Historic Description of Dunster Priory Church of St George

Dunster Priory

Dunster is a near neighbour to Cleeve, and its beauty is famous. Besides the castle of the Luttrells – the distant view of which is really romantic – it has a church, a compound of the parochial and monastic, of great size and distinction.

Leland, writing soon after the Suppression, says: “The whole church of the priory servith now for the paroch church. Afore tymes the monkes had the Est part closed up to their use.” This closing up was done in 1499, at the decision of the Abbot of Glastonbury, who, with another, was chosen to arbitrate in a quarrel between the monks and the parishioners. Such quarrels were almost inevitable where monks and seculars shared one building on almost equal terms.

This church is a large cruciform building with aisled nave. Outside, it looks all of the fifteenth century, but inside Early English work may be seen. The shortness of the north aisle as compared with the south is due to the attachment of the monastic buildings to the church on that side. The west end has a Normal portal much restored, which is the oldest feature to be seen about the building. Inside the conspicuous object is the rich coved screen which runs right across. It formerly stood farther east and divided town from Priory.

East of the screen was the monk’s church, including transepts and chancel. From the Priory it descended to the Luttrells, and is or was “as much their private property as the castle”; just as the chancel of Arundel and the Blount aisle at Mapledurham belong to the Howards and the Blounts. It was long out of use and “totally neglected; although it contains many fine monumental tombs and escutcheons of the Mohun and Luttrell families, now perishing with their owners in the dust, and exhibiting a strong rebuke” (in the opinion of Mr Collinson, the historian of the county) “to the vanity of human greatness.” There is indeed a splendid monument to Sir Thomas Luttrell; older is that of Elizabeth Luttrell, 1493 (south choir aisle).

Older again are the effigies on north and south of the choir under cusped canopies, the cusps ending in one case with (new?) heads, in the other with angels bearing shields.

A beautiful feature is an Early English arch opening eastward out of the south transept. Peculiar in form, it is filled with a piece of rich screen-work which in part seems to be of late fourteenth century.

The monastic buildings have left little trace; they were on the north, and a fragment of the Prior’s lodging exists. More prominent is the dove cot, farther off – a fine specimen. The house at the entrance of the churchyard, on the south, was that of the parish priest.

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