Dibden Parish Church is considered by so many to be one of the best examples of post-war restoration.

Dibden Church was the first to be destroyed in the War. It was struck by incendiary bombs in the early hours of Thursday morning, 20th June, 1940, and completely wrecked by fire. According to the Home Security Intelligence Summary for the period 1800 hours on the 19th June to 0600 hours on the 20th June, 1940,

"Southampton was attacked and a magazine at Marchwood was set on fire in which three houses and a Church were involved. There were nine casualties. Damage was caused elsewhere in the neighbourhood; at St. Helens (Isle of Wight) the electric light system was damaged; a fire was started in a sleeper shed at
Redbridge Station."

Dibden Church and the house situated on the North side of the Church were completely gutted by fire. Several interesting things were either destroyed or extensively damaged. Amongst these were the yew Communion rails with twisted baluster shafts dated from about 1660. On the north side of the gate were carved shields of the arms of Croke and on the south was the carved shield of Lisle of Moyles Court. Heraldry is common enough on tombs and in stained glass windows but is very rare on Communion rails. The ancient font was broken when the bells crashed down. Some 14th century stained glass which was in the South windows of the Chancel was broken into small fragments. The 17th century table (possibly a Communion one) which stood in the North Aisle was destroyed like all the other wooden furnishings.

The church interior

 

Fortunately the Church Plate and Registers were in a fire-resisting safe. Restorations in 1862,1874 (North Aisle rebuilt), 1876,1882 (new Tower), 1885-6 and the blitz in 1940 leave one thankful that there is still original 13th century work to be seen. Guide books of the early 19th century do not speak very highly of the building. Thus John Bullar, in 1809, writes of Dibden Church as follows:- "It is an ancient, but very incommodious structure little better than a barn. The oaken roof has no ceiling, except in two places; where the owners of pews have awkwardly decorated it with patches of ornamented wainscot. The King's arms are unusually large, and of the date of 1610 with the motto 'Beati Pacific!'. The font is ancient."

Most writers of the period mention the old yew tree which then stood in our churchyard. One states that "the immense yew tree in the churchyard ranks, both for age and size, among the fathers of the forest. It is about thirty feet in girth." (Notes from a Companion in a tour round Southampton, 1799.) Mudie's "Hampshire," 1838, has the following note about Dibden that "The Church is an ancient structure, but has little to recommend it, save the remains of a most venerable yew tree in the churchyard." The tree was blown down in 1836 and from it a small polished yew table was made which is now in the Rectory. On one side there is the inscription "The Revd. James Grey Rector of Dibden had this table made from the ancient yew tree which was blown down in the churchyard in Nov. 1836."

Several attempts were made during the 19th century to beautify and improve the Church.

1828 The Church was repaired and repaved at an expense of 506 pounds (including the Chancel). This was met by a Church rate and subscription.

1838 The so-called tower was crowned by a wooden spire 54 pounds.

1862 The interior was remodelled and the seating improved. The hand organ, which had been perched in the gallery and manipulated by the Clerk, whose exertions considerably interfered with his vocal endeavours to assist the harmony during the service, was replaced by a pipe organ.

1874 North Aisle rebuilt.

1876 Chancel laid with encaustic tiles. (It is doubtful if this was an improvement. The Lisle vault stones were covered with rubble, etc., and lost sight of until 1953.)

1884 Tower erected.

1887 Peal of eight bells added.

1894 Chancel re-roofed.

1902 Church re-roofed.

The church through the Lychgate

THE CHURCH RESTORED 1955

The architect selected for the Restoration was Mr. R. A. P. Pinckney, F-R.I.BA.. of Messrs. Pinckney & Gott, Gray's Inn Square, London. The north aisle of the old Church was completely demolished and the walls of the south aisle lowered to enclose a Garden of Remembrance. Regret had often been expressed that the level of the Church floor was quite four feet above the ancient level and therefore throwing the whole building out of proportion and hiding the bases of the columns. At the Restoration opportunity was taken, therefore, of lowering the floor to its original level thus greatly improving the appearance of the chancel wall arcades. The new nave walls were built from the rubble stone taken from the demolished aisles.

