The first is Queen Joan, the wife of Alexander II of Scotland and daughter of King John of England (Richard I's brother and successor) who is buried in the grave yard (supposedly in a golden coffin).
(meta data) TITLE: Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church - History, Travel, and accommodation information Canvas Prints Best of Britain Dorset > Historic Churches > Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church # Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church HERITAGE RATING: 13th century wall paintings in St Mary's Church, Tarrant Crawford The old church of St Mary the Virgin at Tarrant Crawford is all that remains of medieval Tarrant Abbey. The church dates to the Norman period, but much of the current structure dates to the late 13th century. The most interesting feature at Tarrant Crawford is a series of 14th-century wall paintings which cover much of the nave. The paintings are relatively intact and undamaged, making them somewhat of a rarity among early medieval wall paintings. A small section of painting in the chancel may date to the 13th century, which is extremely early for this type of church decoration in England. The south wall paintings are in two bands. The upper depicts scenes from the life of St Margaret of Antioch, while the lower band is a morality tale meant to illustrate the dangers of focussing on worldly wealth and material possessions. The paintings on the north wall are a mix of Biblical themes, including the weighing of souls and depictions of various saints. Several medieval coffin lids are set into the floor. These are thought to be abbesses and nuns of Tarrant Abbey, though one is said to represent Bishop Richard Poore, Bishop of Durham and Salisbury, who was born locally. Poore is best known as the man who built Salisbury Cathedral. Another grave slab may be a memorial to Joan of Scotland, daughter of King John and the first abbess at Tarrant. Tarrant Abbey was an immensely important and powerful Cistercian nunnery, and the church at Tarrant Crawford may have been built as a lay chapel to the abbey. The church is rarely used for worship and is cared for by the Churches Conservation Trust, who keep it open at most times. It is an absolute delight to visit. ### More PHOTOS Related:A Visit to Tarrant Crawford Church About Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church Address: Tarrant Crawford, Dorset, England, DT11 9HU Attraction Type: Historic Church Location: 3 miles south of Blandford Forum off the A350, or by footpath from Tarrant Keynston. Website: Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church Churches Conservation Trust OS: ST920032 Photo Credit: David Ross and Britain Express POPULAR POSTS 10 Beautiful stately homes near London10 Beautiful Thatched Holiday Cottages in Devon Best of Britain Express Art Prints Loch Sunart at Dawn, Ardnamurchan Tower of London at Night We've 'tagged' this attraction information to help you find related historic attractions and learn more about major time periods mentioned. Historic Time Periods: Find other attractions tagged with: 13th century (Time Period) - 14th century (Time Period) - Cistercian (Historical Reference) - King John (Person) - Medieval (Time Period) - Norman (Architecture) - wall paintings (Historical Reference) - NEARBY HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS Heritage Rated from 1- 5 (low-exceptional) on historic interest Tarrant Keynston, All Saints Church - 0.6 miles (Historic Church) Tarrant Rushton, St Mary's Church - 2 miles (Historic Church) Badbury Rings - 2.7 miles (Prehistoric Site) Royal Signals Museum - 2.8 miles (Museum) White Mill - 2.9 miles (Historic Building) Blandford Forum, St Peter & St Paul Church - 2.9 miles (Historic Church) Kingston Lacy - 3.8 miles (Historic House) Winterborne Tomson, St Andrew's Church - 4.3 miles (Historic Church) Nearest Accommodation to Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church: Self Catering - B&Bs/Guesthouses - Hotels ### Nearest Self Catering Cottages Birch Lodge, Charlton Marshall - Charlton Marshall, Dorset Sleeps: 2 Stay from: £250.00 - 463.00 Parkfield Cottage, Sturminster Marshall - Sturminster Marshall, Dorset Sleeps: 4 Stay from: £224.00 - 545.00 Cottage: HCNFARB, Blandford Forum - Blandford Forum, Dorset Sleeps: 6 Stay from: £630.00 - 1631.00 self catering near Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church >> ### Nearest Hotels La Fosse at Cranborne - Cranborne, Dorset Stay from: £65.00 Applewood Hotel - Bournemouth, Dorset Stay from: £30.00 Ashleigh Hotel - Bournemouth, Dorset Stay from: £30.00 More Hotels near Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church >> ### Nearest Bed and Breakfasts The Charlton Inn - 1.1 miles Charlton Marshall, Dorset From: £40.00 Hilltop Barn - 3.6 miles Winterborne Zelston, Dorset From: £55.00 The Talbot - 6.9 miles Iwerne Minster, Dorset From: £55.00 bed and breakfasts near Tarrant Crawford, St Mary's Church >> Attraction search Select Attraction type All Attractions Medieval Abbey or Monastery Historic Church Historic House Historic Building Prehistoric site Roman site Town / Village Churches Conservation Trust English Heritage Historic Scotland National Trust National Trust for Scotland --Select County-- ### Dorset #### Attractions #### Travel Resources #### Accommodation Britain Express Canvas Prints Corfe Castle, Dorset Prints Stunning UK prints for sale by award-winning photographer David Ross, editor of Britain Express, the UK Travel and Heritage Guide. Abbotsbury (Hotel) The Ilchester Arms Hotel The Ilchester Arms Hotel is a charming 16th Century coaching inn that has been tastefully decorated to be stylish and comfortable without loosing the character of its heritage. The rooms are all unique with their own quirky points differing in size and style they represent hundreds of years of history. … more >> More hotels in Dorset >> Passionate about British Heritage! ## ####
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St Mary the Virgin, Tarrant Crawford
Abstract.

 The church is all that remains of Tarrant Abbey, for which it may have been a lay church. The Abbey was founded in the 13th century by Ralph de Kahaines (of nearby Tarrant Keyneston) as a Cistercian nunnery. 
 The flint chancel, dates from the 12th century, with the nave, tower and porch being built in the 14th century. The 15th-century tower houses three bells, two of them medieval and one 17th century. The nave roof added in the early 16th century. In 1911 a major restoration of the church was undertaken. The interior includes several coffin lids from the 13th century. These have been moved from the Abbey and may relate to two of the famous people associated with it.