1540 following the dissolution, and was later occupied by the Fulford family.

A grant for 'repairing & painting - altering & improving windows, by putting on a new roof - repairing & pointing external walls etc' was refused by the ICBS in 1871. The architect responsible was W Scott Champion of London and Henley-on-Thames. In the application the answer to the question about when the church was built is ‘about 1798’. This must however be the date of a rebuild – the west door and chancel arch may date from this period - and another restoration may have occurred around 1854. More work has been done recently, particularly to the belcote.

This church is of far more interest than the visitor would suspect from its modest appearance, and should be much better known.

The nave and small sanctuary are one externally, with pronounced quoins at the corners, apparently 19th-century.  The nave side walls are pierced by three single lancets, and there is a stepped window of three lancets in the east wall, all apparently 19th-century.  Small, square gabled belcote, recently rebuilt, on the west gable of the nave, which gives the building some vertical emphasis.  

Under this the pointed west door surround (replacing a former square-headed doorway visible in the presumably Medieval wall) has three very thin and flat orders, possibly c 1800.

Internally there is a small sanctuary beyond a steeply pointed, completely plain arch, which looks of the same date, but set within a very thick wall, suggesting a 12th-century origin.  Has the chancel been shortened at some point?

The most significant parts of this church are two pieces of Romanesque carving. The first to be discussed is a quite beautiful and remarkable fragment showing Mary Magdalene washing Christ’s feet, set into the chancel east wall as a kind of reredos. Discussing a scene from the famous Chichester Reliefs depicting the Raising of Lazarus (and its possible pre-Conquest or immediately post-Conquest date) at Chichester Cathedral, the CRSBI comments:

 “The closest sculptural analogy is a relief at Toller Fratrum in Dorset depicting Mary Magdalen wiping the feet of Christ. It resembles the Chichester Reliefs both stylistically and iconographically, but it has never actually been suggested that this sculpture arrived at Toller Fratrum after the Chichester screens were dismantled in the 14th century, or after they were uncovered in 1829, possibilities which should be investigated.”

This piece of sculpture, then, is of exceptional, international significance. 

The other piece is the extraordinary font, which has survived with remarkably little damage except some defacement of faces, which has been repaired in a darker mortar. Four large human figures hold up a cable-moulding which has a band of interlace above to the rim, smaller figures are pushed downwards by them, or represented only by dismembered heads. They are coarsely represented.  There is also a two-bodied beast, possibly demonic – is this a mixture of the Classical and Christian Hell / Hades? Cable moulding also to the base.  The piece looks to be probably early 12th century and local work, and has little in common with the fragment described above.

The interior is plain and white-washed, probably concealing Victorian texts, or even just possibly earlier wall paintings.  The Victorian benches with very simple rectangular bench ends and other woodwork are charming but of local significance only. There are pammets between the benches and flags down the central alley. Attractive brass candelabrum of 1876.