THE CHANCEL

The walls of the Chancel are the oldest portion of the existing walls. There does not appear to be any structures left of an earlier date than the 13th century but the proportions of the old nave (about 48 feet by 14 feet) suggest its walls represent those of a 12th century Church which would have a small chancel that was replaced by the present larger one in the 13th when the arch was also built. Soon after the Church was further enlarged by a south aisle of four bays and a north aisle and arcade.

On the north wall of the Chancel is a wall arcade of two bays of a single chamfered order. Springing at the east from a half round shaft with moulded capital in the north-east angle, the middle shaft is half octagonal and the west end dies into the wall of the chancel. In each bay a window has been inserted, probably at a later date, and made up of the trefoiled heads of the 14th century lights which have belonged to windows with tracery over.

The south wall has a similar arrangement of bays, the head of the second being altered to give room for the window. The windows have cinquefoiled lights and blocked spandrels above under a square head; they are probably of late 15th century date.

As the ground falls away from west to east it seems probable that the chancel was originally lower than the nave, which is an unusual arrangement, but not unknown and Studland is an example.

Built into the south wall of the chancel there is a PISCINA, a small stone basin with pointed head and continuous mouldings of the 14th century date. This was used in pre- Reformation times by the priest in washing the vessels used in the Eucharist and also a place in which other "ablutions" (i.e. the rinsing of the priests' fingers) were performed.

The SMALL DOORWAY in the Chancel may be the original priests' door. This had been blocked up at one time but during the last Restoration it was re-opened. The exterior of the doorway has a low four centred head of the date of the window (14th century) but the jambs may be older. The Chancel was often the peculiar responsibility of the Rector and he had his own entrance.

The CHANCEL ARCH (13th century) is of two chamfered orders which originally appear to have died into the walls but in later times have been mutilated. Long before 1940 the arch was showing signs of deterioration and being out of the true due to land subsidence.

Under the Chancel is the VAULT of the Lisle family of Moyles Court, Ellingham. Stones bearing their coats of arms and their device "a Joyfull Resurrection" lie under the Holy Table. They bear the names of:—

John Lisle, Esquire, of Moyles Court, August 20th 1709.

(Note-This is John Lisle, the Royalist who fought against Monmouth at the battle of Sedgemoor, son of Dame Alicia Lisle. She was beheaded at Winchester 1685 by order of Judge Jeffreys on a charge of high treason.)

John Lisle, aged 2 years, March 15th 1681.
Catherine, wife of John Lisle, daughter and sole heir of Charles Crook, Esquire, October 17th 1684.
(Note-Crook is evidently the same as Croke.)

The Revd. Thomas Lisle, D.D. and his wife Elizabeth who died August 26th 1763, aged 53.

The stained glass WINDOWS are the work of Mr. Derek Wilson, A.R.CA. The East Window depicts our Lord risen and triumphant. The artist has taken a view as from the tomb, showing Christ rising from the burial clothes in the first light of the Resurrection morning. He blesses with the right hand; and in the left holds a banner with the golden cross. Beyond is the Garden: two angels stand by our Lord: and, in the tracery above, others are depicted carrying away the spear, the crown of thorns and the scourge. In the Font Windows, the arms of Canterbury, and Winchester two keys of Peter and sword of Paul, are set against a background suggesting scenes characteristic of the two regions. The West Window contains the Royal Arms; and the
text of John 3,16: "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son. that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The FONT dates from about 1200. The square stone bowl shows traces of decoration with lines and curves. The central stem which supports it is the original but the four angle shafts are new. When the bells crashed down during the fire they severely damaged the font which then stood near the tower. It has been repaired by experts and placed in a new position.

