| Mappowder |
| Here on the edge of the Vale of
Blackmore near to Bulbarrow Hill, is the parish of Mappowder and its
small collection of stone built cottages and church. Lying 7 miles
southwest of Sturminster Newton and 10 miles northeast of Dorchester it
is said that the name came from the Old english word Mapluldor which
meant a maple tree, and in the Domesday Survey it was referred to as
Mapledre. The church is dedicated to St Peter and St Paul and is mostly of 15th century construction with a tower added in 1868 in the same style. Inside there is a small effigy of a knight from the 13th century in a recess and he is said to commemorate the death of a crusador whose heart was returned here to be buried in his home parish. A short way from the gate to the churchyard is the cottage which was home to T. F. Powys the novelist and he is buried here in the churchyard
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