St Michael's Church, Compton Martin

A priest’s dedication to a life of extreme penance as a hermit has bequeathed this village a fine Norman church, which is now on the Whiting Way pilgrim trail

Highlights

• St Wulfric’s birthplaceandfirst church

Compton Martin’s lovely Norman church was built almost immediately after its priest, St Wulfric, resigned. As a young man, St Wulfric enjoyed a life of luxury until a chance encounter with a beggar in 1125 made him so ashamed of his privilege that he underwent something of a mid-life crisis. He quit the comfort of Compton Martin to live as an extreme form of hermit in Haselbury Plucknett, 30 miles to the south.

It is possible he left behind some of his wealth to build the church. And so there is nothing directly connected to St Wulfric at the current church, which dates from 1130 onwards. No trace has been found of the earlier building in which he served, presumably a wooden Saxon church on the same site. St Wulfric was born in the village and is commemorated in a modern-era stained glass window at the western end of the north aisle. The church’s former priest became famous as a hermit for his extreme acts of penance, such as wearing a chainmail shirt and bathing in cold water to say the psalms.

A late 13th-century tomb effigy in the church is often admired, still bearing traces of paint, marking the grave of local landowner Thomas de Mortone. It is displayed in the north aisle, a reminder that all early statues were probably painted. The loft above the chancel was designed as a dovecote for the priest to use – just the sort of luxury to make St Wulfric shudder.

Directions‍

St Michael’s Church, Off The Street (A368), Compton Martin BS40 6JB‍

www.stmichaelscomptonmartin.org.uk‍

W3W: duplicate.cross.ruffle

GPS: 51.3102N 2.6542W‍

The church is on a narrow crescent off the main road. Turning into and out of this drive is difficult, so it is easiest to park nearby and walk. The church is open daily.