Two BELLS cast from metal salvaged from those, destroyed hang in the Tower. The largest weighs over 10 cwt.; it is tuned to "G," the smaller sounds a perfect tenth above.

The ORGAN, a fine example of the work of Bishop and Son, was completely re-planned and re-built, all the original pipe-work being retained. It has two manuals, pedals, twelve speaking stops, a tremulant and three couplers.

IN THE CHURCHYARD

A SCRATCH DIAL, an ancient sundial or "Mass Clock" having the usual hole and a number of lines radiating, is to be seen on the South-East angle of the Nave Wall. It was placed here in 1955 and protected from the weather by a small wooden frame and perspex. These sundials were used to mark the times of the church services before mechanical clocks began to be more commonly used in the 15th century. A metal rod, called a gnomon, projected from the central hole to cast the shadow.

There are several noteworthy 18th century tombstones near the south wall of the Church. Many are local work in hard Purbeck stone, among them memorials to Lisles and Wyatts. One of the latter has a carved bust of husband and wife with a single heart above; and shows also a ship and four children. Skull and hour-glass are carved on many headstones. Nearly all the graves are south of the Church, the North side being associated with the devil and people disliked the shadow of the Church falling on their graves. The ground on the south side of Dibden Church is higher than the floor level, due no doubt to the medieval custom of burying people on top of others, a practice which continued from the period of Edward III to about the middle of the 18th century.

The LYCH GATE is the Church War Memorial. Inscribed on the panels are the names of the Fallen in the two World Wars. Lych was the old English word for dead body. At the lych gate the coffin was rested and the burial service commenced.

THE LISLE FAMILY AND DIBDEN

This old and powerful family which was of French extraction derived their name from the Isle of Wight where they first settled. The original version of the name was "De Insula," the Latin for "of the island," of which the French equivalent was De L'lsle. Apostrophe and preposition were gradually omitted and the family name became Lisle.

The Manor of Dibden had belonged in the 17th century to the family of Croke of Chiltern Co. Bucks, to whom it came through the marriage of Rachel, the daughter of Sir William Webbe of Dibden, to Sir John Croke. John Lisle, the Royalist son of Dame Alicia, married the heiress of the Croke family and lived, died and was buried in Dibden. He was through his wife the owner of the Manor of Dibden.

The Lisles held the Manor of Crux Easton from the Edward III to about the middle of the 18th century. Sir William Lisle, a zealous Royalist, accompanied Charles II in his exile and consequently forfeited all his possessions. Crux Easton thus passed to his younger brother, Colonel John Lisle, the husband of Dame Alicia, the heiress of Moyles Court, Ellingham. John Lisle sat in the long parliament for Winchester. He was created a peer by Cromwell and was on the tribunal which condemned the King though he did not sign the death warrant. John Lisle had sworn Cromwell into Office as Lord Protector. A little before the return of King
Charles II he fled to the continent where he was assassinated in 1664. The Manor of Crux Easton was restored to Sir William.

Dame Alicia Lisle continued to live at Moyles Court which had now become the chief residence of the Lisle family. Her son John and his family lived at Dibden Manor House, which was on the same site as the large house that adjoined the Church in 1940. We may rightly presume that Dame Alicia Lisle was a not infrequent visitor to her son and his family at Dibden. It has been claimed that the ghost of Dame Alicia haunts the site of the Manor House carrying her head under her arm.

The story of Monmouth and the trial of Dame Alicia Lisle by the inhuman Judge Jeffreys in "his bloody assize" is well known. It was alleged that she had given protection to two fugitives from the battle of Sedgemoor. These were Hicks, the dissenting preacher, and Neglethorpe, the lawyer, both of whom were said to have been actively concerned with the Rye House Plot as well as in the Rebellion of Monmouth.

