St. Edward, King & Martyr — Attraction in Corfe Castle

I have visited this lovely old Church on the Isle of Purbeck in a village called Corfe Castle many times. Edward's short reign was brought to an end by his murder at Corfe Castle in 978 in circumstances that are not altogether clear. His body was reburied with great ceremony at Shaftesbury Abbey early in 979. In 1001 Edward's remains were moved to a more prominent place in the abbey, probably with the blessing of his half-brother King Æthelred. Edward was already reckoned a saint by this time. A number of lives of Edward were written in the centuries following his death in which he was portrayed as a martyr, generally seen as a victim of the Queen Dowager Ælfthryth, mother of Æthelred. He is today recognized as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Catholic Church, and the Anglican Communion. The Church was built sometime during the 12th century it is not really known the exact date.. The earliest known record is dated around 1280. It was named after St Edward the Martyr who was murdered on 18th March 978 on the orders of Queen Alfthryth, his then stepmother. The story is told that his body was hidden in a a small squalid or simply constructed dwelling where then a blind woman found it. Her sight was eligibly and miraculously restored when she had found the body. This is where the present church stands on this site. This earlier church consisted of a nave a chancel and a narrow north aisle and a large north porch and was enlarged during the 13th century with an additional aisle. During the Civil War between 1642 and 1646 , Parliamentary troops stationed themselves inside the church using the church as stabling for their horses and men. Thus a great amount of damage was caused – church records were burnt, the door was used in battle and masonry used for target practice. Shot marks from muskets can still be seen both inside and outside the church. In 1859 - 60, the church under went a major restoration mainly because the walls were expanding out by a foot ( 30cms ) so all the walls were pulled down, apart from the tower and then rebuilt. Galleries that had been installed in the 18th century were removed and the church was re-roofed. The east window was replaced and all the chest tombs removed to...

Attractive church believed to date back to the 12th century. It sustained damage during the English civil war when it was occupied by Parliamentary troops, who used the walls for target practice. The church was extensively restored in the 19th century, involving a complete rebuild of the walls and a new roof, leaving only the original tower. The interior largely dates back to this restoration, including the stained glass windows. The font is from the mid 15th century and is built of local Purbeck marble. There's a free parking area a few minutes walk away at the edge of the village, and the village itself is one of the...

Large church, light and airy inside., right in the centre of Corfe Castle. The tower is 65ft high and goes back to the 14/15th century. Nicely informative booklet on the church giving various points of interest like the oiled Purbeck Marble columns making them black. Parliamentary troops used the church during the civil war and there are some shot marks both inside and outside the church -...