The village of Bloxworth is situated in a particularly beautiful wooded part of Dorset, which has been accurately described as a rural idyll. It has attracted some illustrious rectors in the past. Perhaps the most eminent was John Morton (1420 - 1500), who set out as a lowly country priest, but rose to become the Cardinal Archbishop of Canterbury (1486) under Henry VII. His was an adventurous life. As Bishop of Ely he appears in Shakespeare's play Richard III, he became a king maker, a prisoner in the Tower of London, but finally responsible for joining the red and white roses to form the Tudor dynasty. A much later Rector, splendidly called Octavious Pickard-Cambridge, occupied the position from 1868 until his death in 1917. In the meantime, he catalogued 800 different Dorset species of spiders and wrote a book on the subject. Unfortunately, he was also responsible for the 'improvement' of the church in 1870.
The Trust gratefully acknowledges images and text by Robin Adeney ©
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