Dame Alicia Lisle had not approved of her husband's views and was known to have shed tears on account of Charles I. She employed no counsel and simply stated the truth of the case that she had concealed Mr. Hicks as a Nonconformist preacher persecuted for religion, without the least suspicion of his having been concerned with Monmouth; and had afforded refuge to Neglethorpe, as Hicks' friend, without even knowing his name. She represented the improbability of her risking her own life, and the ruin of her family, in harbouring known traitors; and proved that she had always instilled principles of loyalty into her son, by his having actually borne arms against Monmouth. She was acquitted three times by the jury, but Judge Jeffreys insisted on their pronouncing her guilty. Sentence was passed that she should be burnt at the stake. At the intercession of the Clergy of Winchester a respite of five days was granted. Her life was asked of the King by Royalists who had found her their friend in the great extremities and who knew well her loyalty; but in vain. All the mercy she could obtain was an alteration of the sentence from burning to beheading.

On September 2nd, 1685, the venerable victim, more than 70 years old, was brought to the scaffold, where she resigned her life with Christian fortitude. Just before her execution she gave a paper to the sheriff, expressing her sentiments. It is truly Christian. She declares herself a Protestant, deprecates the return of Popery as a judgment, vindicates her character, forgives her enemies and prepares to die, in the expectation of "pardon and acceptance with God, by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ." (See State Trials, Vol. IV.)

At the "Glorious Revolution" in 1688 Ellingham Manor was restored to John Lisle of Dibden, the son of Dame Alicia. He died in 1709 and, like his wife and baby son, was interred in the Church Vault at Dibden, leaving two sons, John and Charles Croke Lisle, who succeeded him in turn and who both died childless. The latter by his will in 1721 entailed his estate on his uncle, Edward Lisle, of Crux Easton, who was the son of William Lisle the Royalist, the brother of John. Edward Lisle and his wife, Mary, are buried in the churchyard, east of the chancel. The flat tombstones read as follows:-

Here lies inter'd
Edward Lisle of Crux Easton
in this County Esq.
who was snatched from his neighbours
his wife, children and Country
by a fit of apoplexy
lamented by all
June the 10th
in the year of our Lord
1722
aged 56.

Here lyeth y Body of Mary
Lisle Relict of Edward Lisle Esq.
Late of Crux Easton in this County
Daughter of Sir Ambrose Phillipps
of Garrenton, in the County of
Leicester. She departed this life 17th
Day of August A.D. 1749
the 77th year of her age.

There was a monument of plain white marble in the Church to one of the sons, Charles. He is described as being of Moyles Court, died November 24th, 1771. The epitaph gave him a high character.

The Manor of Dibden came into the possession of the Harris family in the 18th century. The Victoria County history says "that direct evidence at this point fails" when dealing with the owners of Dibden Manor at the close of the 17th century. The Lisles seem to have had a great interest in Dibden as several members of the family were buried here. The Old Church has several monuments. On the south side of the Communion Table was a handsome marble monument to Dr. Thomas Lisle, Rector of Burghclere, Hants, 6th son of Edward Lisle of Crux Easton. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Charles Phillipps of Lowlayton, Essex, who died August 26th, 1763, aged 53. This gentleman once held the Rectory of Wootton in the Isle of Wight. He was the author of several pieces of poetry which are inserted in "Dodsley's Collection." By these it appears that he had travelled; three of them being letters to his sisters, in humorous style, dated severally from Smyrna, Grand Cairo and Marseilles. He had nine sisters. Mr. Pope appears to have been a friend of the family. He wrote the following elegant lines, as an "Inscription on a Grotto of Shells at Crux Easton, the Work of Nine Young Ladies."

Here, shunning idleness at once and praise,
This ancient pile nine rural sisters raise;
The glittering emblem of each spotless dame,
Clear as her soul, and shining as her frame;
Beauty which Nature only can impart,
And such a polish as disgraces Art:
But (ate disposed them in this humble sort
And hid in deserts what would charm a court.

