Pulham

Church of St Thomas a Becket

Pulham (East and West) is a somewhat dispersed village and parish that lies in the Vale of Blackmoor, about 13 miles north of Dorchester, 7 miles south-west of Sturminster Newton and 8 miles south-east of Sherborne, on the B3143 road. Referred to as Poleham in the Domesday Book (1086AD), it had become Puleham by 1130 and Pullam at 1212. The present spelling of Pulham has been in use since 1244. The adjoining parishes are Glanvilles Wootton and Holwell, towards the west, and Hazelbury Bryan to the east.

The church of St Thomas Becket sits a little apart from the village it serves and is mostly Tudor in style although it was restored in 1870 to the designs of the Rev. F. C. H. Randolph, rector of Ringmore, Devon, when the North Aisle and sections of the South were rebuilt. The tower contains four bells, the fourth being added in 1884. All the windows are stained, the East being a memorial to the Hine family. The church register dates from 1734. The church has an unusual porch which contains a steep staircase into a chamber above called a Parvis chamber, these had many uses but were normally used for visiting priests.

Church Chancel

The Online Parish Clerk (OPC) for Pulham is Derek Smith
Derek can be contacted via email, just click on the above link.
If you have any other information that could be included for the benefit of others with Pulham interests, it would be most welcome