Fifehead Magdalen

Fifehead Magdalen
240px Parish church of St Mary Magdalene
Fifehead Magdalen  Fifehead Magdalen shown within Dorset
Population	80
OS grid reference	ST782215
District	North Dorset
Shire county	Dorset
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Police	Dorset
Fire	Dorset
Ambulance	South Western
EU Parliament	South West England
List of places UK England Dorset

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.

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:

1. A small plaque mounted on the west wall, dedicated to Richard Newman (1651 - 1683), father of Sir Richard;
2. 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).
3. 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.

File:Funerary memorial plaque to Sir Richard Newman (1676 – 1721) and his family, Fifehead Magdalen.jpg

Funerary memorial to Sir Richard Newman (1676 – 1721) and his family, on the north wall of the Newman Chapel, Fifehead Magdalen parish church

Notable residents

• Sir William Erle

External links

• Map sources for Fifehead Magdalen