THE COMMUNION PLATE

The elaborate pre-Reformation chalices "were taken for the King" in 1547 and subsequent dates. A new form of Communion Cup was introduced in the reigns of Edward VI and Elizabeth I. They are large plain standing Cups, and are in great contrast to the Chalices they replaced. In 1547 the administration of the Communion in both kinds was restored according to the practice of the Early Church, and consequently the new Chalices were adapted for the use of the whole congregation. Convocation in 1562 may have ordered a definite style of Cup.

The dating marks on our Elizabethan silver Cup and Paten cover were concealed or obliterated. It is one of the most usual form for the period 1568-9. Canon P. R. P. Braithwaite in his book "The Church Plate of Hampshire" describes ours as follows: "The bowl is slightly tapered and its edge has been at some time strengthened by a flat wire, which probably conceals the marks. It is encircled below the lip by a band of the usual foliated Elizabethan engraving, without interlacing strap-work, and by a similar band at the base. The stem is short with vertical bands of block moulding above and below it, the knop is engraved with interrupted lines and the domed foot as the bowl. The Cover has a small filled-in foot, engraved with a Tudor Rose"

The Silver Paten is plain with a foot which has a hollow gadroon moulding as its edge. It has the London Assay marks for 1696 and I C conjoined letters with pellet below. The letters M C and G L are scratched underneath. According to Cripps in his book "Old English Plate", I C with pellet below on a shaped shield appears on a large paten or alms plate on central foot, gadrooned edge at the Church of St. Winnoe, Cornwall. It seems as if they might be by the same maker. (I C might possibly be J C, John Chadwick?).

The body of the silver flagon is plain, straight tankard shaped with a spout, it has a moulded foot, a flat handle with trefoil terminals, and a doubly-domed cover with knob. It has the London Assay marks for 1871 and TC EC for the makers. There is an inscription: In honorem dei et in carum parentum memoriam. d.d. G.W.S. (G.W.S. gave the gift to the honour of God and in memory of his beloved parents.)
d.d., Donum Dedit.
G.W.S, George Wrenford Southouse.

THE CHURCH REGISTERS

The old registers began in 1625 but were incomplete for there was a note written about 1780 in the second volume saying that the Rector then found the first volume in the possession of a local farmer with the portion 1625-1661 missing when the book was recovered. For some years about 1760 all the baptisms were private, the children being subsequently "received into the congregation". (Hants. Registers Fearon & Williams.) The earliest registers being parchment were damaged beyond repair in the destruction of the Church by fire in 1940. The leaves are stuck together, shrivelled to about one-fourth of their original size, and appear like a lump of glue. The modem millboards in which they had been rebound were unharmed. Marriage entries for 1731 onwards, Baptisms and Burials 1784 onwards, are generally decipherable. The paper registers were unaffected by the fire.

Although the first two Registers were so badly damaged, we must be thankful some interesting records from the old registers have been noted in the New Forest Magazine April 1920. In the seventeenth century during the incumbency of the Rev. Joseph Matthewes records of collections were made on the front page as a preface to the entries of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials. In 1661 there must have been appeals for help from far and near as collections were made as follows:—

For the relief of H. M. Harrison, a mariner three shillings and twopence.

For the relief of the inhabitants of Pontefract in Yorkshire the sum on one shilling and
threepence. ('The inhabitants of Pontefract must have been "hard up" when they stood in need of Dibden's Is. 3d.)

January 12th, 1661. For the relief of the inhabitants of Bridgnorth, Salop, one shilling and one penny.

Similar amounts were collected for parishes in Wilts., Salop and Lincolnshire.

Here is a strange entry:— October 6th, 1661. Collected in the parish of Dibden in the County of Southampton towards the advancement of the fishing trade by order of His Majesties Commission and letter patent on the behalf of the same: three shillings and twopence halfpence. (Rather high sounding!)

