The Anglican Church of St Michael in Orchard Portman, Somerset, England, dates from the

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

period. It is a Grade II* listed building.

History

The church was built in the

period. The chancel was rebuilt in the early 15th century and the tower around 1540, with further building work in the 19th and 20th centuries. The church formed part of the former Portman family estate. The Portman chapel was erected as the south aisle around 1450, demolished in 1844 and rebuilt again in 1910. The parish is part of the Seven Sowers

benefice A benefice () or living is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The Roman Empire used the Latin term as a benefit to an individual from the Empire for services rendered. Its use was adopted by ...

which includes

Beercrocombe Beercrocombe (also known as Beer Crocombe) is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, south of Curry Mallet and southeast of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 134. History The village is included ...

Curry Mallet Curry Mallet (anciently "Cory Mallett") is a village and parish in Somerset, England. It is on the Fivehead River (also known as the River Ile), east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 306. History At the ...

Stoke St Mary Stoke St Mary is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. History The earliest recorded mention of Stoke St Mary is in a Saxon charter dated 854 AD, when a West S ...

, Hatch Beauchamp,

Staple Fitzpaine Staple Fitzpaine is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. The village has a population of 189 and is within the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. ...

and

West Hatch West Hatch is a hamlet and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south east of Taunton in the Somerset West and Taunton district. It has a population of 306. History The name of the hamlet indicates it lies to the west of Hatch Beauchamp ...

. It is within the Diocese of Bath and Wells.

Architecture

The church consists of a chancel, vestry, three-

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

nave and south chapel. The chancel has a

wagon roof A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

with plastered

barrel vault A barrel vault, also known as a tunnel vault, wagon vault or wagonhead vault, is an architectural element formed by the extrusion of a single curve (or pair of curves, in the case of a pointed barrel vault) along a given distance. The curves are ...

. The crenellated three-stage tower is supported by diagonal buttresses. Inside the church is a hexagonal Jacobean style

pulpit A pulpit is a raised stand for preachers in a Christian church. The origin of the word is the Latin ''pulpitum'' (platform or staging). The traditional pulpit is raised well above the surrounding floor for audibility and visibility, access ...

. There is some medieval

stained glass Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

; however, most is from the 19th and 20th centuries. Dr Thomas Bond (1841–1901) a British physician considered by some to be the first offender profiler, and best known for his association with the notorious Jack the Ripper murders of 1888, was buried in the churchyard.'Handbook of Criminal Investigation' by Tim Newburn, Tom Williamson, Alan Wright Published by Willan Publishing (2007) pg 493 Serial Crime: Theoretical and Practical Issues in Behavioural Profiling By Wayne Petherick Published by Academic Press (2005) pg 1

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Michael's Church, Orchard Portman Grade II* listed buildings in Taunton Deane Grade II* listed churches in Somerset

History

Architecture

See also

References