These collections were probably the response of the parish to the "Church Briefs." The briefs were letters patent, issued by the Crown, and directed to be read in all the Churches, within a certain defined area, in favour of petitioners whose needs were very urgent, and who had influence in high places. Fifty-one such were issued in the year 1661-2 and Pepys had perhaps reason to complain, "To Church, where we observe the trade of briefs now come up to so constant a course every Sunday, that we resolve to give no more to them."

THE RATE BOOKS

The Church Rate Books 1772-1832 give some interesting particulars illustrating life in Dibden during this period. Names of all Church ratepayers and their properties, details of expenditure, vestry resolutions and election of churchwardens (one by the Minister and one by the parish) are recorded.

The Poor Rate Books 1818-1848. Unfortunately these do not go back as far as the Church Rate Books or even far enough to reflect the consequences to Dibden of the Enclosure Act of 1796 or of the War with France, and they just miss the difficult year of 1816. They do, however, carry us through the crisis of 1830 and the Poor Law of 1834 which wound up the old Parochial system to amalgamate parishes into Unions of Parishes of which the governing bodies were composed of elected Guardians centralised later under the Poor Law Commissioners.

OTHER INTERESTING ITEMS

Dibden was evidently a place of some note at the time of the Conquest. In Warner's "History of Hampshire" the English translation of the Domesday entry of Dibden (Depedene) is as follows:-

In Rodbndge Hundred.

"Odo holds Depedene, of the King. It was held by Chetel, of King Edward, and was then assessed at 5 hides. It is now assessed at 2 hides; but pays tax for one only, because three hides are in the forest. Here are 4 ploughlands; and 4 villagers and 15 borderers employ 5 ploughs. Here are 9 acres of meadow; and woods which furnish 6 hogs. Also a saltern and a fishery. It is worth T.R.E. 10 pounds, and afterwards 8 pounds. It is now worth 50 shillings; but it pays 100 shillings."

Each century brought at least one change in the spelling, for we find Diepedena in 1164, Dupeden in 1202, Duppedene in 1305, Depden in 1428 and "b" first in 1491, Dibbden. In 1547 it is referred to as Dybden alias Dubden, suggesting some uncertainty about the vowel. It is Debden in 1525. Dibden means a dell of thick wood. (Anglo-Saxon deop "deep" and den, dean or denu, "a wooded valley or dell".)

Various definitions have been given of the word Purlieu. Some suggest the French word pur (clear, entire and exempt) and lieu (place) i.e. a place exempt from the Forest law, a "pure place." A Purlieu was a place that had once been under Forest law but had since been put once more under the ordinary law. Others think that the name is derived from the Old French puralee "a going through" from the Old French verb puraller or pouraller. Later becoming corrupted to purley and then to purlieu by a supposed connection with the modem French lieu. The dictionary defines purlieu as a "strip of land on edge of wood or forest disafforested by a new perambulation or survey."

A "Mission Room" was built at Dibden Purlieu in 1896 by Miss P. L. Unwin. She also bequeathed to the Rector and Churchwardens the field alongside as a site for a Church.

There is an extract from the Compton Census of 1676 which gives the number of Conformists at Dibden as 164, no Papists, 3 Nonconformists. In 1821 a census was taken and the population of Dibden was 327. In 1851 it was 487.

The Stocks are still mentioned in 1783, the last year recorded in the Court Leet Record Book of Dibden Manor. Where they were sited is not known. May have been near the Church or by the old village "pound" adjoining Dibden Post Office.

There is a catalogue of the sale of the Manor of Dibden with a Purlieu and several convenient farms and beautiful woods. Date 21 July 1813. Details of the Estate with tenants name, etc., are given.

A National School for boys and girls was built at the corner of Claypits Lane and the Main Southampton Road in 1843 at a cost of 280 pounds. This was met by subscriptions and a grant from the National Society. Closed as a school in 1911. It was used as a place of worship from 1940-1955.